Finally got a chance to watch the pilot of Defying Gravity that was available for free on iTunes a couple weeks ago, I was pleasently surprised since it had pretty bad reviews. While it had a lot of similarities with the Virtuality pilot(which also was free on iTunes awhile back), I thought it was more enjoyable overall with better acting. I've liked Ron Livingston since Band of Brothers and Office Space, and he's good as the mission captain. Haven't watched any of the broadcast episodes, but if the 2-part pilot is still up on iTunes I recommend it, it looks amazing in HD too. Anybody watching the series?

I was, until ABC decided to look for a new time to air the remaining episodes. Actually, "Space" up here in Canada is still airing the final 3 episodes. It's not perfect, and I could do without the soap, but I like it. Then again, I also Murdoch Mysteries!

Defying Gravity made me want to pull the top of my skull off and throw it at the TV.

I actually liked most of the cast (and Livingston is very good. The Fox FBI drama 'Standoff' was a lot of fun) but dammit, the writing was SO DAMN STUPID.

I mean basic, unrealistic things. Things that you would catch just from watching 'The Right Stuff' and 'Apollo 13' and 'From the Earth to the Moon', not having to be a hyper critical 'real space' nut. But if you ARE a 'real space' nut you'll want to kill your TV by the second episode.

Like there's a 'real time' internet connection to Earth (huh?) and the reporter on board the ship gets asked if they're in zero G why doesn't their hair float all around and the reply is...(magic) gravity hairspray! Just like their (magic) gravity jumpsuits!

Oh lordy it hurts, it hurts, because it's clear that on the art direction end, SOMEBODY designed a rather nice, fairly realistic long duration spaceship. Except for that long, long spinal corridor. That's got pure death under thrust written all over it. not to mention needing to keep it filled with air and stuff.

I won't go into it more, I'm pretty sure the show is dead here in the US but it may be running in Europe or something (there' s an amazing lack of American flags, as in NONE in the show), I almost get the idea that running on American TV is just of secondary interest.

I wouldn't mind a model kit of the ship.

Defying Gravity made me want to pull the top of my skull off and throw it at the TV.

I actually liked most of the cast (and Livingston is very good. The Fox FBI drama 'Standoff' was a lot of fun) but dammit, the writing was SO DAMN STUPID.

I mean basic, unrealistic things. Things that you would catch just from watching 'The Right Stuff' and 'Apollo 13' and 'From the Earth to the Moon', not having to be a hyper critical 'real space' nut. But if you ARE a 'real space' nut you'll want to kill your TV by the second episode.

Like there's a 'real time' internet connection to Earth (huh?) and the reporter on board the ship gets asked if they're in zero G why doesn't their hair float all around and the reply is...(magic) gravity hairspray! Just like their (magic) gravity jumpsuits!

Oh lordy it hurts, it hurts, because it's clear that on the art direction end, SOMEBODY designed a rather nice, fairly realistic long duration spaceship. Except for that long, long spinal corridor. That's got pure death under thrust written all over it. not to mention needing to keep it filled with air and stuff.

I won't go into it more, I'm pretty sure the show is dead here in the US but it may be running in Europe or something (there' s an amazing lack of American flags, as in NONE in the show), I almost get the idea that running on American TV is just of secondary interest.

I wouldn't mind a model kit of the ship.

Steve -

Thanks for that - I'm glad that someone sees the same issue with the show that I did. Defying Gravity is not something that I can watch unless I was willing to check my brain at the door. If this was Lost In Space or something else, it'd be different, but the fact that DG is portrayed as a "naturalistic" SciFi drama, it's very frustrating.

It's not completely dead here in the US, but ABC hasn't determined what time slot, or when the series will come back with the remainder of the first 13 episodes.

Bryan

I would be willing to bet those remaining episodes won't be shown, but we'll see a DVD set by Christmas.

You know, if they just had a 'fact checker' to stop some of the more obvious stupidity...Most of the episodes would still have WORKED on the whole.

Like the one where in the 'backstory' part the nerd was up for the water survival exercise, and he can't swim (and somehow this got past all the exams?) and so he jumps in and promptly sinks.

OK, now, what I know and I freely admit there's alot I don't know in this world, ANY kind of training like this, be it military or NASA or just about any official group, you have SCUBA DIVERS in the pool, right there, ready to go just in case. They don't sit on the edge waiting, they don't chill in a room down the hall, they are there in the effing pool, underwater, right there. No need for one of the other astronauts to look around, SEE THAT NOBODY ELSE IS EVEN LOOKING, and dive in to save him using 'passive rescue' stuff learned from being a beach lifeguard.

huh? Oh, I don't mean the passive rescue thing, that was just used to give a dramatic cliffhanger to the ending of the act, I mean the rest of it.

*sigh*

OK, how about the idea that their tour of the Solar System is set up 'Grand Tour' style, with gravity assist boosting to loop around the inner planets and shoot out..wait...they're STOPPING at each planet, so they're not going to GET the accrued velocity benefit of the loop...or am I looking at that wrong?

They have the technology to grow back a complete thumb but they're worried about running out of blood? Ummm.

sorry, I know, I'm too damn picky. :)

I'm convinced that the mysterious 'Beta' was going to more or less hijack the ship and crew and toss them millions of light-years from Earth and turn the show into defacto Lost In Space via Gray's Anatomy...

I checked my brain at the door! :-)

But I can't, not with a show that makes some attempt to be 'real'. Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, sure, I can roll with it because it's just goofing around but...

well, I think it's obvious what I was trying to say and why it frustrates me :)

Sounds like things went downhill quick after the pilot.

Keep in mind that it's just my opinion. All TV shows exist to serve two purposes, to fill the space between commercials, and then hopefully to entertain. If you are entertained then that's all that matters.

For me the show went off the rails right at the very start.

There is NO POSSIBLE WAY what was shown of the Mars mission would have happened because there is no way you would write mission rules that would have the possible chance of abandoning 2/5ths of your crew.

What was the huge rush to launch? "can't miss the rendezvous window!" Well, yes you can, you go around and do it later. The reason it was such an issue during Apollo had to do with the limited computing power available. Today, it's not a problem! "OK, OK, it's not the orbital rendezvous, it's the launch window to return to Earth! " well, again, THAT is an issue with fuel and that Mars ship looked to be a NERVA style nuclear rocket, you burn a little longer. surely they didn't send a mission to Mars with barely enough supplies? (well, as shown? yeah, OK I could buy that).

Either way, if you had an absolute, critical window, you DON'T HAVE CREW ON THE SURFACE AS YOU PREP FOR LIFTOFF!

"No, no, it was the sandstorm! that's it! very dangerous! caught by surprise!" Except, see, the thinking is the lander might be damaged by the storm, and were it the Apollo LM, that's an honest concern.

A Mars lander would HAVE to be more robust. by the very nature of the planet, the gravity, the fact it has atmosphere, you can't get away with hair thin walls like the LM had.

Long and short of it, leaving the two astronauts behind was bad writing, but they needed motivation for the three remaining astros to have TERRIBLE ISSUES. I suspect what would be revealed as the show progressed that the reason for what happened on Mars was Beta, the mysterious Macguffiin in the cargo module.

(they designed a control system for the Mars probe where the orbiting astronaut can OVERRIDE commands entered by the Lander commander? REALLY? Holy crap, that smacks of Soviet thinking!) (also, why leave one guy up there? they've got a crew of five, leave TWO up there to do science.)

If they ever run the remaining episodes I'd watch it, but man, it would be hard. :)

started watching this. Nice sets. Likable actors. Abominable tech advisers. Some kid that didn't pay attention in middle school advised them. Insulting really. blech. need to wash my brain out with some Irwin Allen.

testing their "venus" suit that had to withstand extreme external pressure they pump it up to an internal 5 atm. And then to test it further they evacuate the air lock. And then something goes wrong and the hatch opens by itself, the decompression flinging the cute blond out into space. Luckily what's his name had a dream premonition that she would go out without a pressure suit so he had thoughtfully tethered her with a cable about a mile long. Her suit develops a leak and she starts losing consciousness at about 2 atm (30psi) and is in danger of dying at 7psi. Due to the loss of pressure she's experiencing nitrogen narcosis. Oh she saves herself by spitting in her suit. Hocking a giant lugy. Then they put her in a hyperberic chamber made out of soft plastic.

gaaaaaaa.

Maybe if I watch it with the sound off? The women are cute.

Lest you think I'm being too geeky (the physiology of pressure related illness isn't tricky if you've ever gone scuba diving) there's the bar scene in the 2nd episode.

Our protagonist picks up one of his students for a tryst at the local motel 6 (they still have these in 50 years) and ends by telling her he doesn't have affairs (my euphemism) with astronauts (thinking she's going to fail). Apparently though, having inappropriate relations with subordinates is ok!!!!! Even if you can accept that, his cruelty in telling her he thinks she doesn't have the right stuff but she's worthy of his stuff is astounding. And he's supposed to be a nice guy.

This is a very bad show.

Effects were kinda nice, for TV. Anyone agree?

Yup. Too bad they didn't invest more in writers and technical advisers.

I wish it had not been taken off , as i wanted to see what was behind that door.
I wish that shows would end the show. and not leave it hanging.
that was the nice thing about the newer BSG and B5 they wrote a ending to it.

I wish it had not been taken off , as i wanted to see what was behind that door.
I wish that shows would end the show. and not leave it hanging.
that was the nice thing about the newer BSG and B5 they wrote a ending to it.

Yea. still mad about Flashforward