Overall: 2.5
Aw, screw it. Unless something awesome and totally unexpected happens in next week's finale, I won't be reviewing this show next season.
Plot Synopsis:
FOX.com has a recap here.
The Skinny:
A few weeks ago, I promised I'd drop this series like a hot potato if the writers started force-feeding us propaganda -- and now it looks like I'll have to make good on that promise. Now that Lucas has confirmed that his corporate employers do intend to strip-mine Terra Nova, I can no longer ignore the irredeemable stupidity of this show's radical environmentalist subtext. And you know what? I am genuinely disappointed that it has come to this.
Granted, it was probably foolish to hope for some nuance in the writing -- but I honestly thought the complexities of the circumstances would be obvious even to your typical Hollywood hack. As I noted in my last review, Terra Nova's selection process appears to heavily favor the affluent, the educated, and/or the well-connected. It seems highly unlikely that a street rat would be lucky enough to grab a spot on a pilgrimage -- and shouldn't that bother someone on the writing staff? Talk about the 1% frelling the 99%! Occupy Terra Nova! But seriously: Why should the needs of the people of Terra Nova take precedence over the needs of the millions of unfortunate people left behind in 2149? What makes Taylor and his colonists so damned special anyway?
And by the way, Taylor isn't a god. He's a man -- and if he's a man, he has to be wrong about many, many things. So why is it that the only people questioning Taylor's autocracy are a shady Australian and Taylor's psychopathic son? That seems to me to be a huge violation of the rules of good storytelling. Really, in a colony Terra Nova's size, disagreements should be cropping up on a daily basis. That Terra Nova's inhabitants all seem devoted to their Dear Leader and hap-hap-happy is creepy, not realistic.
So yeah: My general indifference in re: Terra Nova is now turning into active hatred -- and as I remarked above, I won't be returning next year unless the writers' idiocy is miraculously cured.
Writing: 0.0
The motivations of Taylor's opponents are insultingly ridiculous. I could do better, and I have no experience whatsoever when it comes to writing teleplays.
Acting: 7.5
The acting is the only element of this episode that is even remotely good.
Message: 0.0
Ow! Your eco-lefty two-by-four has given me a headache.
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