Reviews

I started watching this because it had an 8.9 rating on some 1600 reviews. I really like sci-fi, fantasy series and I am willing to put up with a lot. This series lacks a lot in production value, it reminds me of the 7th Voyage of Sinbad, shot in 1959, which I loved when I was 10! I have only watched one episode and I really don't know what is going on, the plot is cut up and there seems to be no continuity from scene to scene. Add to that, the sound quality really sucks! There is a lot of dialogue that is unintelligible. The acting is still rough and I would blame that on the director, who is not getting the most from the actors. The actors do not seem to be in sync with each other, like they are reading their lines from a teleprompter, delivering their lines independent from each other. I cannot recommend watching this even though the story might be good, and the locations are pretty good, and the actors are all very pretty, but it just does not hold together.

Keep watching, it gets better. I just finished ep.4 and the actors have found their tempo. This is not strictly a police procedural drama, it is more of a mystery drama. Serinda Swan gives a strong performance as Jenny Cooper, right out of the gate as the damaged widow, tough woman holding it together, single mom to a teen trying to put a mismanaged coroner's office back on track. Her character has many facets and depth. Roger Cross plays a very believable Detective McAvoy who sees Jenny a little clearer than she thinks he does. McAvoy grounds Jenny and is a good counterpoint to Swan's taut emotional portrayal at times. Ehren Kassam, as Jenny's teen son, came out of the gate a little slow, it was like the writers were not quite finished polishing his character, but after 4 episodes he seems to be hitting his marks. The rest of the cast is doing a good job fleshing out their supporting characters. The plot is multi-layered with mysterious threads woven through that give depth to the characters and keep the viewer guessing at the deeper sub-plots. It is nice that the show is not trying to be American, this is Toronto, Canada, and this is the way we do things, we have Crown Attorneys, clean streets, lots of trees and a multi-ethnic population. And it is also nice that Eric Bruneau's character is a War Veteran from Afghanistan with his own scars and mysteries...because we were there too - first!

...and they cancelled Enterprise to give us this ???

Okay, the cancelling of Enterprise had nothing to do with the starting of Discovery, but I was sad when they cancelled Enterprise.

STD, oh my, I just saw that, STD! Well, like the rest of the network's understanding of Trekkies, there obviously wasn't much research.

In fairness I have only watched Ep1. and I will watch a few more before I make a final decision, but I was not impressed. Too much big effects (CGI) and not enough meat. I grant that crews have always needed a season or 2 to come together, so i am not bothered by the acting, it will come. That being said, Jolene Blalock had T'Pol down pat from the first episode. If you are going to do Star Trek you have to have a believable Vulcan character right out of the gate.

The other thing you need out of the gate is a moral dilemma, where was that? To shoot or not to shoot, is that the question? Not much depth there, and very little development. In contrast, The Orville, which is supposed to be a Star Trek Spoof, explored gender reassignment surgery by Ep3.

Why did we need new races right out of the gate? Why do Klingons have to look different...again! Do the writers not remember that there was much discussion and justification when Micheal Dorn's Worf came onto the scene?

There is a reason Star Trek has endured for 5 decades...yes more than 50 years! And I have been alive for all of them. The producers of this show better figure it out fast. Trekkies don't want a Shonda Rhimes soap opera or even a George Lucas shoot-'em-up adventure, though we may watch those, that is not why we watch Star Trek.

To the producers -- you have been handed the Holy Grail, don't p**s in it.

It has been a long time since I read Douglas Adams' DGHDA so I cannot say if the character is faithful to the books, but my memory says not... That being said, it is a fine good romp, full of time travel mind twisters, silly puns, and off-beat plot lines that will keep you wondering -"What the heck is going on???" Thankfully, the "Previously on Dirk Gently..." at the beginning of each episode will clarify last week's episode for you.

Samuel Barnett's "Dirk" plays somewhere between Colombo and Mork from Ork, his frenetic antics land him the proverbial pile of excrement where he emerges "smelling like roses", most of the time, to his own surprise.

Elijah Wood's Todd Brotzman is the perfect Hardy to Dirk's Laurel, with a depth of character Ollie Hardy never reached...he has secrets.

Amanda Brotzman, played by Hannah Marks, is a likable character, who too plumbs depths she didn't know she had and comes up with a few surprises.

Jade Eshete is just stunningly beautiful as the hot, ninja-like, body guard who plays with one foot in Dirk's world and the other in Todd's reality, she plays a foil against both side, or a bridge, whatever. She is the strong female character to Amanda's softer more emotional feminine nature.

The unlikely duo of Bart and Ken, who's story arc vectors to cross paths with Dirk, are played admirably by Fiona Dourif and Mpho Koaho respectively. We don't know what will happen when the trio meet, but we know something will.

The story resembles Douglas Adams' in that there are multiple concurrent plots, seemingly unrelated, but with hints of synchronicity that eventually converge to a raucous denouement where all becomes clear, sort of.

Entertaining, full of fun, with some good acting make this the best adaptation of any of Douglas Adams' works to date.

Thus far I have watched 3 episodes of Dark Matter, and I agree with the reviewer that stated there are shades of FireFly here, it has that feel to it. These productions always have growing pains, the actors must find their tempo with each other, but they invariably do and the result is usually worth the time one invests. Just watch the first season of STTNG to see how far acting can come after a season.

There are several mysteries to be solved already, that I am sure will be reveled slowly. It will all come down to the writing in the end: Joseph Mallozzi creator/writer comes from Stargate and Paul Mullie creator/writer comes from Stargate and Transporter and a few others with varying backgrounds. The directors are legion, either they are trying to mix it up or they haven't settled on a vision yet.

Let us hope that the writing moves into some interesting avenues and not just the standard fare we see over and over. There will have to be some relationships, forged and broken, and unrequited love, but the meat of the series will have to be the mysteries to keep our attention.

************UPDATE*************** Okay, I am on season 2 now, 3 eps. in, though ep 3 was a little lame, the mystery continues to unfold and keep my attention. There is some good stuff here, the acting is pretty tight and the story continues to intrigue. I can see this going on for a few more seasons as long as the writing remains good.

I am enjoying this show.

I went into watching Parallels expecting it to be less than what it is. It is an interesting storyline and concept. It looks like the pilot for a series. It drew me in slowly and the mysteries got a deeper as the plot progressed, with a few new twists presented in the last 5 minutes, thus, the need for a sequel at least.

The acting started out a little stilted, in did not really believe the brother-sister relationship at first. And the plot was a little thin at the very beginning, I guess they just had to get the back-story out there and leave the budget for the meat to follow - it does get better.

This is enjoyable Sunday afternoon fare that will not tax you too much. The violence is not gratuitous and the sex is suggestive only.

I will watch the series or sequel when it comes out.