Ghost Wars - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Your Ghost Wars Topic!

[paulvdb]

Syfy Sets Premiere Dates For New Series ‘Happy!’, ‘Superstition’ & ‘Ghost Wars’ Along With Returning Shows

Ghost Wars premieres October 5.

[SoSueMe]

I liked it. A little predictable on the special effects (strictly SYFY channel) but the acting was pretty good and I am anxious to meet Roman's mother.

[thewhiteowl]

I liked it! Lead guy needs to back away from the guyliner, tho.

[RedheadZombie]

I'm on the fence about this show.  I think the pilot of a supernatural show has to be careful, and this one has already shown a lot of ghosts, killing a lot of the suspense.  It doesn't help that the ghosts are merely flashing holograms.  I know this show probably has a low budget, but Fox does a great job on Exorcist, and they had Gina Davis's salary to cover the first season.

The kid who plays Roman is decent enough, but I'm not sure he's capable of carrying the show.  His flat affect barely responded when he was trying to talk down the sheriff, and when the sheriff died in his arms.  And how ridiculous to kill the sheriff right off - he was a good actor, and only the third person I recognized from elsewhere.

I think the lynch mob, who seemed more like a BTK mob, was unintentionally comical.  Doug goes to jail, dude #2 is finally coaxed to hand over his noose, but another guy continues to wield his shovel - WTF was he going to do with it?  This is Alaska, I'm sure he's got at least one gun.  And to be honest, the little group reminded me of the line of people from Airplane, ready to beat on the hysterical woman.  Then we realize the mortician ran off because she knew Roman was going to get the shit beat out of him, and did she run to call the police?  No, she's down in her morgue fussing with dead bodies while her small child watches - the second time he's been there that we've seen.  Seems like torture.

I actually tuned in for Vincent D'Onofrio, but he's creeping me out a little.  If he's supposed to be a good guy, he's doing it in a very Lurch-like way.  I'll watch another episode, but I'm already watching a couple of shows I'm very lukewarm and I'm not looking to add another.

[SoSueMe]

It took me a while to place the creepy Doug character. Geez, it's Meatloaf! I was vaguely aware that he had done The Apprentice, but apart from that I only knew him from:

 

[SoSueMe]

7 hours ago, thewhiteowl said:

I liked it! Lead guy needs to back away from the guyliner, tho.

I'm embarrassed to say that I like the guyliner :) 

[2727]

I thought it was wrongheaded to so quickly kill off sympathetic characters like the sheriff. Same thing if some of the lynch mob guys had died -- there wasn't enough time for me as a viewer to work up a lot of either animus or sympathy.

I noticed Meat Loaf's name in the credits but honestly had a hard time figuring out at first which character was him and which was D'Onofrio. Kind of mean to D'Onofio, because Loaf is 70, but D'Onofrio is sporting a lot of bushy facial hair that ages him.

I agree that Roman is too low key right now. I get that he's jaded from seeing a lot of shit and years of building up emotional armor, but still. It's okay to let your face move once in a while.

Edited October 6, 2017 by 2727

[thewhiteowl]

1 hour ago, SoSueMe said:

I'm embarrassed to say that I like the guyliner :) 

LOL That's okay, I wouldn't usually mind it but whoa it was thick at times.

This show is reminding me of Haven, only a ton more dark and scary.

[walnutqueen]

I caught this by sheer chance, and as soon as I saw the scenery, I recognized it as Squamish, B.C. - my favorite place (and apparently pretty popular with TV and movie people).  If only for that reason, I am in.  ;-)

Not a bad first episode, for a SyFy show.

And I liked the guyliner, too [/small voice]

[tessat]

Loved this show! Much better than Fear the Walking Dead or The Mist - it contains actors I know and characters I actually like. I had to go check the cast list as I couldn't figure out who D'Onofrio and I thought that Doug looked familiar but couldn't figure out from where. On board for another episode - too bad so many of the good guys are dead already tho!

[Arynm]

Terrible name, pretty good show. It had great pacing and the acting was fine. I like the main dude, but I wish we hadn't lost so many good guys already. The Mist was a slog to get through, this show makes we want to watch the next episode.

[thewhiteowl]

Well in a show about ghosts, dead doesn't necessarily mean gone.  I would like Sheriff Sam back. One of my favorite HITG! actors. Just a hopeful guess.

[Anakerie]

I think it's going to come out that Roman's parents are Hook and Emma from "Once Upon a Time" because my goodness he looks like a swarthier Colin O'Donoghue. Down to the guyliner! 

[SoSueMe]

Bonus guyliner :)

[mjc570]

Wow, getting quite a Haven vibe, m now we have the Duke analogue  (smuggler who's fundamentally a good guy).  I'm watching this, but I don't really know why.

[tessat]

I really like it so far - yes it does have a Haven vibe and I liked that too.

[RedheadZombie]

I'm so confused.  My cable guide, as well as this site, calls this episode "The Ghost in the Machine".  But an online recap site, plus the SyFy website itself, calls the episode "The Curse of Copperhead Road".

ETA:  Apparently "Copperhead Road" is the title of the third episode.  Strangely both the recap, and the SyFy site, described the second episode under the third episode's name.  Kind of sloppy.

Edited October 14, 2017 by RedheadZombie
adding ETA

[AuntieL]

This is turning into a darker more twisted Haven, but without the eye candy of Nathan and Duke.  They certainly upped the acting quotient.  Is Kim Coates going to be in more episodes?  I'd definitely watch more scenes of him and D'Onofrio together.  The ghosts' ability to create shared delusions is freaky as was the bay with all of the dead - whales, porpoises?

[SoSueMe]

I thought Kim Coates' boat was named Copperhead Rose. Confusing.

[Skyfall]

I’m in and I’m not one to like SYFY’s shows.

Edited October 15, 2017 by Skyfall

[SoSueMe]

I'm just hazarding a guess that the publicity dept. somehow mixed up the titles of episodes 2 and 3. This one seems more like  it would be Ghost in the Machine and episode 2 was more like The Curse of Copperhead Road (Rose?).

 

As someone said earlier, kind of sloppy. But apart from that, I'm liking it and getting a few scares. Kind of liking The Stand vibe in this episode. 

[RedheadZombie]

I'm not sold yet, but I like how they're handling the characters.  Focusing on a new/somewhat new one each week, and weaving them into Roman and Reverend Dan.

One thing that's a little hard to buy, is that the town folk are going about their normal routine as if they've not been cut off from the mainland, and don't have ghosts running rampant.  I guess this little town must be very self-contained since it keeps operating like normal. 

Minor note:  I don't like Landis's colored contact lenses.  They're creepy.

ETA:  My bad - I missed that this was six hours prior to the earthquake.

Edited October 20, 2017 by RedheadZombie
adding ETA

[Mikita]

40 minutes ago, RedheadZombie said:

I'm not sold yet, but I like how they're handling the characters.  Focusing on a new/somewhat new one each week, and weaving them into Roman and Reverend Dan.

One thing that's a little hard to buy, is that the town folk are going about their normal routine as if they've not been cut off from the mainland, and don't have ghosts running rampant.  I guess this little town must be very self-contained since it keeps operating like normal. 

Minor note:  I don't like Landis's colored contact lenses.  They're creepy.

ETA:  My bad - I missed that this was six hours prior to the earthquake.

Not contacts. That is Kandyse McClures true eye color.

[RedheadZombie]

55 minutes ago, Mikita said:

Not contacts. That is Kandyse McClures true eye color.

Her true eye color seems to be a very pale brown, but there were times they were a weird creepy blue. Maybe a trick of the lights?

[The Companion]

On 10/13/2017 at 9:15 PM, mjc570 said:

Wow, getting quite a Haven vibe, m now we have the Duke analogue  (smuggler who's fundamentally a good guy).  I'm watching this, but I don't really know why.

It was giving me a heavy Haven vibe as well. I like the claustrophobic feeling they are creating as the walls close in and the residents become more isolated. It has brought a lot of the creep factor (I actually found myself jumping), but I would like to see a little more character development. Maybe it is because they have introduced so many characters at once, but I found it a little hard to really root for/worry about the characters. 

[RedheadZombie]

I don't quite get what the glowing crystal was in Father Dan's bricked off room.  I thought it might be a source of evil, but he fell on it and began chanting Christian prayer.

I'm a little surprised that Father Dan left these old, valuable books in such a dark, dank room.  The dramatic Halloween spider webs were cute.

Is Dan supposed to be Indigenous.  I've wondered from the beginning, because of the long black ponytail.  It's not your typical look for a Catholic priest.

[RedheadZombie]

I know finding her child dead was traumatic, but I wonder why Sophia pinned the blame on Father Dan.  Hadn't she just witnessed her kid being choked by an invisible presence?  And why would she be upset that Marcus played in the autopsy room?  She's the one who has him in there playing while she's working.  

[RedheadZombie]

Apparently, I'm posting with myself.  LOL.

I was looking at Wikipedia about this show, and there's a glaring lack of listings of the actors/characters.  I did notice that Marilyn and Val are supposedly the talk of the town due to their "age difference".  The actors are six years apart in age.  So I'm confused.  And the actor playing Marilyn reminds me so much of Andrea of The Walking Dead, Laurie Holden.  The face, hair, body language.

[SoSueMe]

38 minutes ago, RedheadZombie said:

Apparently, I'm posting with myself.  LOL.

I was looking at Wikipedia about this show, and there's a glaring lack of listings of the actors/characters.  I did notice that Marilyn and Val are supposedly the talk of the town due to their "age difference".  The actors are six years apart in age.  So I'm confused.  And the actor playing Marilyn reminds me so much of Andrea of The Walking Dead, Laurie Holden.  The face, hair, body language.

I'm enjoying your posts FWIW, lol.

Speaking of ages, I always wonder and actually fear that the child actors in some of these shows may need therapy in the future. The Walking Dead has had some pretty young actors with grim plots.

Edited October 29, 2017 by SoSueMe

[thewhiteowl]

I'm here too! @RedheadZombiejust haven't watched this one yet.

[walnutqueen]

On 10/28/2017 at 11:48 AM, RedheadZombie said:

I know finding her child dead was traumatic, but I wonder why Sophia pinned the blame on Father Dan.  Hadn't she just witnessed her kid being choked by an invisible presence? 

Maybe she thought the exorcism had something to do with it?  I.e, it either worked & was too much for the poor kid, or it didn't work, and the entities killed him.  I dunno, I'm reaching at this point.  Maybe we'll find out next week.

 

1 hour ago, thewhiteowl said:

I'm here too! @RedheadZombiejust haven't watched this one yet.

I'm here, too - but all I'd ever post is nostalgic rhapsodies about my beautiful B.C. scenery, so I'm sparing y'all from being bored to tears.  ;-)

[AnimeMania]

On 10/27/2017 at 1:40 AM, RedheadZombie said:

I don't quite get what the glowing crystal was in Father Dan's bricked off room.  I thought it might be a source of evil, but he fell on it and began chanting Christian prayer.

Father Dan was looking at a picture of something similar in a book and said the following:

Blessed be those who seek the truths, for God will reward them with fruits of heaven.
 

[SoSueMe]

Best episode so far, in my opinion. Gosh,  hope I'm not the only one watching.

[AuntieL]

Nope you're not.  I like this little show. I like that they're showing us different people in the town. I'm sorry to see Maggie go; I thought she was a nice friend for Roman. I thought Meatloaf was quite effective as the Dad. Who knew he could act? 

[RedheadZombie]

What was Doug drinking from the bottle?  They serve beer in jail?

Poor Maggie.  Watching her aspirate was pretty dark.  

11 hours ago, SoSueMe said:

Best episode so far, in my opinion. Gosh,  hope I'm not the only one watching.

No!  I just watched the episode.  Looks like I'm in for the rest of the season.

 

10 hours ago, AuntieL said:

Nope you're not.  I like this little show. I like that they're showing us different people in the town. I'm sorry to see Maggie go; I thought she was a nice friend for Roman. I thought Meatloaf was quite effective as the Dad. Who knew he could act? 

Meat loaf was really good.  He seems so frail.

Val is a moron, and so is deputy droop a long.  Even I knew Doug would have a gun on him.  The ending was a little creepy.

[raven]

I've been catching up and thought each episode was better than the last - I really liked the one before this one, with the collider explosion and the hauntings on campus, the scientists being closed in (I had to look away when that guy had the bug crawl into his eye) - but this one I didn't like as much.  I wasn't particularly interested in the kid though I was surprised when he died.  It looked like there was a little bit of feeling between Father Dan and the mother right after the exorcism, though if she blames him, I guess that's gone.  Maybe he is someone who came late to the priesthood?

I've like this show more than I thought I would. love the setting and the claustrophobic feeling.  The performances are so-so but I am in for however many episodes we have.

[RedheadZombie]

I have been getting an Under the Dome feeling, and the weird cocoon confirmed that feeling.  

I knew the poor ferret was toast from the moment they first showed him.  I hate that.  It's a tired cliché in horror/suspense to kill the family pet.

Would it have killed them to make Abigail and Isabel slightly different looking?  Is there a reason the girls only wear braided ponytails?  To bed?

Why wasn't Isabel able to explain that Abigail is the one who killed the ferret?  There was plenty of time to talk before Dr. Marilyn arrived to sedate her.

So Val is Isabel's bio mom.  I wonder if Marilyn is Abigail's.  There must be a reason they pointed this out.

[NeenerNeener]

On 11/10/2017 at 3:12 AM, RedheadZombie said:

I knew the poor ferret was toast from the moment they first showed him.  I hate that.  It's a tired cliché in horror/suspense to kill the family pet.

Yep. And it was no surprise that what they pulled out of that tree cocoon wasn't really Abigail either, although I didn't catch on about the old lady until she served the moldy cake. This is getting progressively better even if some of it is predictable. The pilot was so "meh" that I didn't bother watching any of it again for weeks, but now I'm hooked.

[NeenerNeener]

I just watched this today, and I too wanted to kill that asshole who just watched Maggie die.  If he'd just rolled her on to her side and yelled for help she might have survived. Since they were both still fully clothed it wouldn't have been obvious to anyone that he had ulterior motives when he helped her back to her room, and she might not have remembered what happened right before the seizure.

[DEM]

On 11/10/2017 at 0:12 AM, RedheadZombie said:

Would it have killed them to make Abigail and Isabel slightly different looking?

Agreed. I'm sure a missed some key points because I couldn't follow which girl was which. I realised to late I should key on "pigtails vs. ponytails," but I couldn't be arsed to rewind.

[millahnna]

I was so traumatized by the hallucination of the kitten in the garbage disposal that I couldn't really keep my ish in check for the ferret.  Being an animal sucker really blows sometimes.

Edited November 12, 2017 by millahnna

[walnutqueen]

5 hours ago, millahnna said:

I was so traumatized by the hallucination of the kitten in the garbage disposal that I couldn't really keep my ish in check for the ferret.  Being an animal sucker really blows sometimes.

Tell me about it!  I'm accustomed to watching animal & nature shows with one finger poised on the FF button (in case it looks like something's about to go south for any animal).  Never thought I'd need to do that with a ghost story show ...   :-(

[AuntieL]

This show is definitely getting creepier. I wonder if there's a way to put Abigail back in her body once they get whoever is in there out. 

[raven]

On 11/11/2017 at 0:02 PM, NeenerNeener said:

I just watched this today, and I too wanted to kill that asshole who just watched Maggie die. 

Ugh, what a slimeball. I guess he didn't say anything because he had slipped her a drug, and just to sit there and watch her choke, so awful and cold.  Poor Maggie, poor Doug. 

I thought Meatloaf did really well.  I liked this exchange "I painted over the graffiti" "You didn't have to do that" Yeah I did, I put it there"  Ha!

The only part that doesn't work for me is when someone is getting flung around by something you can't see.  It just looks silly to me, so that stuff didn't work.   Everything else I liked.

[raven]

Dotty was creepy even before we knew she was dead. 

One thing I really like is the bits of humor, like when they're searching in the forest and Roman's yelling "run, run" and someone asks what he's saying and the baking lady says "I think he said "Ron, Ron".  Also, the bickering between Roman and Billy and Billy's "I hate this fucking town" when they're leaving the girls' house.  

On 11/10/2017 at 3:12 AM, RedheadZombie said:

It's a tired cliché in horror/suspense to kill the family pet.

Ugh, I know.  I FF through some stuff so as not to see it.  The kitten didn't bother me since it was a hallucination that was unharmed.

The babysitter was obviously freaked out but I think if my charge had drawn a pic of me dead, with a bloody knife in my head, I might call her mother. 

[SoSueMe]

I was a little disappointed. This episode seemed kind of disjointed and the Roman actor is definitely the weak link, acting-wise. I don't necessarily like it when major characters are killed off in a show, but pulling characters back from the brink of death can get way too predictable way too fast.

The story of Roman's mother is intriguing, though.

(And is it just me or do too many shows/movies show empty rooms with candles already lit and left unsupervised? Maybe it's just the grownup in me that worries.) 

[thewhiteowl]

I was expecting this episode would be better, it was meh.

[raven]

The ghostly and possessed kids are annoying.  Can we get rid of them please?  Plus I don't want to see possessed Abigail kill any more animals.  Didn't Billy see her killing it when he drove up or was it supposed to be too dark?

I liked having everyone work together more or less.  I also liked the ray gun to repel ghosts, hee.  Ray gun guy's wife (the bartender) bugs though.

It's funny because it seemed like Roman was positioned to be the protagonist but we don't see him much.  I'm also curious about his mother.

I did laugh when the woman starts quoting scripture after Meatloaf asks if they're waiting for benediction and then something crashes from the ceiling.

[tessat]

I really like this show - minus the kids and mayor - they're just annoying. I really like Avan Jogia that plays Roman - he has quite an impressive resume. I also love Meatloaf - I would have never thought he'd be as good as he is. Never a fan of Vincent D'Onofrio on Law & Order but find I like him in this. 

I agree about the candles and I thought the same thing when Billy came upon his niece - she just threw the cat to the side and it didn't look like it went but a couple of feet away from her - and he didn't see it?