I'm really not sure if Massachusetts is the best set piece for the background of this new Sci-Fi TV series on TNT.
Me, and everyone that I've personally spoken with...including my more Nerdy friends (like cosplay Nerdy) have destined this series to fail. When did we come to this conclusion you might ask?
After seeing the TV commercials.
Now that I've actually seen an episode of Falling Skies, I can officially state that it is fucking brutal.
It's not as bad as Robot Holocaust, but it is bad.
Now...I've seen my fair-share of corny movies, but this is a TV show....and it is C-O-R-N-Y, capslock and letter spacing intended.
So apparently basic plot wise: #1 Alien invasion, #2 90% of the human race is wiped out, and along with it the majority of every country's military #3 The story picks up 6 months after the invasion. The group being followed is a rebel group in MA.
MA?
Wait...
MA? As in Massachusetts. As in Liberal-Ville and Hard-on-for-Gun-Control-Town?
So....let me get this straight. The world's militaries have been extinguished...and the fate of the planet now relies on civilian militia-members from suburbia in Massachusetts?
My first Beef of the Series: This plot point right here. I don't care that 90% of the world's population has been knocked out, modern Mass sure ain't what it used to be way back in the revolution. *Note there are still tough sections of MA where badasses still live on, but most of the characters appear to be Suburb-material.
*I'm going to place a hefty little disclaimer here and just say upfront that not all people in MA are like what I'm about to describe*
I don't care that there was an Alien invasion and a near-extermination of the human race...I still find it hard to believe the story that a bunch of civvies from humble backgrounds in Mass are now proficient in automatic weaponry (not to mention...speaking of automatic weaponry...how the fuck did an Automatic Kalashnikov end up in MA?--Armageddon be damned, that's still crazy-illegal for MA standards...do you realize where that thing would have to come from, even stateside? What does that mean for post-apocalyptic shipping payments?).
Don't get me wrong here, I'd like to believe that the fighters portrayed in the TV series are all crazy Irish mofos from Southie, but sadly..that is not the case. The XO of the damn group used to be a History Professor from Cambridge, and one of his sons was a Lax bro in Highschool.
Mass wise you usually don't fuck around in Cambridge, but Mr. Professor doesn't look like he's from Boston. None of the characters are believable. Everyone is a wuss!
Why can't I be watching cool characters that actually embody the fighting spirit of the city of Boston in badassery?
Would it be too much to ask for some comic relief in a show that takes itself way to seriously (TNT sure does "know drama")? I want to see some crazy-ass Bruins fan wearing all Stanley Cup get-up go berserk with a tire iron, I mean come on! No-one one the show has a Boston accent, and they look like they all came from Marblehead (zing!...maybe a bit too harsh).
Instead I'm stuck watching a bunch of pusbags go through incredibly corny character developments and family dynamics at inconvenient times.
Which leads me to my second Beef with the Series: This is so friggen corny. Is this really the best time to be exploring family relations? There's a big fucking alien robot-thing right over there...and I'm not sure if you noticed...but it's trying to kill you.
On a side note: The lack of discipline is astounding. THIS IS THE END OF THE WORLD. The military CoC (Chain of Command) is not a democracy...followwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww your orderrrrrrrrrrss. The dog was sent over there to see if there was a robot....you shouldn't run after the dog yelling, giving away your team's position. Thus, you are stupid for caring more about the dog than the lives of your squad members. This is painful to watch, and part of the reason why I consider these characters to be wusses.
Charcters/families aside...it's still fucking corny. If this helps to explain anything: Spielberg produced the damn thing. With the exception of Super 8, it's been decided by most of the collective majority that he's lost his edge. I don't think Spielberg can really afford another flop...and personally...I wouldn't want my name attached anywhere near this project.
There's so many "intense" and "deep" moments early on in this series that it's already ridiculous. The music, the chirpy-sing-along-around-the-camp-fire mentality over bonding in watching a kid use a skateboard, the "come play catch with me! (using lacrosse sticks)....UGH ENOUGH. This is a story of the end of days!!!
There's still time to salvage the project, but if my early disinterest in the characters and other sentiments are any indication of what other people may be feeling, I don't think this show will survive. It reminds me of another disaster-end-of-the-world TV series: Jericho on CBS.
Only difference is, Jericho's slow start eventually picked up, and I was satisfied with its ending---it was cancelled for being slow, then brought back by fans...picked up, and then was cancelled again, but not before it tied up its story-line.
Let's hope Falling Skies scraps the sentimental crap and cuts to the action..otherwise I can't imagine it being picked up for a 2nd season.
--Fin--
