{"id":3856,"date":"2017-05-03T07:04:53","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T11:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reviewing\/?page_id=3856"},"modified":"2017-05-03T07:04:53","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T11:04:53","slug":"the-future-of-sci-fi-television-has-arrived","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reviewing\/?page_id=3856","title":{"rendered":"The future of sci-fi television has arrived"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted May 3, 2017<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By ZACHARY DEVITA<\/p>\n

In the last 30 to 40 years,\u00a0science-fiction has spread its definitional roots and developed new meanings\u00a0for\u00a0this strange genre.\u00a0This expansion is\u00a0in many parts\u00a0thanks\u00a0to\u00a0the increase in\u00a0television\u00a0channels, outlets and\u00a0programs, along with updated technology\u00a0across different media\u00a0that fit\u00a0the\u00a0variety of topics found\u00a0in science-fiction.<\/p>\n

The genre looks to bend and push the limits on reality, making insanely creative scenarios become real on the screen.<\/p>\n

These creative scenarios, which are\u00a0presented wonderfully on\u00a0a big screen, may finally\u00a0close the advantageous gap sci-fi books hold over the TV or cinematic mediums. While many look to sci-fi books due\u00a0to the\u00a0imaginative\u00a0properties they hold (compared to\u00a0the\u00a0restrictive\u00a0presentational properties of TV\u00a0and\u00a0film), they may soon leave their\u00a0pages or e-readers for what the silver screen\u00a0offers.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, many science-fiction based novels get developed into television and movie versions,\u00a0allowing\u00a0fans of the original text\u00a0the ability to enjoy\u00a0the work\u00a0brought to\u00a0life using another lens, adding dimensions not visualized before.<\/p>\n

True science-fiction fanatics will be impressed by\u00a0the standards and qualities of a variety of modern sci-fi shows found\u00a0on multiple cable channels and even over the top services, such as Netflix. The shows include HBO\u2019s \u201cWestworld,\u201d FX\u2019s \u201cLegion\u201d and Netflix\u2019s \u201cThe OA.\u201d While the first two shows have different source material\u00a0to base plot and story structure on, Netflix\u2019s\u00a0series is its\u00a0own original and unique idea.<\/p>\n

This originality pushes the cable-based programs to a more superior level of direction, writing and overall cinematography than the\u00a0over the top\u00a0services program.\u00a0This is not to say that \u201cThe OA\u201d isn\u2019t an eye-catching and\u00a0well-paced whirlwind mystery. It\u00a0just lacks a general mainstream appeal compared to the other two shows.<\/p>\n

Simply put, \u201cWestworld\u201d and \u201cLegion\u201d have more of a foundation to build upon and socially relevant themes that give them a superior edge over \u201cThe OA.\u201d Furthermore, while all three shows represent different factions of science-fiction, \u201cWestworld\u201d builds a plausible connection between robots and society, something that is relevant to our very world we live in today.\u00a0This social connection pushes\u00a0the series created by husband and wife duo Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy to the\u00a0forefront of the expanding TV\u00a0genre.<\/p>\n

Nolan, who is famous for penning the films \u201cInception,\u201d \u201cThe Dark Knight\u201d and \u201cMemento,\u201d\u00a0based \u201cWestworld\u201d\u00a0on the 1973 feature-film\u00a0with the same title. The\u00a0film\u00a0was the directorial debut of\u00a0science-fiction author Michael Crichton, who wrote such\u00a0best-selling\u00a0novels as \u201cJurassic\u00a0Park\u201d and \u201cThe Andromeda Strain.\u201d<\/p>\n

The updated\u00a0TV show goes way beyond the movie, as is possible in a television series,\u00a0growing the adult-playground concept that is Westworld\u00a0and\u00a0breaking the glass roof on\u00a0fundamental\u00a0questions involving the nature\u00a0of artificial intelligence and how it can manifest itself for human experiences.<\/p>\n

Casual TV viewers\u00a0can dive into the\u00a010-episode\u00a0arc,\u00a0which provides them with vastly intriguing plots, settings and duplicitous mysteries.<\/p>\n

Starting from the shadowy man in black (played by Academy-Award nominated actor Ed Harris) and his torrent search for the ominous maze, to the\u00a0malfunctioning\u00a0oldest \u201chost\u201d\u00a0(android human)\u00a0in the park\u00a0Dolores (played by\u00a0Evan Rachel Wood); \u201cWestworld\u201d holds characters and settings\u00a0that\u00a0reel\u00a0audiences\u00a0in\u00a0from the first\u00a0second of the first episode.<\/p>\n

This attention-grabbing saga\u00a0is emulated by the caliber of acting found throughout each\u00a0of the different\u00a0characters. One of the\u00a0many\u00a0standouts is Sir Anthony Hopkins, who plays the parks\u00a0founder and creative head, Robert Ford.\u00a0Through Ford, Hopkins is able to portray a menacing, sympathetic, ruthless, kind-hearted and multi-faceted creator, whose reign on control push a plurality of character arcs to their conclusion.<\/p>\n

There is one scene\u00a0in which Ford speaks to the\u00a0park\u2019s operation\u00a0leader Theresa (played by famed\u00a0Danish actress Sidse Babett\u00a0Knudsen)\u00a0that truly\u00a0stands out. As they casually eat their lunch on a beautiful\u00a0terrace in Westworld, the\u00a0entire park freezes around their conversation and all the hosts look in on them. Ford smiles and his facial expressions, along with his\u00a0dialogue,\u00a0express his menacing and controlling hand on this and every situation\u00a0involving Westworld.<\/p>\n

Ford also allows spectators to empathize with him, done through his ties to the park\u2019s mysterious past and to his\u00a0demanding mentorship of the park\u2019s head of programming,\u00a0Bernard\u00a0Lowe\u00a0(played by HBO regular Jeffery Wright).\u00a0Lowe\u2019s patchy backstory and background allow\u00a0us to na\u00efvely follow his journey\u00a0with Ford\u00a0to\u00a0its\u00a0thunderous conclusion.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Nolan and Joy\u00a0separate\u00a0Lowe\u00a0from others in \u201cWestworld\u201d through his use of symbolism. Bernard\u2019s spectacles provide a key motif towards his\u00a0narrative and\u00a0provides an excellent example of the many layers held within \u201cWestworld.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining\u00a0both Wright and Hopkins in their own respective mesmerizing\u00a0performances is\u00a0Thandie Newtown, who\u00a0plays\u00a0the android Maeve, the local whorehouse owner\/manager in Westworld. Her progression from\u00a0a\u00a0passive almost placebo-like character, to one of\u00a0independence, strength and fortitude is captivating. The audience\u00a0becomes constantly surprised by her ever-changing manipulative moves and stares in awe of her sympathetic yet ruthless manner of obtaining whatever she desires.<\/p>\n

One of the most talked about shows on HBO since \u201cGame of Thrones,\u201d viewers can buckle down for a\u00a0fast-paced winding journey, leaving them with a satisfactory, yet still yearning, ending. Although\u00a0it may not have\u00a0many connections with the original film, the TV series allows fans to entrench themselves within the adult-playground world and its many players.\u00a0Despite the fact\u00a0that\u00a0the series will not return until 2018, I am among many\u00a0who\u00a0are salivating for the next opportunity to visit \u201cWestworld\u201d and see the results of\u00a0the\u00a0mayhem the first season caused on the \u201cfantastical\u201d theme park.<\/p>\n

While \u201cWestworld\u201d provides\u00a0its\u00a0audience with phenomenal characters and acting, \u201cLegion\u201d provides stylistic cinematography that would make even\u00a0Stanley\u00a0Kubrick jealous. The show is based on the X-Men comic book series with the same title\u00a0and is helmed by FX\u2019s showrunner and creator of the\u00a0TV series \u201cFargo,\u201d\u00a0Noah Hawley.\u00a0The original \u201cLegion\u201d comics have strong ties to the X-Men comic book series and film series, with \u201cLegion\u201d being the first live-action X-Men comic series to appear on television.<\/p>\n

\u201cLegion\u201d follows the supposedly\u00a0\u201cschizophrenic\u201d\u00a0super mutant David (played by \u201cDownton Abbey\u201d regular Dan Stevens) as he learns to nurture his power and the demons,\u00a0or a specific demon,\u00a0that lives within him. FX\u2019s program is hypnotic and Hawley\u2019s use of\u00a01960s furniture, sets, costumes and even\u00a0dialogue allows him to establish his own interpretation of the vast X-Men universe.<\/p>\n

This is apparent from the very first scene\u00a0of the\u00a0debut\u00a0episode, where incomplete flashbacks show us how David has\u00a0ended up in\u00a0an insane asylum.\u00a0However, things change when he begins to fall for\u00a0fellow patient Sidney\u00a0Barrett\u00a0(played by FX up-and-comer Rachel Keller), which leads to a jaw-dropping incident at the asylum and David being launched into a surreal quest of self-discovery.<\/p>\n

David\u2019s\u00a0adventure produces many\u00a0entrancing settings\u00a0that\u00a0are built upon by the direction and visuals that occur throughout the eight-episode season.\u00a0One\u00a0specific scene where the\u00a0antagonist\u00a0(played by\u00a0rising comedic actress Aubrey Plaza) slowly tracks down two victims is tantalizing, as the screen slowly rewinds time, moving the characters from color, to black and white, to\u00a0the silent-film era. The haunting performance will provide\u00a0chills to any person.<\/p>\n

Plaza\u2019s character was originally to be a male, but she was able to change Hawley\u2019s mind due to her past work and a knockout audition. On behalf of the viewers, I want to personally thank Hawley for this decision.\u00a0Her character, Lenny, combines humor with terror that will make a cult film like \u201cEvil Dead\u201d look pass\u00e9. This showcases the diversity of acting held within Plaza and the expanding career she will have, going beyond simple\u00a0comedic roles.<\/p>\n

Stevens\u00a0matches Plaza\u2019s\u00a0phenomenal\u00a0acting\u00a0as\u00a0the protagonist\u00a0David, even \u201cguest-starring\u201d as himself in one scene with his natural British-accent, calming down his mind in the mysterious astral plane.\u00a0Somehow,\u00a0he\u00a0is able to play\u00a0three simultaneous personas\u00a0all within one character; a\u00a0persona that\u00a0is possessed,\u00a0a persona that is a superhero and a persona\u00a0that is a victim with a demented and twisted past.\u00a0This allows viewers to\u00a0both\u00a0despise and\u00a0love the character, while leaving them glued to their seats as they await\u00a0his fate.<\/p>\n

The show\u00a0does an excellent job of\u00a0building upon the vast X-Men\u00a0media\u00a0universe, while at the same time remaining a very intriguing stand-alone television program\u00a0with a slight twist that focuses on mental health issues. I look forward to its return\u00a0next year\u00a0and will look to see if\u00a0FX\u00a0builds\u00a0upon the\u00a0unique cinematography,\u00a0ties to the films\/comics surrounding the X-Men\u00a0and\u00a0character development and backstory.<\/p>\n

The last TV program included in the revamped science-fiction genre is \u201cThe OA.\u201d\u00a0The show is an original concept that examines the idea of near death experiences (or NDEs) through\u00a0the story of a woman named Prairie (played by show co-creator and executive producer Brit Marling). After disappearing seven years-ago, she has returned to her home\u00a0with the ability to see, despite being\u00a0blind before her disappearance. She also has strange\u00a0symbols\u00a0carved into her back and refers to herself as the OA.<\/p>\n

From the very start, Prairie\/OA is\u00a0on\u00a0an\u00a0ominous\u00a0mission and seeks out five others,\u00a0who turn out to be\u00a0four\u00a0socially\u00a0different high-school boys and one of their elder female teachers (played by\u00a0Phyllis Smith). As she recants her story to the others, they, along with\u00a0the\u00a0audience, are opened up to\u00a0a mind-exploding journey\u00a0which includes\u00a0stops in\u00a0human captivity,\u00a0the multi-dimensional after-life and death itself.<\/p>\n

Within this journey,\u00a0Marling and the other co-creator Zal Batmanglij (who directs every one of the eight episodes) infuse bizarre\u00a0motifs\u00a0and symbolism\u00a0in the after-life, along with\u00a0displaying\u00a0a strong group dynamic tethered to the protagonist. However, while the group dynamic and the story surrounding Prairie are fascinating, the individuals within the group are quite over-dramatic and lack real depth.<\/p>\n

Some of that is not their fault, as the\u00a0plot tries to push modern social issues into their lives that seem unnecessary. For example, one of the boys\u00a0is transgender (played by newcomer Ian Alexander) and, while the 15-year-old puts on quite a good performance, one of his narratives is that\u00a0his father has not fully accepted him.<\/p>\n

We only get a brief view of this\u00a0storyline\u00a0and it seems to be added solely to\u00a0dramatize\u00a0this character and create a socially relevant theme\u00a0within the show. Many other secondary characters have other social\u00a0issues written into their stories, but they\u00a0slightly\u00a0distract\u00a0the viewer from the main science-fiction story, recounted by the OA.<\/p>\n

If the program is\u00a0going to continue to add\u00a0the sentimental element with minor characters, those characters need\u00a0to have more credible stories and more screen time to help add authenticity. \u00a0Yet, one of the better portrayals in the show is by the antagonist Dr. Hap Percy (played by renowned British actor Jason Isaacs).<\/p>\n

Isaacs plays a devilish man, whose charms and whims snare victims into his merciless manner. He is a perfect\u00a0fit for the villain and a perfect nemesis as Prairie sheds her name and identity to become the OA. The second season may prove fruitful if these two interact more than they did in this season, as their rapport is complex, difficult and spellbinding to watch.<\/p>\n

Some audience members may be turned away from\u00a0the\u00a0show\u2019s outlandish concept along with the early episodes\u2019 slower pace.\u00a0However, those who stick around\u00a0will discover a constantly changing atmosphere, with a wide array of amusing characters and a bittersweet ending that may make you question everything you just watched. While it may not live up to the previous programs referenced, its future could provide\u00a0a profound\u00a0and truly original viewing experience.<\/p>\n

With the foundations of science-fiction TV consisting of such groundbreaking shows as \u201cStar Trek,\u201d \u201cThe X-Files\u201d and \u201cThe Twilight Zone,\u201d many would argue that these three shows have carried on their\u00a0historic tradition, and even improved upon it. They\u00a0each\u00a0touch upon different parts of the otherworldly genre and add their own signature through a multitude of elements. Whether it be\u00a0character, setting, cinematography, plot or visuals, modern science-fiction TV has provided a solid standard for sci-fi fans of all medias and for the future of the genre\u00a0itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWestworld\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n