EPISODE REVIEW: Defying Gravity: “Solitary” (Episode 11)

http://www.megavideo.com/?d=UH5B8FKE

since ch 131 is down for me right now

Thanks. Got a link handy?

new episode "venus" is up now ch 131

Welcome aboard.

First up, thanks for taking the time to register and comment! We appreciate it!

I think you're right about Rollie sluring words to sound like "Zoe." I re-listened to it, and while it still sounded like that to me, the syntax makes no sense.

I wasn't saying that Mandarin isn't a useful language, or won't be in the future (Fastest growing economy in the world and all), I just found it interesting that she was putting down Zoe for learning Latin in college. Obviously, this was part of Jen's ongoing "I must insult everyone in order to defend myself" behavior. I was just trying to be facetious by pointing out how unlikely it is that Latin *wouldn't* be relevant 40 years from now. I'll take it on face value that you're right and I'm wrong about Latin (or at least introductory Latin) being required of scientists and medical types, and just write off my own personal experiences as an anomaly.

I've gone back and forth on whether the "Interstellar" and "Across the Galaxy" comments are deliberately scripted as character screwups, or if they're legitimate screwups on the part of the writers. THIS week, I think they're writer's screwups, last week I felt differently. There's a lot of esoteric knowledge and terminology to take in about space, and, sad to say, most people's scientific education about space comes from the utterly-non-scientific Star Trek, so there's no particularly strong reason to assume a writer would know the correct terminology off the top of his/her head, and might revert to Trekspeak in a moment of frustration. But like I said, I go back and forth on this quite a bit.

(For the record, David Straiton, who wrote this episode, is really good. Not only was this a fine episode, he did arguably the first good episode of Dollhouse, a half dozen episode of House, an episode of Eureka, etc)

I first heard Rollie to say "Zoe" while arguing with Goss in the jail cell. A re-listen reveals a mumbled contraction of "[Is that what you're] going to tell the family?"

The lack of "right stuff" in the crew is irrelevant because Beta chose them; we don't know the criteria used (except that everyone has a major guilt trip about an event in their life and Beta can freak them out by bringing it out as some form of hallucination!).

The arguement about the comment of Jen's that she learned a usefull lanquage "Mandarin" is consistent with the emergence of China as an economic world power; remember the Chinese language influences in Firefly? in Blade Runner? Nothing too original there...

And the arguement that Latin and Greek languages require formal study to pursue higher education in medicine is simply false. Very few, if any, of my med school classmates had a formal education in either "dead" language. While taxonomy is ubiquitous, and an understanding of common prefixes and suffixes speeds up understanding of terms old and new, it is not necessary to have had formal language training to get there.

As to the "across the galaxy" comment, I remind you of Wassenfelder's "intersteller" comment in an earlier episode. Rather than this being a mistake of useage on the part of the writers (actually corrected within the dialogue of the scene in the latter example) I believe it was intended as a verbal slip that even intelligent individuals make in the rush to bring language to thoughts. I disagree with using these as plausible examples, however, since even the non-compulsive scientists I've known wouldn't make those kind of basic errors. You have to just accept this kind of thing, just the way you have to accept misprounounciations of medical terms in television (a common and annoying jerk out of my identification with a story when it happens). Just "chillax."

Finally, the bearded individual portrayed in Nadia's hallucinations is obviously a female in drag (freeze-frame it and there is no doubt), but I agree that it makes no sense to suggest that she is a transsexual. I lean toward the "lost sibling" suggestion. Maybe it was less expensive to have her play both roles than to find another actor that resembled her enough. Remember: it's all about the money in television.

@ Neorandomizer: All my sources say that 13 episodes were filmed, edited, and are in the can, ready to go.

@ Technos: Her double does look a lot like Evram, I agree. The first time he showed up, I thought it was Evram. I agree that it doesn't make much sense that she was once a dude, but it doesn't entirely track that she's afraid she's turning in to a dude, either. There's recognition in her reaction, which wouldn't logically be there if this was a ghost of Christmas Future. Given that this is the future, and the producers have used the show as a bully pulpit for their own agendas, it might be that in the future, transexualism isn't considered a big deal, so they knew about it, but didn't care. (Yet Abortion is still a huge issue. If that's the case, it seems wildly inconsistent.) I am interested (And slightly icked out) to see where this is going.

@ Nwkeys01: Unlikely. This is an expensive show. I haven't been able to find any numbers on it, but the rumor is that it's betwen 2 and 3 million bucks per episode. Syfy's traditionally running on a very low operating budget. (For instance, they cancelled "Atlantis" ($2 million/ep) to free up cash to make SGU ($3 million/ep). Flat out, they can't afford this show, added to which they have a long history of *not* picking up shows that really deserve it (Such as "Crusade" and "Kings" and "Firefly")

maybe syfy will pick it up hopefully. They're thebest american station for general scifi
but they already have one spaceship/drama type show
Stargate Universe

I disagree with the analysis that Nadia was fearing something she once was (i.e. transgendered) - but rather she was seeing something that she *might become*. Remember that some people on Earth and now the crew on the Antares are experiencing changes in their genetics. Presumably due to their proximity to beta. That would make more sense to the reason she headed to find Donner for comfort.

I could never get a good look at who it was that was standing in front of her in that dark scene because of the video card, and thought it was the drunk doctor.

Wikipedia lists episodes 12 and 13 does anyone know if these have been shot and are in the can or are they vaporware.

I always end up in the same place when it comes to shows about space flight; I determine that the crew does not have the right stuff. It is understandable if the show takes place in a universe where space flight is common, but when it is like it is now where only government agencies are in space it is hard to believe that half the crew passed the basic psychological tests.

Why would someone that may fly with a person help them if they fold up 43 seconds into a sensory deprivation test? Man if you can’t do 43 seconds how are you going to react if the lighting goes out and you have to find the problem by feel. (Of course the test is stupid they just see how you do in a simulator with no lights) Jen is obviously a head case if she freaks out that fast. I kept expecting someone to come out of the tank as an ape like in Altered States.

So we have Jen who seems to be a person that needs to be on 100 mg of Thorazine 3 times a day. Evram who is an alcoholic with delayed stress syndrome. Nadia could probably fake her way through but she has something wrong with her. Jen who people covered up a crime for so she could fly. Paula who is a religious nut case who has made up a miracle to block out some childhood trauma she suffered. Then there is Donner and Shaw who screwed the pooch on Mars, it might not have been there fault but they would never fly again in the real world. It is funny that Wassenfelde is the most well adjusted of the lot.

Don’t get me wrong I like the show and wish ABC gave it a chance but the obvious personality flaws are a bit thick to be totally believable. Now I know a ship full of Armstrong’s and Glenn’s would be boring but come on the available pool of astronauts can’t have become that small. The A type of personalities that were the astronauts in the 60’s were a fun bunch off camera.

We will never know but I do not think Nadia was a man it does not make sense, everyone would know the minute the first genetic test came back from the lab. I will go for a dead bother or twin that would make more sense. If it was a twin that died at berth it makes even more sense. (That was one of PKD’s major malfunctions he felt a part of him was missing all his life.)

I am bummed that this show was not given a chance it was one of the best attempts at a realistic sci fi show to have even been shown on American TV. We could hope that Showtime or another premium network will pick it up if the international partners want to keep the show going.

I might have been mishearing it, but it sounded like Rollie said "Zoe' family" at the start of his outburst.

You sure it's not Jen with the reporter? If it's Claire, it doesn't really track. If it's Jen, it makes sense.

Anyway, if I got any of that wrong, I'm sorry, and we can discuss it down here in more detail in the comments.

I rewatched that part & didn't mention Zoe.

The man in Paula's FB is clearly wearing jeans, they r tan and blend, but definitely wearing them

It is not Jen with the reporter it is Claire.