The Colony - Discovery - 7/21/09 [Text View]

speaker city

07-22-2009, 02:20 AM

I thought it was kinda cool and set a SP. Looks like it's gonna be part Mythbusters/part Big Brother. The water sanitation stuff was educational.

I already don't like the machinist or the handyman.

I wonder what the contractor was trafficking? Drugs? People?

The most obvious flaw is the lack of firearms. In a real Poop Hits The Fan scenario, most people would arm themselves before seeking out shelter and food.

Southcross

07-22-2009, 11:01 AM

ahhh... I didn't even relate "Mythbusters", but yes... I love how they covered the making of the battery pack, the water filtration, etc.

as for firearms... I see that going really badly really quick :lol:

Big Deficit

07-22-2009, 08:04 PM

It was interesting enough for a sp....then they had to show a fat old naked dude showering....Now that's Armageddon!

sushikitten

07-23-2009, 08:40 AM

I recorded it just to see if we might like it...and it's not too bad so we'll be keeping the SP.

I can't stand Mike (the handyman). He seems to want to be the center of attention. And of course his comments about the women washing the clothes. :rolleyes: Although it was interesting that the women gravitated towards doing that.

I liked the cross-section of people/job fields, but think they could have done a little better (although, yes, I know it's only 10 people). A doctor AND a nurse? A marine biologist? I know they are trying to pick people with actual mad skillz that could help in such a scenario...but if it was real, there would probably be a housewife, college student, or a bum thrown in there as well.

I would have liked to see where they found the plants/seeds for planting (as noticed in the end scenes when the old guy was out bathing in the rain--there were like 2 or 3 huge planters with green stuff growing!). I really thought they would have mentioned that...unless, I am assuming, the shots were ALL out of order and the rain really happened on like day 15 as opposed to day 3 and we will see them planting things in future episodes.

Gregor

07-26-2009, 09:06 AM

I've watched about 1/2. Not sure if the SP is gonna stick or not.

sieglinde

07-26-2009, 09:37 AM

They should have included Leslie Fish who wrote a series of "filk" songs about surviving the apolcolypse. These include "blue green mold" which is how to make penicillian. :)

Mr Flippant

07-26-2009, 11:25 AM

I liked it and my wife who does not like reality shows actually watched it. The setup is intriguing enough and the scenario is real enough to think "what would I do in this situation?". It will be interesting to see how cohesive people are in a few weeks and again at the end. It is enough of a reality showthat there are those you "hate" and those you like , but there will be no "winner", which is a cool dynamic. As well there are no stupid challenges. All the challenges are "real" and are worked on when they become a priority.

What was a bit less successful was the nightly confrontations. The first one clearly had the adrenalin pumping but they will come to realize that no harm will come to them and it is just a means of adding some stress to their situation. It would be more interesting if these confrontations had some real outcome like they would lose a member or two permanently.

I thought the new 4 members arrival was well done. Lots of suspicion on both side. It would be cool to continue them but add the possibility of some bad seeds being added as well. Hopefully the intruders will not become too predictasble.

The EE taking a "shower" at the end was hilarious. So far he is one of my favorite characters. Ok he may remind me of myself.

stellie93

07-26-2009, 01:54 PM

It was interesting enough for a sp....then they had to show a fat old naked dude showering....Now that's Armageddon!

Actually that guy wasn't built too bad for a man his age. Nice to see a reality show without big boobs and muscle guys.

I haven't really sorted them out, but the girl who was complaining about washing stuff--did she have anything else to contribute? I'm not handy and wouldn't know how to do anything except washing and cooking, and I'd be happy if they'd let me stay just on the strength of doing that. ;)

sushikitten

07-26-2009, 03:20 PM

I can't recall who exactly was doing the washing, but here's who they are:

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/colony/bios/

jeepair

07-27-2009, 07:46 AM

That location is pretty large and if it were real, you would need more than 10 to defend it properly. More people could mean more laborers and possibly more excursions to find food as that would probably be the hardest to find. Reminds me of the book "Patriots, surviving the upcomming collapse." When people walk by, ask them what their skills are and if you need a skill like that. Doctor, sure come on in. Microbiologists, sorry but we don't need that skill, here is some water and good luck on your way. etc. :D

I still don't see them fully getting into the mental aspect of being alone as you can see cars/trucks drive by on the bridges in the background. Not to mention the planes and helicopters which probably drive by.

And the old naked guy was only 49 but looked 70. Sheesh.

GoalieEd

07-30-2009, 06:48 AM

jeepair

07-30-2009, 10:27 AM

Agree with the guns but this is the best they can do. They can't even have anybody throw punches or swing clubs since it might actually hurt someone. They can probably only push people. Anyway...

I've never seen a wood gassifier before and I thought that was interesting and cool. I thought it would be a bomb also, lol.

I would have found a bike and attached the alternator to the bike crank. When you want to charge the batteries, ride a few miles and get exercise.

nataylor

07-30-2009, 10:45 AM

I would have found a bike and attached the alternator to the bike crank. When you want to charge the batteries, ride a few miles and get exercise.
Alternators need about 1000rpm to operate. That's almost 17 revolutions per second. Assuming no gearing, that's equivalent to a bike with 26" wheels going 77mph. You'd need some serious gearing to get that down to a reasonable level, and then the effort would probably be took much for a person.

BriGuy20

07-30-2009, 10:57 AM

Alternators need about 1000rpm to operate. That's almost 17 revolutions per second. Assuming no gearing, that's equivalent to a bike with 26" wheels going 77mph. You'd need some serious gearing to get that down to a reasonable level, and then the effort would probably be took much for a person.

Sounds like a challenge to me!

Tobashadow

07-30-2009, 11:33 AM

I would have found a bike and attached the alternator to the bike crank. When you want to charge the batteries, ride a few miles and get exercise.

In a true reality you have to think about energy use versus a limited food supply.

The more energy you use, the more food and water you consume.

Yes the system they created will use energy to maintain, but nowhere in the league as a human powered source would be.

Waldorf

07-30-2009, 11:46 AM

The convict guy threatening the biker with the steel pipe was interesting, but if I was the biker I would have shot him dead (from a safe distance).

Should we change the title of this thread to reference spoilers for the whole season? Not sure if there are enough of us discussing that it warrants a separate thread per episode.

Anyhoo, this reminds me a bit of an old BBC show called "Junkyard Wars" where the teams luckily find a collection of car batteries in the junkyard. Then luckily find a DC to AC power inverter. Then luckily find various sizes of model rocket engines. :)

Tobashadow

07-30-2009, 11:57 AM

The Harbor Freight box full of brand new tools got me thinking,

Staged 100%

They probably sleep in a hotel at night.

nataylor

07-30-2009, 12:02 PM

The Harbor Freight box full of brand new tools got me thinking,

Staged 100%

They probably sleep in a hotel at night.

Not sure how you can make that jump. Of course they stocked useful items for them to use. It would be a very boring TV show if they had nothing to build/use.

Waldorf

07-30-2009, 12:08 PM

Did anyone make out the disclaimer at the end? Something like "experts in various fields are on site and intervene if the colonists put themselves in danger" and such.

I imagine they had someone check out that gasifier before they tried to light it up. :)

I'm hoping that as time goes on, the colonists get used to having cameras around and stop hamming it up so much/being melodramatic. Unfortunately, having to do "diary" sessions probably takes them right out of it and back into "tv show" mode.

BriGuy20

07-30-2009, 12:15 PM

Everyone should study this show carefully (as well as watch the Living Dead series) so you know EXACTLY what to do in the inevitable event of a zombie apocalypse. It's going to happen, it's just a question of when. :p

Sacrilegium

07-30-2009, 11:30 PM

Handyman Mike is just a little bit insecure about not having a degree.

Einselen

07-31-2009, 02:53 AM

Quick question before I continue participation in this thread, but is this an all season thread or per episode one?

speaker city

07-31-2009, 03:38 AM

I'm enjoying the show, but I think the biggest glaring difference between this and if a real situation occured is that there would be firearms involved. The convict guy threatening the biker with the steel pipe was interesting, but if I was the biker I would have shot him dead (from a safe distance). I also don't think the convict would have even tried that bold a move in a apocolypse with firearms.

This show needs Simunition. (http://www.simunition.com/index_en.php) Simunition is basically a systems that combines normal firearms with a non-lethal paintball-type ammunition.

sieglinde

07-31-2009, 04:05 PM

Since this thread has a date and a name it is only for the first episode.

bareyb

07-31-2009, 06:16 PM

I'm in. My 9 y/o likes it and it's something we can get into together. I really liked the "gassifier" thing. Had not heard of that before either. Nice to learn something along the way. The "hooligans" or marauders or whatever they are calling them is kind of dumb so far. Why not tackle one of them and take their motorcycle? Are the colonists not supposed to attack them? If they can't attack them, and the marauders can't attack THEM then there's really no point other than harassment.

pmyers

07-31-2009, 10:24 PM

I just started watching this show and enjoy it so far.

"I like that bike....I like that bike..." lol

minorthr

07-31-2009, 10:38 PM

Handyman Mike is going to become a problem.

Einselen

08-01-2009, 12:48 AM

Since this thread has a date and a name it is only for the first episode.

Sadly that seems to not be the general consensus, I don't care which way it goes but I would like maybe new episode discussion to be in spoiler tags until the mods change the thread title and/or a whole new general discussion thread is started. Granted I am not a spoiler nazi, but I mean come on.

marksman

08-01-2009, 01:21 AM

It was interesting enough for a sp....then they had to show a fat old naked dude showering....Now that's Armageddon!

The weirdest thing is that old guy is 49. Every time I see his age or see him now knowing his age I double take...

Talk about a guy who would have to look 20 years younger by shaving jeez.

I am really digging this show so far. It requires a bit of suspension of disbelief but it is more than just your traditional reality contest. I think with more time it will become more interesting as even though they logically know this is not really, it will become their reality and they will start to question themselves more.

pmyers

08-01-2009, 02:53 PM

Sadly that seems to not be the general consensus, I don't care which way it goes but I would like maybe new episode discussion to be in spoiler tags until the mods change the thread title and/or a whole new general discussion thread is started. Granted I am not a spoiler nazi, but I mean come on.

I can't imagine a show like this needing a thread for each episode....IMHO. There is only like 6 of us participating in this thread.