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Terra Nova is a Terra No-Go [TV Review]
A review 65 million years in the making
In 1993, upon entering third grade (yes I just dated myself, big time), I was a dinosaur fanatic. All kids go through that dino-phase, but ultimately grow out of it. Not me. Spielberg and Chrichton instilled a morbid fascination of dinosaurs within me that summer, between the movie and novel versions of Jurassic Park. To this day, it is still one of my favorite films, and I have retained the bulk of my dino-knowledge. I could tell you which dinosaur was from what era, but not who competed in the last six Superbowls (I just tried this and embarrassed myself).
So when I heard Spielberg was bringing Terra Nova to television, the inner nerd in me was very guarded, but excited (please note, my inner nerd looks exactly like my outter nerd).
This Seems Familiar…
Take the utopian image of children’s novels Dinotopia, sprinkle in some Lost in Space Robinson family, and filter it through the post-Lost television era.
Brief Synopsis
The year is 2149 and the planet is overrun with pollution and is a barren wasteland. Go figure. The government (I guess) has decided to send pilgrimages back in time to fix the planet… it’s actually never explained why they are going back other than the cryptic promise of the show: “The key to Earth’s survival lies 65 million years in the past.”
Time out. By 2149, we have perfected time travel, but we can’t clean up our mess? That would be like if my cleaning lady had a degree in quantum mechanics but just can’t seem to get a handle on those streaky windows! Sorry, I promised my mom I wouldn’t talk about her in my writing. Save it for group.
Alright, so we already have a shaky premise, but at least it is more believable than The New Girl. You’re telling me NOBODY in New York wants to sleep with Zooey Deschanel?! If she is that desperate, she shouldn’t have shot me down years ago when– again, save it for group.
One family (Cop husband, Doctor wife, bratty rebel son, nerdy daughter, and illegal third kid… because “families are four” as the signs in the future say) goes back in time to start fresh. Only they find out that some of their problems (family dynamics) follow them. From there, we find them struggling to adapt to their new surroundings. And, oh yeah! Dinosaurs! Remember those? They show up at one point, almost subsequently to remind us they are part of this show.
As it turns out, the people at Terra Nova have some competition, and not just with the dinosaurs. A rogue group of separatists, the Sixers, cause problems for the terra farmers. Who are these Sixers and what do they want? And what are these strange, mathematical sketches on the rock-faces out in the jungle? Is anybody listening to me?
“Yabba-Dabba-Do” more of this
Look, it’s a sci-fi show! Riding on the coattails of Fringe and Lost, this has potential to grow. Couple that with pretty solid CGI and you may gain some longevity. And who doesn’t like dinosaurs, guns, and warring jungle clans?
I have a fossil to pick with…
The fact of the matter is this is pretty well worn territory, which sounds weird considering its about time traveling farmers who fight dinosaurs. But the characters are all very base. We have seen this family a billion times before, and they don’t even try to deviate in the slightest. Mark my words, if this show gets its legs, you’ll see the little girl with a whacky, cute pet by the end of the season; probably a small dinosaur or proto-mammal. And the writing, as far as plot exposition, is very on-the-nose.(watch the brainy daughter, she is the WORST!).
We also have the issue of time travel. No movie or television series will get it right like Back to the Future. You create more problems than you solve by going Terminator style, which (I think) this show has gone. They talk about separate time streams and… you just lost 90% of America. Lastly, if the writers of Terra Nova are reading this, please… don’t make up dinosaurs. No, I am calling you out on it. Slashers? What the crap?! Velociraptors weren’t good enough? Carnotaurus couldn’t have been a T-rex? You have a well that’s over 500 species deep, and you decided to say “screw it” and throw darts at the dinosaur board. Be more Dr. Grant, less Dr. Moreau.
Last Words
This show has the potential to be a long running show full of twists and turns. And that’s not necessarily a good thing. It feels very much like mid-Lost where you HAVE to watch, not because you want to, but because so much is left unanswered, and you value your sleep at night. That, and dammit, I want to see more dinosaurs. I give this show 2.5 amber-encrusted mosquitos out of 5. I’ll watch, but mostly because there isn’t much on Monday nights… wait, football!
I agree with all your points on Terra Nova :p Soo disappointed in the pilot. Reminded me of how much I was looking forward to “Falling Skies”, which was a painful soap opera with crummy aliens shoved into the plot. My husband pointed out that the Terra Nova, Sixes were all PoC (as ETC likes to say) even more disappointing.
TONS OF PILOT SPOILERS:
I actually really liked casting in this show. Yay that the wife was Indian and the kids are biracial. Also there are good and bad people of color (unlike say X-Men — where all the white folks with Xavier and all the PoC went with Magneto). So it gets an A+ for diversity. But I can’t forgive the dialogue or the fact that it had an exciting concept and such boring execution. With the bratty teenage son, I was like, “Seriously? This again?” But I do love a nerdy daughter, so yay for that.
As for the show’s premise, there were quite a few annoyance points for me. First of all, I really don’t see overpopulation being an American problem in the future. People love to write about this, but I really don’t see it happening — especially since fertility issues are on the rise in this country. A lot of sci-fi people have begun to write scenarios in which people will have problems even having children in the future and that’s more in line with what I’m seeing.
Second of all, it’s not like only being able to have 2 children is a great hardship. I found it annoying that this family would flout this law and still bring a 3rd child into the world with little more than a shrug — yet we’re supposed to cheer for them — as opposed to thinking the parents are dumbasses. People in China who can only have one will probably be like, “What the eff is wrong with these two?”
We also have the annoying teenager problem. Anytime any teen does something they know they’re not supposed to do on a TV show that puts their lives in danger I’m cheering for them to die so that we no longer have to put up with them being complete idiots — which the son is.
But most of all, I disliked the show b/c it was super-boring. I’m okay with Ned Stark being an idiot on GoT, b/c at least it was an interesting show. This, sadly, is not.
Ernessa, I never noticed that about the X-men movies. With the obvious exception of Storm. Or are you just referring to “First Class”?
In the comics… don’t get me started. The x-teams look like a model UN meeting.
I am only bringing it up because I have a black friend who loves to accuse things of being racist, and I am constantly having to defend said works.
Just X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. I reviewed it here: http://fierceandnerdy.com/x-men-first-class-review-philosophical-monday
I loved the comics for that very reason when I was younger, which is why I found the movie a bit weird.
Wait!! The new girl is about Zooey not getting any in NY?!?! what is that a syfy flic? I agree terra Nova is more believable.
But she’s wearing glasses! Everyone knows that hipsterish girls who wear glasses never get laid, especially in NYC and LA. Oh, wait…
Love the review! I did think at times the teenage son got a bit obnoxious with over his relationship with his father. Being of that age, and suddenly being thrust back in time, why does he fly off the handle just a short time after arriving? Now they they know the dangers beyond the fence, hopefully this won’t be the same plot week after week with the kids going on another adventure. And please make sure he doesn’t turn into the next Wesley Crusher!
Plus, had I ever done something like that and started to rebel against my parents, past or present, I would live to regret it! Ha ha
Ok, I hear your points…….as a former Lostie I guess I’m just willing to drink the Kool-aid and go along for the ride. Sixers? Hello, Others! Strange writings/equations on the rocks? It’s the hatch all over again!
I do hope they flesh out the characters a little more, the son did annoy me right away. How could his father have the audacity to fight to save his little sister from the government officers????? I mean really, weak.
I’ll keep watching-for now.
Totally agree. Lost in Space sprang to mind at some point during the first episode. If you remember, Lost in Space was originally intended as a serious sci-fi drama, and some of the characters were slightly different – mother Maureen Robinson was a (surprise!) doctor/scientist in the beginning, but later was just a typical spaceship-housewife. So will super-doc Terra Nova Mom Elizabeth Shannon take the same route? Um…I doubt it; her character is one of the more interesting, but I don’t care for the building subplot of the rejected boyfriend who will obviously try every way possible to win back his true love.
Lost In Space’s Dr. Smith was an evil ruthless spy who morphed into a whiny backstabbing nuisance. Will Mira do an about-face down the road and cower behind small children and chunky robots?
Other than that, we pretty much have the other characters down pat – strong brave dad John Robinson is strong brave dad Jim Shannon, fighting and winning every battle to save his family and the colony. Pretty but brainless Judy Robinson is channeled by pretty but brainless Josh Shannon. Judy’s platonic relationship with handsome Don West is mirrored in the platonic relationship between Josh and the beautiful Skye. The part of genius son Will Robinson will now be played by genius daughter Maddie Shannon, while the cute-but-unnecessary third child, Penny, is now cute-but-unnecessary-and-illegal third child Zoe. And Penny’s chimp-like pet Debbie has morphed into Zoe’s baby dinosaur, which is just the most inane thing EVER. You’re killing dinosaurs at night but raising one as a pet in your home? Come ON. Give the baby dinosaur to Hagrid and get Zoe a kitty.
And yet I watch. Because I like the theory. Because it’s inventive. Because I want to KNOW.
I’ve been suckered into it just like I was suckered into Twilight. I hope Terra Nova proves more satisfying than that disaster.
Oh wait, it already has.
Very in-depth analysis! Beats my cursory, “Meh, it’s dumb!” approach.
Appreciate the comment.
And when they introduced the dinosaur pet, I said outloud in a Nikki Finke-ese way, “TOLDJA!”