Sunday, January 12, 2014

Helix

This has to be the worst TV show I've seen in years.

It reminds me, more than anything else, of the ill-fated Threshold, except that had Carla Gugino and Peter Dinklage keeping things interesting, and a much more interesting and unpredictable infection. Helix just has a cast of people who look almost but not quite like other, more famous people.

I don't have a reason to care about these characters. Even if they fail, the deadly contagion they're fighting to contain is deep in the Antarctic, in a facility that's a 200-mile helicopter journey from the nearest inhabited area. These characters are the only stakes we're going to get.

And I'd love to know who insists on every science fiction show having a shadowy conspiracy angle. Nothing bores me faster than two shifty types conversing in hushed tones about "the people we both work for". Can't you write some interesting group dynamics instead?

I was quite excited to see Hiroyuki Sanada in the cast, but it's disappointing to see him become the closest thing to an antagonist the show has - especially as he's the only non-white character.

Ugh, I just know I'm going to end up watching the whole season.

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