*** Warning, large spoilers ahead ***
Terra Nova leaps into its strengths with the third episode of dinosaur madness. Where as the pilot may have been enough to turn most people off following the rest of the series, this episode may be the one that will redeem the show and encourage the audience to invest themselves in the rest of the series.
The one thing that should be said about this episode is that it seems to be more of a hiatus from the main series story arc to focus more on character development, rather than the over all story line. This is by no means a demerit, and it is one of the episodes greatest strengths. When more time is spent on the characters, you find your self more invested in what is going to happen to them and the danger that they’re facing.
The characters in this episode are starting to become a more three-dimensional and fleshed out.. A lot of focus is brought onto Commander Nathaniel Taylor (Stephen Lang) and it is great to see this character in a little more action. We learn that he’s recruiting Jim Shannon to look for a mole within Terra Nova working for the enigmatic ‘Sixers’ and that he wants him or her captured as soon as possible. He still comes across as the same tough Commander, but you really get the idea that he cares for the people of Terra Nova and that he really believes in the cause that he’s fighting for; even though we’re not entirely sure what that cause might be yet. This makes him a far more interesting character than the cliché hotheaded marine that we often see in film and TV, and it’s refreshing to watch.
In this episode we’re also introduced to Dr. Malcolm Wallace (Rod Hallett) who is an ex-boyfriend of Shannon’s wife. We learn that it was Dr. Wallace who secured Elisabeth Shannon’s position in Terra Nova for reasons other than the fact she’s an accomplished surgeon. This creates some great tension between Jim and Malcolm and will probably prove to be a very interesting character thread later on in the series. I for one will be looking forward to the inevitable confrontation that will ensue between these two characters and how this will pan out for Jim and Elisabeth’s relationship. There are also less than subtle hints that there may be more to Dr. Wallace’s character than meets the eye. I pray it is not that easy and obvious for Dr. Wallace to turn out to be the mole within Terra Nova, it would be an easy option and would take the guessing out of who’s working with the ‘Sixers’ and who’s not. Hopefully this is just a red herring that is there to distract you from the real mole, which would make for far more compelling viewing.
Terra Nova wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t have some crazy dinosaur out to maim the inhabitants. In this episode it’s not some thing I really expected. It’s not a T-Rex or a Raptor, it’s a flock of thousands of killer, flying, lets-gouge-your-eyes-out-of-your-face reptiles. I don’t know about you, but the idea of innumerable creatures actively out to rip my eyeballs from their sockets is far more terrifying than one large creature that’s going to eat you up and shit you out any day of the week. These evil little things aren’t happy that Commander Taylor and company has parked Terra Nova on their breeding ground and plague Terra Nova in the thousands to get it back. These reptiles are quite well realized, but once again I find myself noticing the special effects. With a TV show of this budget you would think that more time would be put into making the creatures far more realistic; but once again the show falls short of this expectation. I’m beginning to think that I should just expect the effects to be like this from now on and not foster any hope of them getting any better. It’s a shame because it distracts from the tension of the attacking swarm and makes you brutally aware that you’re watching a science fiction show. Other science fiction shows can have rubbish special effects and still tell the story with out distracting the viewer, but when it’s mixed in with a show that’s so outstandingly well realized, the special effects stand out considerably more than they would on a lesser budget series.
Never fear though, as Elisabeth Shannon and Dr. Wallace soon come up with a plan using the creatures’ hormones to encourage them to move to a new breeding ground and Terra Nova is once again safe from the imminent threat of deciding to live eighty five million years in the past. This episode contained some strong performances, notably from Jason O’Mara (Jim Shannon) and Shelley Conn (Elisabeth Shannon), whose subtle acting really help the draw the audience into their relationship and make it believable. I still strongly believe that the making and breaking of this show will come down to the characters and not the special effects. If the writers can keep the characters interesting people will always carry on watching. There are also subtle plot lines being added through out the last couple of episodes that will make for interesting viewing later on down the line. The mole storyline will be interesting to follow, providing it doesn’t turn out to be the most obvious of people. Either way, the more I watch of Terra Nova the more I want to keep watching it, and there are not many shows for me that last past one viewing. Hopefully, it will keep going from strength to strength., but for the time being, I’ll keep my options open.
© BRWC 2010.
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