S01.E01: Pilot

[ParadoxLost]

I had no hopes for this one.  But I realized while I was watching it that I really wanted something that would be escapist entertainment in some way.   I'm practically desperate for it.  A few characters to care about.  Some potential ship worthy couples.  Anything.  Even a terrible show with enough of a sense of humor about itself to make it fun to snark on would have been fine.

The first glimpse at the ensemble of characters has not left me particularly hopeful about this show engaging me in any way.

I'll give them a few more episodes.  Maybe there is some other inhabitants that have been pulled in before this incident that will make the show more engaging.  I think I glimpsed some guy that had definitely been there a long while.  

 

 

[Scout Finch]

On 9/29/2021 at 11:31 AM, kirkola said:

I will admit, (and no one promised me there would be) but I was highly disappointed there were no dinosaurs.  If you are going to do an "alien" landscape (or in this case, back in time landscape), there ought to be dinosaurs.

Me too. Heck with the time period! As you said, it's a loose enough premise that surely they could have fanwanked in some dinos!

Psychic dad first arriving at the scene and after finding daughter: "Something is happening!" Me: "Yes, a large sinkhole just opened up." 

 

[EllaWycliffe]

6 hours ago, Scout Finch said:

Heck with the time period! As you said, it's a loose enough premise that surely they could have fanwanked in some dinos!

Yeah, its not that loose. You can have dinosaurs or or saber toothed tigers and mammoths... you can't have both at the same time. 

[Tom Holmberg]

3 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

Yeah, its not that loose. You can have dinosaurs or or saber toothed tigers and mammoths... you can't have both at the same time. 

If you can have polar bears on tropical islands (or polar bears and penguins together, for that matter), I guess you can have dinosaurs and dire wolves. Maybe the dinosaurs would fall through their own sinkhole. 🤓

Edited October 4, 2021 by Tom Holmberg

[EllaWycliffe]

37 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

If you can have polar bears on tropical islands (or polar bears and penguins, for that matter),

Yeah but polar bears on the tropical island is where I started to roll my eyes on the other show. That and when they never found the Minnow. 

[proserpina65]

Okay, that was pretty batshit, but I enjoyed it.  I was actually yelling "dire wolves!"  and "saber tooth cat!" at the tv.  Now I'm waiting for some mammoths.  (Yeah, I visited the La Brea tarpits when I was in LA.  It was just about the highlight of the trip.)

On 9/29/2021 at 12:22 AM, shapeshifter said:

But the crack of light in the sky is completely ripped from Doctor Who.

I also yelled "It's the crack in Amy Pond's wall!".

 

[proserpina65]

On 9/29/2021 at 9:53 PM, txhorns79 said:

I think they are only what, 10,000 or so years in the past?  We won't be seeing dinosaurs. 

Roughly 38,000 years, since the area is not yet tarpit-y.  But still far too recent for dinosaurs.

On 9/29/2021 at 10:31 PM, Infiltr8 said:

And the guy needing glasses, there are lots of cars to look I for some

But they wouldn't be his prescription so they'd only be of limited assistance.

17 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I lived in Eastern Europe for a few years in the 90s. I learned to live without so many things I was used to and didn't even mind, but I ALWAYS did whatever was necessary to have TP. Going without was a bridge too far for me. 😁

I have a friend whose daughter is in the diplomatic service and was stationed in Baku, Azerbaijan.  Shortly before my friend left to visit her daughter, she asked what she could bring from home, thinking snack food or books, something like that.  The answer was American toilet paper.  That stuff was like gold.

[MsVixen]

On 9/29/2021 at 1:02 PM, Paloma said:

He will soon be sabertooth tiger or even wolf chow, if he isn't already. But as an animal lover, I will probably be rooting more for the animals than most of the people in this story.

I'm hoping that the dog was changed into one of the wolves.  😁

Whoever mentioned "Surface" earlier, thank you!!!  I've been remembering the little creature who was running along side the humans but couldn't remember the name of the show.  Another one that was gone to soon.  Along with "Timeless", which, at least, got a decent ending.

One other show that was gone after 13 episodes, "Constantine".  Damn good show that was really true to the comic book!  Matt Ryan was perfect in the role!

[shapeshifter]

11 hours ago, Scout Finch said:

Me too. Heck with the time period! As you said, it's a loose enough premise that surely they could have fanwanked in some dinos!

Dinosaurs would be easy to fanwank WRT story telling: 
Just have another level below the one where they landed.

[ketchuplover]

On 9/29/2021 at 10:59 AM, AnimeMania said:

Let me go on the record as saying the the female cop that was directing traffic, who was the first one to enter the sink hole, had more charisma than all of the other actors on the show combined. She should have been the star or maybe she should have been the only one that fell into the hole and the whole show could have been about her. I bet we will never see her again.

They showed her by the supply pile

[momo]

On 9/30/2021 at 2:55 PM, Lugal said:

Why didn't they try to drive the ambulance back?

Exactly what I yelled.

Also, I don't think I've ever been in an LA traffic jam where people kept honking their horns.

Edited October 5, 2021 by momo

[kirkola]

Why not?  They fell how far? and nobody has a scratch.  Buildings are destroyed, sure, but cars look fine and the people have no injuries at all.  The science just isn't there for this to be in any way based on realistic history.  So I'm perfectly willing to accept wrong era dinosaurs.

For whatever it's worth, I grew up on Land of the Lost, which managed to terribly have dinosaurs, lizard people, and primitive man (the seventies were just a weird time in TV world).  So yeah, I was expecting a modern day version of that.  It was the sort of adventure series that kids of a certain age would eat up, and parents cringed.

I rewatched it over the weekend with my brother, and we both agreed that communication ought to be a breeze. Toss a note into the hole and let the rock carving commence.  Also, agree that driving the ambulance back to the kid should save the kid faster. 

Having read the boards, I am totally onboard with loved ones throwing toilet paper down the sinkhole.  Those I have lived with frequently laughed at what I consider an acceptable level of TP (an unopened Costco/Sam's/BJ Warehouse pkg).  And I was like that before the Pandemic. 

[Melina22]

I couldn't understand why at the end, instead of jumping into the ambulance that was RIGHT THERE to avoid getting eaten, they thought it was better to just run wildly AWAY from the ambulance. 

Edited October 5, 2021 by Melina22

[KaveDweller]

3 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I could understand why at the end, instead of jumping into the ambulance that was RIGHT THEREo avoid getting eaten, they thought it was better to just run wildly AWAY from the ambulance. 

I thought the same thing. Back at the clearing everyone got in the cars to save themselves from the wolves, it was one of the smartest things people did. I am guessing a person can't outrun a saber tooth tiger. As others have said they should have driven the ambulance back anyway so it was closer to everyone else.

[rubyred]

So I've seen people mention that the sinkhole is in DTLA -- it is not, it's at the intersection of Fairfax and Wilshire, where the glorious architectural renovation of the Peterson Automotive Museum is prominently featured.

As an LA resident who has been avoiding that stretch of Wilshire for YEARS due to the ongoing construction on that building (and others), I ugly-laughed seeing the red and metal structure CGI-twisted in slow mo.

This intersection is part of "Museum Row." So what has also been, presumably, hithered, is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Craft Contemporary Museum, and, since they deliberately showed it, the La Brea Tar Pits. Side note, the official office of SAG-AFTRA is a neighbor to the Tar Pits, although to my (admittedly untrained) eye, they did not avail themselves of a large quantity of union members for the cast.

Thanks to whomever noted that the Dad is played by Eoin Macken. For the longest time I studied his familiar/not familiar face, and then realized he was an off-brand Juan Diego Botto (Good Behavior). Why not just hire the actor you want him to look like?

But yes! There should be food, not from McDonald's but from the long string of artisanal food trucks that line Museum Row during weekdays!

[AnimeMania]

21 minutes ago, rubyred said:

But yes! There should be food, not from McDonald's but from the long string of artisanal food trucks that line Museum Row during weekdays!

Not only do you have food, you have the means to cook it and experienced people to cook it. Are the food trucks there early in the morning, because the kids were on their way to school when this happened.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, rubyred said:

But yes! There should be food, not from McDonald's but from the long string of artisanal food trucks that line Museum Row during weekdays!

3 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Not only do you have food, you have the means to cook it and experienced people to cook it. Are the food trucks there early in the morning, because the kids were on their way to school when this happened.

Replied in the S01.E02: Day Two thread here: 
forums.primetimer.com/topic/122790-s01e02-day-two/?do=findComment&comment=7046791

 

 

[BooBear]

On 9/29/2021 at 6:13 PM, iMonrey said:

The good news is that the premise is fairly straight-forward. Aside from the government bigwigs setting up tents and not telling us much, there isn't really a whole LOT of mystery around the event itself, I guess. 

That said, this was pretty bad. The writing, especially in regards to the dialogue, was just terrible. I know there tends to be a lot of hand-waving with pilots because they have to cram a lot of character establishment and premise into 40+ minutes, but let's face it. We've all seen good first episodes of various series, so it's possible to do it well.

I think it may speak to the fact that network TV is just not up to speed yet with streaming and basic cable, and still falls back on schlock because it's really hard to get networks to pick up shows unless the pilots really grab them. But network TV in general just does not have good luck with these types of genre shows. The only reason they keep trying them is because everyone is still looking for the next Lost.

The cast is largely unmemorable, the animal CGI was noticeably cheap looking, and the exposition was cringe-worthy. It checked off every trope on the list. Hopefully it can only get better. Tuesdays are a good night for it though. Not much else on.

I thought this was horrible. The acting was painful.  And ultimately I can tell it is a "stall show" the writers don't have any idea what is going on and won't come up with anything until 2024.  The biggest mystery? How they all survived the fall?

[circumvent]

On 9/28/2021 at 10:28 PM, MsVixen said:

Okay, I watched this because I like this type of show.  However, NBC doesn't have a good track record with keeping shows like this.  "Manifest" gone after 3 years just when we getting some serious answers

I watched out of curiosity and I thought it was weak. To your point, Hollywood has dozens of scripts and proposals for shows shelved somewhere and they pull those when they need something to fill a gap. I would not be surprised if this is the case here (it could be my bias, since I thought it was bellow average). With Covid, things got out of pace, out of rhythm. The studios find a script and assemble a cast, without caring too much if the show will succeed or not. They just need them for a season, maybe even a half season. If they fail, it is all part of the calculations, so no big losses.

Since the show was filmed in Australia, I wonder if we will see more of this (possibly filling shows that are filmed outside the US) if IATSE decides to strike. As a matter of solidarity, I hope not.

[raven]

On 10/5/2021 at 3:34 PM, Melina22 said:

I couldn't understand why at the end, instead of jumping into the ambulance that was RIGHT THERE to avoid getting eaten, they thought it was better to just run wildly AWAY from the ambulance. 

I was thinking the same thing! 

Anyway, this was dumb fun.  I don't know anyone's name yet except JOSSHHH.  

Isn't anyone above ground curious about the birds???  Where are they currently wreaking havoc in the ecosystem?

So.much.screaming.

I am unreasonably annoyed by psychic dad.  Can't they come up with another way to figure out what's going on.

Quote

Looks like they borrowed the same wolf CGI used by the TV show 'Zoo' -- maybe those wolves have the "defiant pupil" too.  :)
 

Mother cell!!

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, raven said:

Quote

Looks like they borrowed the same wolf CGI used by the TV show 'Zoo' -- maybe those wolves have the "defiant pupil" too.  :)

Mother cell!!

Ahgh! No Mother Cells, puh-lease!
At least we should be spared The Star Child since this is not a space opera, right?

[chlban]

On 10/10/2021 at 4:36 AM, BooBear said:

I thought this was horrible. The acting was painful.  And ultimately I can tell it is a "stall show" the writers don't have any idea what is going on and won't come up with anything until 2024.  The biggest mystery? How they all survived the fall?

It's on NBC. Even if the writers have the entire series planned out, they will cancel it before we would ever see it.  I watched the first, thought it was less than terrible, have recorded, but not watched the flowing episodes. The lead actress bugs me for some reason and thought the animals looked fake as hell. Maybe I will catch up on the episodes and decide if I keep it on my DVR.

[Camera One]

I have been burned so many times on these types of shows that I was very wary to watch this one.  However, two people recommended it to me, and it still hasn't been cancelled, so I thought I would give it a try.

It was engaging enough and the characters were alright, so I think I will continue for now.  But as many said above, it just feels so derivative, unoriginal and predictable... basically an amalgamation of the various network genre sci-fi shows that have aired in the last 20 years with an assorted mix of the usual stock characters. 

As if a separated family and survivors in the wilderness with limited resources weren't enough to provide flashbacks of some frustrating past shows, they had to squeeze in government conspiracies and visions/premonitions, which are two plot points I dislike even more.  I can't pretend that there will ever be a satisfying answer to any of the big mysteries, because none of the shows I've watched have been able to do that satisfactorily.  

What would interest me is seeing the world in the last glacial period, and a representation of what the physical geography, biology and climate of LA was like during that time period, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Dowel Jones]

You're going to like this ride.

[Natalie68]

On 9/29/2021 at 6:31 AM, craziness said:

I'd like to know why Eve, the guy with the gun, and the ambulance all landed so far from all the other people/debris.  And what else landed far away that will be hella useful when they need it.  Also, if we have an Eve, will we have an Adam?????

Gotta admit, I am wondering this as well.

[DanaK]

I actually enjoyed this as a sci-fi lover, even if it’s a silly premise and I’ll likely be rolling my eyes a lot. Yes, I’m watching this months after the fact but it’s Summer and I have time

Spoiler

I’m glad to see it ended up rating well and got renewed in spite of most people fearing it wouldn’t given the sad state of sci-fi on broadcast TV

[shapeshifter]

11 hours ago, DanaK said:

I actually enjoyed this as a sci-fi lover, even if it’s a silly premise and I’ll likely be rolling my eyes a lot. Yes, I’m watching this months after the fact but it’s Summer and I have time

I don't think I'm spoiling anything about this show that you haven't seen by the end of the pilot, but the show is currently available to be voted Worst Genre Show, heh:

To be fair, I'm pretty sure there are shows that have won both Golden Raspberry Awards as well as Emmys or other respected awards. I definitely know there are actors who have won both awards, even for the same role.