Other Science Fiction Series

Defying Gravity cancelled

POSTED BY: Mangolo
UPDATED: Saturday, November 14, 2009 17:31
VIEWED: 8313
PAGE 2 of 4

AURAPTOR

Sunday, October 4, 2009 12:12 PM

never saw it.

The T.Rex they call JANE!

SUASOR

Sunday, October 4, 2009 2:35 PM

cljohnston108. it showed up a little after your post did.

http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5109280/Defying.Gravity.S01E10.Deja.Vu
.XviD-err0001.avi

MANGOLO

Monday, October 5, 2009 5:05 AM

I watched Voyage to the Planets (VttP) on which Defying Gravity was loosely based. I say loosely because VttP was really a science show with a window dressing of drama. Defying Gravity decided to drop the science part altogether and make the drama melodramatic.

This whole no communications time lag thing on Defying Gravity bugs the crap out of me- color me with geek, but that's the way I see it.

SIGMANUNKI

Monday, October 5, 2009 7:05 AM

Actually Traveler, what you're complaining about is what Sci-Fi really is. Namely, slow development of character, atmosphere, etc, etc, etc. Unfortunately, in today's ADD world, that has gone away replaced with action movies/shows in space that sound/look "Sci-Fi". It's sad really. What people consider Sci-Fi to be today is something along the lines of high tech thingy's in the future or some such. Very very sad.

What would have happened if this show wasn't cancelled is a progression of the plot and a related increase in pace as well. Kind of like what a book does. It's about long term story telling, not instant gratification. And that was exactly what was happening.

Quite frankly, if people actually read books, then I highly doubt the pace of this show would have been a problem. But, as it sits, there was too little "wiz bang" in it to keep the kiddies eyes fixed on the screen. Not to mention that the show required one to actually retain information. God forbid these characters would not be one dimensional and require some form of back story. God forbid plot arcs that go beyond one episode. God forbid...

----
I am on The Original List (twice). We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

TRAVELER

Monday, October 5, 2009 11:37 PM

Hello SigmaNunki:

I read. I have volumes of books stacked all over my apartment. I read about everything. I read science fiction and classics. I read about history and science. I have read stories as long as J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and as short as John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". I joined a book club to widen my reading experience. None of this alters my view of how "Defying Gravity" was handled. You can have on going story arcs, but I felt the arcs on this show were to dominate. There are plenty of shows with plots that are developed over years, but each episode has its own story and a conclusion.

"Fringe" is a good example. There is an on going arc. There are questions that won't be answered for probably years, if the show has a long life. I hope it does. The people have personal problems and they effect their performance. But each episode has a new conflict and it is dealt with and resolved within the episode. The idea of a evil force behind some of these conflicts is brought up, but it does not dominate the show. As far as personal problems, all the main characters have them. Walter has the most severe, but it is not looked on week after week as a drag. They actually put some joy in Walter's life when he asks for cotton candy in the middle of list of lab equipment. Walter is healing. They had one episode where Walter had to return to the mental hospital, so we could grasp his fear and torment, and then they moved on. And his relationship with his son is also moving on. It is not made to be a drag week after week.

This thread asked our opinion and I freely gave mine. It is mine alone. If you disagree, fine. I stand by original post.

Since you enjoy reading, may I recommend "The Memory of Running" by Ron Mclarty and "The Spiral Road" by Jon de Hartog. I found these two books a pleasure to read. If you prefer science fiction then let me say "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman was a fine read.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

KWICKO

Monday, October 5, 2009 11:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mangolo:
I watched Voyage to the Planets (VttP) on which Defying Gravity was loosely based. I say loosely because VttP was really a science show with a window dressing of drama. Defying Gravity decided to drop the science part altogether and make the drama melodramatic.

This whole no communications time lag thing on Defying Gravity bugs the crap out of me- color me with geek, but that's the way I see it.

Yup, and yup. Voyage to the Planets was informative AND entertaining, with more emphasis on the informative. Defying Gravity was neither. And if you're going to try to do "science" in a "sci-fi" show, either explain the lack of time-lag on communications, or have a time lag. It should get longer as they get further from Earth, for those who might not have figured that out... ;)

MANGOLO

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 12:09 AM

The time lag is actually a great aid in adding dramatic tension- not knowing what is going on at the other end for first just minutes and then hours- to fail to see that is a major fail on the writers.

SIGMANUNKI

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 1:48 AM

There wasn't time lag, but that was probably a yet thing. If you really kept a good eye, over the course of the eps, there was some pixelization starting during the communication with Earth.

EDIT: Being general comment:

Btw, for those that haven't figured it out, the show wasn't about the Science. It was about the interpersonal relationships, the thing they had on board (which they were starting to figure out what it was - ya, I watched that last ep that wasn't aired in the US), and what the other "things" were, what they were going to do, etc. The really sad part is that the show was just getting going. But, because people today need explosions and tits shown every minute or so to satisfy there ADD, they can't wait for things to get setup before the show gets to the good stuff. It's instant gratification or nothing.

What I find really really irritating, is seeing such a piece of crap like Dollhouse get on airtime, yet actual story-telling in a non-wizz-bang way gets tossed to the wayside. It says something about the mental capacity of todays population when they constantly need shiny objects dangling in front of them to keep them entertained.

EDIT: End general comment.

Hello Traveler:

That's a pretty long post to say nothing.

----
I am on The Original List (twice). We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

KWICKO

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 5:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SigmaNunki:
There wasn't time lag, but that was probably a yet thing. If you really kept a good eye, over the course of the eps, there was some pixelization starting during the communication with Earth.

Okay, were they at Venus yet? Close? If so, there WOULD be time lag.

Quote:

EDIT: Being general comment:

Btw, for those that haven't figured it out, the show wasn't about the Science. It was about the interpersonal relationships, the thing they had on board (which they were starting to figure out what it was - ya, I watched that last ep that wasn't aired in the US), and what the other "things" were, what they were going to do, etc. The really sad part is that the show was just getting going. But, because people today need explosions and tits shown every minute or so to satisfy there ADD, they can't wait for things to get setup before the show gets to the good stuff. It's instant gratification or nothing.

Probably one of the big reasons I quit watching Dollhouse as well.

But wait - then there's one of my OTHER favorite shows: Mad Men. It's a show in which it seems like almost nothing ever really happens on screen; it's all alluded to, hinted at. It's very "French" in its storytelling. And no tits or explosions at all.

So why would I watch that? And yet, I can't take my eyes off it.

Quote:

What I find really really irritating, is seeing such a piece of crap like Dollhouse get on airtime, yet actual story-telling in a non-wizz-bang way gets tossed to the wayside. It says something about the mental capacity of todays population when they constantly need shiny objects dangling in front of them to keep them entertained.

Sorry, but you've already negated your own argument. Dollhouse's big problem is the same as Defying Gravity's: It's just a shitty show, poorly written, poorly executed, with nothing to keep my interest or keep me watching. Sorry that your imagination is so weak that you need a McGuffin (or some hidden "thing" as you put it) to keep your interest in a show, but some of us would rather watch a show that's actually going somewhere, rather than one in which any resolution is always nebulous and just beyond the horizon - forever.

Quote:

Hello Traveler:

That's a pretty long post to say nothing.

As was yours.

By the way, I don't confuse television for reading. If I want to explore a story deeply and watch characters unfold, a book is pretty much always going to be better than a movie. A good series, though, can do it pretty well AND keep the viewer interested at the same time. Television is a far more "passive" medium than reading, and as such needs to hew to a different set of values and rules. If you don't agree, then why don't you go produce a TV show of someone reading a book on screen?

Mike

The percentage you're paying is too high-priced
While you're living beyond all your means;
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
From the profit he's made on your dreams

SIGMANUNKI

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 3:48 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:

Okay, were they at Venus yet? Close? If so, there WOULD be time lag.

Yah, because it's not like tech advances over time. Go back even 10 year and try to transfer 1G and see what happens.

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:

But wait - then there's one of my OTHER favorite shows: Mad Men. It's a show in which it seems like almost nothing ever really happens on screen; it's all alluded to, hinted at. It's very "French" in its storytelling. And no tits or explosions at all.

So why would I watch that? And yet, I can't take my eyes off it.

Never liked that show. It tries to hard to be something that it's not. I mean, it tries, but misses the mark because it's trying too hard.

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:

Sorry, but you've already negated your own argument. Dollhouse's big problem is the same as Defying Gravity's: It's just a shitty show, poorly written, poorly executed, with nothing to keep my interest or keep me watching. Sorry that your imagination is so weak that you need a McGuffin (or some hidden "thing" as you put it) to keep your interest in a show, but some of us would rather watch a show that's actually going somewhere, rather than one in which any resolution is always nebulous and just beyond the horizon - forever.

Defying Gravity actually has good writing. It's just that they aren't always talking about some grand big bad or something. THAT is what Dollhouse is doing. "Oh, the big bad dollhouse and the exploited people." Etc, etc, etc. It's the same thing over and over again. Defying Gravity on the other hand actually has this thing called progression. People didn't know about Beta, now they do, now they are dealing with it. That also brought up other questions like why that one chick couldn't see Beta. Etc.

Dollhouse, the hole never gets deeper. Defying Gravity, every step provides a more rich history of the characters and/or provides more questions about what's going to happen.

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:

As was yours.

Actually, I said quite a bit. At least far more than beating my own chest about how much I read. Kinda a difference there ya know.

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:

By the way, I don't confuse television for reading. If I want to explore a story deeply and watch characters unfold, a book is pretty much always going to be better than a movie. A good series, though, can do it pretty well AND keep the viewer interested at the same time. Television is a far more "passive" medium than reading, and as such needs to hew to a different set of values and rules. If you don't agree, then why don't you go produce a TV show of someone reading a book on screen?

Just because a TV show is typically something doesn't mean it can't be something else. Or that it hasn't been something else before/currently. Don't be so narrow minded.

EDIT: Btw, Defying Gravity DID have something resolved every episode. I would suggest that you go back and actually watch the show.

----
I am on The Original List (twice). We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"