I liked it and thought in told the story well, like older written science fiction.
Masters of Science Fiction 8/4/07 spoilers
I was very eager to see this - I was thinking maybe it would be like a new Twilight zone or a fresh look at the shows that were on in the 50's and 60's that took well known science fiction stories to tell. I feel like it is trying to do that. Using a new 'illness' of memory loss and playing with it.
I have to say though, I think I was a bit...bored? I guess. I will hope that the next few episodes make me more into it.
This episode just seemed to drag for me. The same thing over and over was the point I guess, but it just wasn't working. I didn't seem to care for the doctor at all. Oh well. We will see.
Well, I am hoping. The next episode has Locke (well, he still has his Locke outfit on it looks like) so that may help.
I have to say though, I think I was a bit...bored? I guess. I will hope that the next few episodes make me more into it.
This episode just seemed to drag for me. The same thing over and over was the point I guess, but it just wasn't working. I didn't seem to care for the doctor at all. Oh well. We will see.
Well, I am hoping. The next episode has Locke (well, he still has his Locke outfit on it looks like) so that may help.
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It was OK, but, to be honest, I expected a lot more. For one thing, this was a really *short* story (even at just one hour it seemed to drag). Also it was very light on the "science" part of science fiction. No, I don't need robots and aliens and space ships to accept it as science fiction, but I am looking forward to them in next week's installmentLangree said:I liked it and thought in told the story well, like older written science fiction.
I'm not expecting too much from this series. ABC is dumping them in the middle of summer on a Saturday night, one of the least watched television times.
Although with more and more DVR's out there, maybe not.
Although with more and more DVR's out there, maybe not.
Nice concept. Very poor story. Boring hour. Seemed like three hours. And either it was really predictable, or because it was so boring I had the time... I was able to come up with every "twist" beforehand.
The only thing that threw me was why they'd do it all over again with another psychiatrist. Why waste the effort at that point? I suppose maybe all 871, er, I mean 870 of them are just bored and need something to do, but still, you'd think it'd be more fun to play doctor in other ways if you're otherwise so bored.
And I expected more from Stephen Hawking introducing the episodes. Not some rip-off Outer Limits or Twilight Zone narration style -- both of which most always had something more interesting and less obvious to say than what was said in this episode.
Shoot, even the destruction wasn't done right. "After the bombs fell" and the London skyline was still intact, even if "hollow"? They should've saved a few dollars on the bad effects and just shown some melted sand and metal then hired a more capable writer to flesh out the story.
The only thing that threw me was why they'd do it all over again with another psychiatrist. Why waste the effort at that point? I suppose maybe all 871, er, I mean 870 of them are just bored and need something to do, but still, you'd think it'd be more fun to play doctor in other ways if you're otherwise so bored.
And I expected more from Stephen Hawking introducing the episodes. Not some rip-off Outer Limits or Twilight Zone narration style -- both of which most always had something more interesting and less obvious to say than what was said in this episode.
Shoot, even the destruction wasn't done right. "After the bombs fell" and the London skyline was still intact, even if "hollow"? They should've saved a few dollars on the bad effects and just shown some melted sand and metal then hired a more capable writer to flesh out the story.
No, you're absolutely right. As the local television reporter puts it:jamesbobo said:I'm not expecting too much from this series. ABC is dumping them in the middle of summer on a Saturday night, one of the least watched television times.
Although with more and more DVR's out there, maybe not.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=638743"Masters of Science Fiction," an ABC anthology of hourlong dramas with big names and modest production values, left the network's own executives so cold that they've programmed it for Saturday nights in August.
In fact, when I asked ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson why the four-part miniseries was airing on the worst night of the week in the worst month of the year, he said the project was "a low-cost initiative" with "very uneven" results - the executive equivalent of saying, "My kid is ugly."
But despite McPherson not getting it, so far it's actually rather refreshing, and something I wouldn't mind continuing. It'd be nice if they would've just aired it (with actual promotion) and just let the television viewing audience decide if it's "uneven" or not.
I know some people here have been looking forward to this show, but it was disappointingly bad. I mean very, very bad. The lead performances, from two very good actors, were painful to watch. Judy Davis was one-note, exuding boredom, and Sam Watterson's histrionics at the end were embarassing. However, they can't be blamed for having a tough time with the hackneyed dialogue and having to sell obvious plot reveals as stunning twists. Even Steven Hawking's little opening and closing blurbs managed to be preachy and moronic at the same time, not an easy feat.
Someone earlier in the thread compared this story with some of the classic science fiction of the 50's. I suppose that's true to the degree that it shared the era's obsession with psychoanalysis and nuclear holocaust. Maybe this show would have seemed more inventive or fresh back then, though I doubt it. Now it comes off as a third rate episode of one of those 80's and 90's anthology shows you find on the sci-fi channel at three in the morning, futilely trying to recapture the genius of the original Twilight Zone and Outer Limits.
Someone earlier in the thread compared this story with some of the classic science fiction of the 50's. I suppose that's true to the degree that it shared the era's obsession with psychoanalysis and nuclear holocaust. Maybe this show would have seemed more inventive or fresh back then, though I doubt it. Now it comes off as a third rate episode of one of those 80's and 90's anthology shows you find on the sci-fi channel at three in the morning, futilely trying to recapture the genius of the original Twilight Zone and Outer Limits.
I was worried when I saw the name Mick Garris on the credits. Masters of Horror is incredibly hit and miss. Judy Davis is a great actress (where has she been?) but this was clearly a result of stretched story, stretched budget, could have been better than it was.
I'll keep watching, but I'm getting a sense of deja vu ala Nightmares and Dreamscapes.....
I'll keep watching, but I'm getting a sense of deja vu ala Nightmares and Dreamscapes.....
This was a story written for 22 minutes of television, at most. They really had to stretch it to fill an hour of programming and the result was mostly disappointing. Sam Waterston was way over the top. I might burn this to DVD just for the camp value and because I suspect it will never be seen again until it lapses into the public domain.
I have to agree with the others. This was a pretty slow moving hour and the "twist" at the end wasn't very surprising.
omg-could this show be more predictable?
With the large salary's paid to the actors one would think they'd pay a little $$ for the script.
With the large salary's paid to the actors one would think they'd pay a little $$ for the script.
I really wanted to like this, so I'm disappointed that it wasn't better. I'm still holding out hope for episode number 2.
I also own up to some confusion about the ending of this episode. I got that she killed herself and left him alive, but I'm not sure why. Is it that she established that he did have the ability to remember what he had done, and therefore she 'cursed' him to a life sentence of living with that memory? While watching, I had assumed that the point of his meetings was to determine whether he had a recollection of what he had done, so that he could be tried/executed if so. She finally succeeded in establishing that he did, so what was the point of the continued appointments with the replacement psychiatrist? I'm embarrassed to admit I could use some cliff notes. Can anyone help straighten it out for me?
I also own up to some confusion about the ending of this episode. I got that she killed herself and left him alive, but I'm not sure why. Is it that she established that he did have the ability to remember what he had done, and therefore she 'cursed' him to a life sentence of living with that memory? While watching, I had assumed that the point of his meetings was to determine whether he had a recollection of what he had done, so that he could be tried/executed if so. She finally succeeded in establishing that he did, so what was the point of the continued appointments with the replacement psychiatrist? I'm embarrassed to admit I could use some cliff notes. Can anyone help straighten it out for me?
I was sort of falling asleep by then and fast forwarding to get to the end. I would be interested to hear also.danterner said:I really wanted to like this, so I'm disappointed that it wasn't better. I'm still holding out hope for episode number 2.
I also own up to some confusion about the ending of this episode. Can anyone help straighten it out for me?
If I'm not mistaken, several of the producers also worked on the 1990's Outer Limits, which is why the style of this show is exceedingly familiar.dswallow said:And I expected more from Stephen Hawking introducing the episodes. Not some rip-off Outer Limits or Twilight Zone narration style -- both of which most always had something more interesting and less obvious to say than what was said in this episode.
I found nothing exceptional about this episde, very middle of the road and a strange choice to use as your first episode.
I hope this doesn't mean that the rest of the episodes (six were shot, only four will probably be shown) are worse.
And count me in as confused by the ending as well.....
My understanding was that she was dying of cancer or something, but before she died, she wanted him to remember what he had done so that he would both have to live with it and could be tried for his crimes. Once she thought she had completed this task, she went ahead and killed herself as she had nothing left to accomplish and would be dying anyway.danterner said:I really wanted to like this, so I'm disappointed that it wasn't better. I'm still holding out hope for episode number 2.
I also own up to some confusion about the ending of this episode. I got that she killed herself and left him alive, but I'm not sure why. Is it that she established that he did have the ability to remember what he had done, and therefore she 'cursed' him to a life sentence of living with that memory? While watching, I had assumed that the point of his meetings was to determine whether he had a recollection of what he had done, so that he could be tried/executed if so. She finally succeeded in establishing that he did, so what was the point of the continued appointments with the replacement psychiatrist? I'm embarrassed to admit I could use some cliff notes. Can anyone help straighten it out for me?
Flash forward to the future, the president does not remember anything again because the forgetting window has passed (or he is so traumatized by the woman killing herself in front of him that he regresses again). So, the process begins all over again.
+1ced6 said:My understanding was that she was dying of cancer or something, but before she died, she wanted him to remember what he had done so that he would both have to live with it and could be tried for his crimes. Once she thought she had completed this task, she went ahead and killed herself as she had nothing left to accomplish and would be dying anyway.
Flash forward to the future, the president does not remember anything again because the forgetting window has passed (or he is so traumatized by the woman killing herself in front of him that he regresses again). So, the process begins all over again.
The hour was very slow, and I had really hoped they would finish with the president remembering everything so he could be tried. With the ending we got the woman's death seems pointless, as does the entire hour.
I don't even see the point of a trial; for one, it's not going to actually change anything. For another, I'm not sure he even did anything wrong. The only thing potentially wrong was the weapon having a side effect that was theoretical at the time, not proven.pkscout said:+1
The hour was very slow, and I had really hoped they would finish with the president remembering everything so he could be tried. With the ending we got the woman's death seems pointless, as does the entire hour.
All in all, just a really stupid story.
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