Childhood’s End - General Discussion

[HalcyonDays]

Episode synopsis: Part 1 of 3: An alien presence arrives on Earth with the intention to end all suffering and guide humanity into a utopia. But when the aliens refuse to reveal their appearance, some wonder if this dream is instead a nightmare.

 

[HalcyonDays]

Episode synopsis: Part 2 of 3: Now living in a golden age of peace, some humans begin to notice changes in their children that lead them to question the aliens' motivations.

 

[HalcyonDays]

Episode synopsis: Part 3 of 3: A new age dawns as children begin to exhibit advanced abilities. But what does this mean for the future of humanity?

 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Is it wrong that I was hoping that Ricky Stormgren's dead wife was going to be played by Rachelle Lefevre ?

[oakville]

I enjoyed part 1. It was fun to see Barbie from Under the Dome & the Scary Wolf from the Walking Dead on the show as well as Transporter Chief O' Brien as the leader of the Freedom league..

[SimoneS]

I enjoyed this a lot. It was very suspenseful at moments. I was surprised that there wasn't more hysteria in reaction to the aliens. I cannot imagine politicians and religious types in particular taking it so calmly. I will never get accustom to Chief O'Brien playing bad or tough guys. I always think, "shouldIn't you be off fixing an engine somewhere?"
 

[thuganomics85]

Haven't read the book, but if your going to have an alien that looks exactly like what most people picture a demon/the devil to be, you certainly can't go wrong with casting Charles Dance.  Perfect casting right there and probably one of my favorite things about the episode.  I liked how he actually made Karellen kind of funny and charming at times, all while still having an aura of shadiness and mystery.

 

Mike Vogel's character is at least much better then stupid Barbie from Under the Dome.  Sadly, Daisy Betts got stuck with some pretty bad dialogue: especially her "You're my entire world!", in response to Ricky's line about how he is trying to protect the world.  Getting a bit overdramatic though.  Then again, I guess finding out that your fiancée is spending his time on a ship that looks like the hotel room he had shared with his deceased wife (who looks like Georgina Haig), might cause at least some concern.

 

Colm Meaney was having a blast in this.  Too bad he's already gone.

 

I did think the human's reaction to the initial appearance from the alien ships, was a bit mute, but all the rebellions and arguing following it felt more in line with what I expected would really happen.  And the whole religion aspect too.  I totally think some would look at aliens and their help as a threat to religion.

[zxy556575]

I question the decision to start with Milo in a desolate, bombed-out landscape as "the last human being." It's possible the show could switch things up, but it doesn't make me particularly interested in watching as the initial alien benevolence turns to destruction.

 

I also found it pretty draggy after about an hour. Didn't understand why, if the Overlords can cause all warring countries/factions to suddenly become peaceable, they wouldn't be able to similarly calm the dissidents before they started. Showing us what opposition looks like? Bunch of claptrap.

 

Not sure if I'll be up for watching the rest, but I look forward to the comments here.

Edited December 15, 2015 by lordonia

[ottoDbusdriver]

I'm kind of curious why Ricky and his wife never aged after 15 years.  They looked exactly the same on the day Karellen revealed himself as the day that the Overlords arrived.  Everyone else in the world aged -- even Mylo grew up.

[AConspiracy]

The voiceover near the end said something about all humans looking younger. I assume it was something the Overlords released in the air to reduce the effects of aging just like they cured diseases etc.So children grow up, but don't "fall apart" as they get older.

[Arynm]

I loved it. I haven't read the book so I was completely surprised by the aliens looking like the devil/demons. Didn't even cross my mind that they might look like that. Can't wait for the next two parts, even though I guess it all falls apart. I wonder if that's our fault or theirs?

[fauntleroy]

With all their futuristic tech - controlling matter at the molecular level using magnetic fields, or whatever, as young Milo said, I'd think they'd be able to alter their appearance to suit the situation. A bit disappointed if that is the plot hook that results in it all going to shit.

 

Extend our plastic surgery skills a mere 100 years and we humans would do better. These dudes are maybe 30K years ahead - they should know better.

 

Edit to add: Unless they are utter crap, with this and The Expanse I'm glad Syfy has finally found the money to produce some original science fiction programming. Seems like nothing has been on it for months except wrestling and reruns of that bunch of vampire movies Kate Beckinsale is in.

Edited December 15, 2015 by fauntleroy

[bmoore4026]

Oh, Mike Vogel's eyes make me melt every time :)

 

And, yeah, humanity unwittingly made a deal with alien devils.  Everyone is certifiably fucked aren't they?

[fauntleroy]

Recalling Ricky's last scene in the hotel room when he puts a camera to the mirror and takes a pic. He shows it to Ellie and tells her to delete it. She doesn't react strongly to what she sees, but we don't see her deleting the pic either. Instead she calmly closes her laptop. I figured she was going to blast it out on the internet the moment she had a chance.

 

But she didn't. Fifteen years later the rest of the world (and them? or not?) see Karellen for the first time. If not, what was the point of him taking that picture and showing it to her. Did I misremember that scene?

Edited December 15, 2015 by fauntleroy

[TexasChic]

I want to like this, but it's just not pulling me in. I'll keep trying though.

[Chaos Theory]

I kinda like the idea that handed world peace and easy life we'd accept almost anything. The fake commercials were interesting and the fear by the people in power losing it was a good choice. I like a lot of the questions about human nature the show is bringing up.

[DHDancer]

Loving this!  Hate that they are pushing the commercials to barely tolerable levels however.

 

Charles Dance continues to be just amazing.  I've been wondering if that was really him under all that "creature" but the face shots definitely look like it's him, even if here's a body double for the full shots.  Incredible, given his age (nearly 80 I believe).

 

Some really cool twists. I keep thinking about Children of Earth, the BBC production that was a "special" episode of Torchwood.  I keep waiting for the drug-addicted aliens to appear.....

[fauntleroy]

It's well made and the cast is good, but to me a basic problem is that the power imbalance is so great that there is little in the way of dramatic tension. Or, that it's all of the same type - how is the hammer going to drop. So the viewing experience is pretty much a massive bummer as it's mostly a matter of watching ants scurrying around before being squashed. And the tension is only in finding out the manner of the squashing. Seems hopeless, which is getting tedious.

[SimoneS]

I didn't think that this episode was as good as last night's. It felt like a lot of stalling to get to activating the children. Poor Ricky, giving up his chance to live to save Karellen. 

[thuganomics85]

It was kind of weird that, at times, it almost felt like Ricky and Ellie were taking the backseat.  A lot of focus on this new family in this episode (don't know their names, except that the dad is on that Manhattan show.)  I guess that is to be expected on a show that is trying to be expansive and whatnot, but since there is only going to be three episodes, I feel like I don't really know any of these characters all that well, and the finale is already going to be arriving very soon.

 

Well, I guess I do kind of like Milo, since he is trying to figure out what the hell is going on.  And while done before, I do kind of get a kick out of him and this Rachel character.  Of course, judging from the opening scene yesterday, I guess I should get too excited, since baring a twist, this is going to end very badly for us/humans.

 

It took me a while to finally figure out that the "counselor" was the religious girl from the first episode.  After that, I did noticed that the actress kind of looks like a younger Evangeline Lilly, and then began wondering if cloning is real.

 

Charles Dance is still owning it as Karellen. Never though I wouuld get invested in a demon alien.

 

So, something bad is on the horizon and it will involve the children, which will explain everything from why Karellen made Ricky infertile, to why the blonde kill has all these cool powers, and, of course, why this series is called Childhood's End.

[Cigale]

I know it's a bit OT, but does anyone know the kind of trees that grow on the road leading to Ricky's farm? I find them beautiful.

Edited December 16, 2015 by sisterspoon

[NorthstarATL]

Karellen? I'd been interpreting it as "Cruella" the whole time, and found that amusing. This was reminiscent of shows like "V", where the seemingly benevolent aliens offer nothing but good things, and you just know that if there is a second part, things will not go as well as they seem. Plus, there's the fact that human nature doesn't really lend itself to peace. I also take issue with the idea, too often a "given" in the sci fi genre, that religion doesn't permit the Supreme Being the ability to have created anything other than life on Earth.

Anyway, nice to see Mike Vogel without the dome.

[AConspiracy]

The Overlords brought Milo back after being shot, and fixed him so he could walk.

They couldn't do the same for one of their own species when Karellen was shotgunned?

[SimoneS]

While I think that the CGI for the Overlords' ships is really good, I find that Karellen's make up is bad. They shouldn't do close ups and maybe use the blurry type lens so we don't see the obvious details of the prosthetics.

[Clanstarling]

I did think the human's reaction to the initial appearance from the alien ships, was a bit mute, but all the rebellions and arguing following it felt more in line with what I expected would really happen.  And the whole religion aspect too.  I totally think some would look at aliens and their help as a threat to religion.

I was surprised that the only response from the religious aspect they chose to represent was a girl whose mother had killed herself because the aliens meant (to her) there was no God. Nothing from mainstream religion at all (or for that matter, since it's set in America, fundamentalist Christians).

 

Recalling Ricky's last scene in the hotel room when he puts a camera to the mirror and takes a pic. He shows it to Ellie and tells her to delete it. She doesn't react strongly to what she sees, but we don't see her deleting the pic either. Instead she calmly closes her laptop. I figured she was going to blast it out on the internet the moment she had a chance.

 

But she didn't. Fifteen years later the rest of the world (and them? or not?) see Karellen for the first time. If not, what was the point of him taking that picture and showing it to her. Did I misremember that scene?

I thought I saw her hit a key - but I also thought, like you, that she hadn't really deleted it.

 

I read the book many years ago as a teen, and remembering that it scared me (which was unusual for me). I don't remember many details any more - except for one, which hasn't come up yet.

[ShannaB]

 

Charles Dance continues to be just amazing.  I've been wondering if that was really him under all that "creature" but the face shots definitely look like it's him, even if here's a body double for the full shots.  Incredible, given his age (nearly 80 I believe).

Charles Dance is a young 69 and still going strong.  Very dependable actor who brings his characters to life.  I'd listen to him reading a phone book.

[Chaos Theory]

My take was Karellen didn't show hinself until a decade later when most of his opposition was all but gone. Look at what was shown left of religion. There were a few true believers left. Karellen has gotten rid of most of his opposition after that move with the group of cool commercial kidnapped Ricky.

Which is why I think the show is bring up interesting points especially about God and the Devil. When God has always been silent and the Devil whispers pretty words in your ear and starts handing you miracles which one are you going to star worshiping?

Edited December 16, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[LoneHaranguer]

 

It felt like a lot of stalling to get to activating the children.

This is a common problem with carving a story into equal parts. I'd rather that they tightened things up and used the remaining time for a typical behind-the-scenes filler.

[xaxat]

I was really annoyed by how hard the show worked to say "Milo lives in the ghetto!"

 

Not only is he poor, his mom is a drug addict, his only friend is a homeless guy, and, from the looks of surrounding streets, no one in his neighborhood has bought a car since the eighties!

Edited December 16, 2015 by xaxat

[Margo Leadbetter]

Well, as a big fan of the book, which I re-read shortly before I found out about this mini, I'm trying really hard to watch with an open mind but I'm failing miserably. This is so wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to start. New characters, new story lines, new motivations, why even bother calling it Childhood's End? The entire feel of it is off for me. The story could easily have been modernized without so many significant and unnecessary changes. I'll stick it out til the end, mainly because I want to see how they explain the Overlords compared to the book, but I even though I told myself not to expect much, I'm still disappointed.

 

That being said, I can see why people who aren't familiar with the book would be drawn to it.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Margo Leadbetter

[fauntleroy]

I was really annoyed by how hard the show worked to say "Milo lives in the ghetto!"

 

Not only is he poor, his mom is a drug addict, his only friend is a homeless guy, and, from the looks of surrounding streets, no one in his neighborhood has bought a car since the eighties!

 

Ha this is funny. His wheelchair was awful too. On the other hand his buddy the homeless guy was a sage and his mum though supposedly a junkie was gorgeous and nice to him.

 

This is filmed in Melbourne apparently? It's maybe difficult to find a sufficiently run-down location.

 

Some of the houses, I want them.

[TexasChic]

So it looks like Barbie is falling apart, Tywin isn't immortal, and Cole will soon turn into Baltazar to blend in.

[SimoneS]

Overall, I enjoyed this mini-series, but the commercials were out of control.

 

I get that Overmind and the children wanted to join each other and go away, but why did they have to take all the earth's energy and destroy it when all those other animals and life remain on the planet? They deserved to live, evolve and have the earth to themselves.

 

While I understand why Milo went and think that he was right to go, it is heartbreaking that he lost all that time he could have had with Rachel before the end. 

 

Poor RIcky's wife, sucks to be second best. It was good of her to be there with him in the end.

Edited December 17, 2015 by SimoneS

[AConspiracy]

That was depressing.

[TexasChic]

Agreed.

[Chaos Theory]

So happy ending then.

I am so not sure what to make of it. Depressingly beautiful or just depressing. Still I kinda liked it.

[fauntleroy]

Don't know which was more depressing, the end of the planet or all those goddam ads. Terrible.

[jhlipton]

I haven't read the book in ages, and don't really remember it...

 

The only part that felt off was the oil and water bit with the Ayyyyyrabs.  That was a jerk move, and the West have been jerks to that part of the world since the Crusades.  And "You can't drink oil" is just too trite.

 

The "Devil" as the personification of evil is a totally Christian thing.  Most religions don't have a truly Eeeeeeeeeevil temptor -- the closest would be the Trickster -- Loki, Coyote, The Monkey King, etc.  So all the non-Christians would be wondering what the fuss over this particular meme would be.

Edited December 17, 2015 by jhlipton

[jhlipton]

They keep saying that "no one is working", but Ricky was still bringing in the harvest.  And just because people don't have to work, doesn't mean they won't.

 

Also, science is not solving problems (like climate change) -- that's technology.  Science is asking "Why?" and "How?"  And there is never a finish line to those questions.

 

It is a trifle slow-going, and I'd rather they picked a mixed-race couple for Amy and Jake (especially since black actresses have a much harder time getting roles than black men) than for Milo and Rachel (or both could be mixed-race -- what a concept).

 

Not a bad show but I'm glad it's only 6 hours.

[marieYOTZ]

Wow. They really squeezed a lot into the last 25 minutes. I'm bomfoggled. It wasn't perfect, but it was certainly interesting. Well done, Syfy.

[fauntleroy]

Also thinking about it some more, the metaphysics of the whole thing seemed like claptrap. Kerellen said oh don't worry, it's natural! But that isn't true, they showed up following the orders of the Overmind, tampered with the children, took them, and destroyed the place. Why? Also why take samples of the animal life but not the humans? Wouldn't it be 'natural' to let them die too?

 

Why the need to take the children, to join the single consciousness? Why not simply wait for the normal pace of evolution to make this change. What's the hurry? Why have the girl sucking all the energy out of the planet - go suck energy out of an uninhabited planet.

 

Why do some consciousnesses get to join the single consciousness while others do not? K's explanation to grieving Milo that Rachel was still alive in his memory is at odds with the effort they make to join people to the 'real' single consciousness.

 

The pacing was all over the place too. Rikki's death scene went on too long for example.

 

I read this and 2001: A Space Odyssey many years ago and recall feeling the ending of that was incoherent too.

[Chaos Theory]

I am not against insanely depressing shows/movies. Anything that gets me to feel something instead of just switching the channel to the next thing to watch is a plus. I was just never clear on the 'why' of it all. Or did I just miss it?

I thought for the most part this was a pretty good story I am just not sure I would watch it again or the coned watching it to anyone.

[Shermie]

When was Ricky bringing in the harvest? It was a perpetual field of fully grown corn. Even when it said "six months later" at one point, the corn was the same size.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Shermie

[Shermie]

Didn't like Ricky's girlfriend (can't remember her name). She just sits around, whining that her boyfriend might still be thinking about his dead wife. We never saw her do anything but sit in that house.

And in real life, the one person in the world who was communicating with aliens:

- would not be allowed to live on his own unprotected, the govt would be all over him 24/7

- would not be left alone by the public, in that a little wooden farm fence wouldn't keep them at bay

- would net be left alone by the media, they'd be all over him 24/7

I found the public's reaction to the aliens - official and regular Joe - to be ridiculously understated, considering how world-changing their arrival would be.

[ElTVaddict]

I know it's a bit OT, but does anyone know the kind of trees that grow on the road leading to Ricky's farm? I find them beautiful.

Try this site to find the tree.

 

http://www.allcreativedesigns.com.au/pages/galltrees9.html

[Margo Leadbetter]

I know the book backwards and forwards—it's always been an old-school SF favorite of mine—but I still wanted to give this mini a fair shake. I went from rolling my eyes in the first episode to frustration in the second episode to alternating between outright dislike and boredom in the third. This was an epic fail for me, not only as an adaptation of the book but as a standalone as well. There's not a lot of action in the book so I guess they felt it needed all of the padding, plus new (and unnecessary) characters and story lines, an artificial sense of tension and evil, so much of the heart of the story was destroyed. I never got the sense of despair from the human race as they realized what was happening, nor of the sadness and resignation of the Overlords, who knew they were only caretakers of those races who were going on to a higher stage of existence, when they were at a dead end in their own. 

 

But that isn't true, they showed up following the orders of the Overmind, tampered with the children, took them, and destroyed the place. Why? Also why take samples of the animal life but not the humans? Wouldn't it be 'natural' to let them die too?

Why the need to take the children, to join the single consciousness? Why not simply wait for the normal pace of evolution to make this change. What's the hurry? Why have the girl sucking all the energy out of the planet - go suck energy out of an uninhabited planet.

 

 

Here's another instance where there are major differences between the book and the mini. The Overlords didn't tamper with the children. They were sent by the Overmind to serve as "midwives" as Karellen said. They came to protect the human race from destroying itself so that this natural evolution could take place. One of their tasks was to identify the "seed," who would start the process. That was Amy (Jean in the book), who, while playing a game with the Ouija board at a party spelled out the designation of the Overlords home world. It was her son Tommy (Jeff) who was the catalyst. Jennifer was an infant in the story. (There was none of the religious bullshit or children flying in the air or chanting "Jennifer. Jennifer.") Once the process started, it spread to the other children, no tampering needed.

 

They became a single consciousness because that was the next evolutionary stage—a major leap, much like the Starchild in 2001 (Childhood's End and 2001 share a lot of similarities, understandably). The destruction of the planet was actually the child-like new life form learning about and exercising its power before making the final jump to the next stage.

 

One other thing to note about the differences is that the timeline in the book is much longer. It takes 50 years, not 15 for the Overlords to reveal themselves. For the most part, people accept their appearance because they've had two generations to get used to them. The shorter timeline was very unrealistic.

 

I hope that people who watched this and are unfamiliar with the book give it a shot. So much better, IMO,

[AConspiracy]

The time references about when Milo was on the Overlord ship seemed backwards, or I didn't understand the timeline.

He said the ship comes every 90 days to get a load of animals.

So he figures that is the time it takes to get to the Overlord home and back.

But then Rachel says at near light speed that is 80 years or so to people not on the ship.

And when Milo stows away it is several decades gone by when he gets back, but only a few months for him presumably.

 

By that, Milo shouldn't see the same ship every 90 days. Even though the Overlords on the ship could go back and forth in 90 of their days, every round trip would be 80 years on earth,

There were a lot of ships around Earth, maybe one just leaves every 90 days. But that wouldn't reveal how far away their home is, it could take them 1000 years to get home and we wouldn't know.

 

The other confusion is when Milo gets back, it shows Jennifer in the volcano light beam, but still a little girl. She should have been 80 years older.

 

Oh well. Hand wave it all away. Sad show is over.

[shrewd.buddha]

Having read the book, it is hard not to compare - - and it does suffer by comparison. 

I was not happy with the creation of the new character of the mid-western farmer with dead wife and girlfriend issues (is this ripped off from Interstellar? ). It also doesn't help that it's the same guy from 'Under the Dome' and he is basically playing the same type character : the desperate but determined average Joe. I guess Syfy thought people wanted to see bedroom scenes and love triangles - and felt the need to have the same characters throughout  -- but I preferred the book's timeline where the Overlords waited fifty years before revealing themselves so that a whole new generation would be more accepting. 

 

The plans to share the food surplus and using oil pipelines for water seemed way too simplistic. 

Another thing the book did better was how the Overlords gently influenced world changes instead of making direct changes. There was no magical healing of Milo or any purposeful contact with him. 

 

It's not terrible, but so far it seems very watered down and forced into the mold of a standard mini series. I think it is mainly entertaining for us because we are looking for differences between the book and the show. 

Edited December 17, 2015 by shrewd.buddha

[jhlipton]

It does make sense that the Overlords would pick more of an Everyman than a UN official (remember "Joe the Plumber"?). If they were truly aware of cultural and historical attitudes, possibly someone from a notoriously neutral country like Switzerland or Iceland might have worked better.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

He said the ship comes every 90 days to get a load of animals.

So he figures that is the time it takes to get to the Overlord home and back.

Even if that's where the animals are ultimately going, that may not be where the ships are taking them. The 90 days could be the round trip to a big "ark" ship parked out where space is "emptier" than around here, because it's designed to transport a big cargo efficiently across interstellar space and has trouble getting in close (like some ocean-going super-ships).