Genesis 1
The troubled production that is 'Avatar' with dinosaurs finally arrives. It also borrows from 'Earth 2' and 'Outcasts'. But I really enjoyed it. It is 2149 and Earth is a crapsack world. People need re-breathers, the air is 100% smog and there is population control. But there is an escape: Terra Nova. Not an off world colony but a colony 85 million years in the past that is accessed through a time/space fracture. Why nobody founded an off world colony will hopefully be explained soon.
The Shannon family are in trouble because they had a third child. Now they'd have escaped with a fine but moron dad Jim punches a cop and ends up in jail. Why they had a third child isn't explained, maybe it isn't theirs maybe their moron teenage brat son Josh knocked someone up or it's the overlooked daughter Maddy's real kid. Who knows. Jim comes across as a smug fool who escalates situations while Zoe is the designated moppet/She Who Should Never Have Been Born.
Jim's long suffering wife Elizabeth is recruited to Terra Nova but apparently not tired of parenting her husband decides to break him out of jail by smuggling him in a tiny laser. Jim breaks out of jail OFF SCREEN and manages to sneak himself and Zoe into the queue to stroll through the time/space fracture into Terra Nova but once again escalates the situation by attacking time/space fracture guards and nearly provoking a shootout seconds after his arrival at Terra Nova. Tool.
The Shannon's arrived as part of the 10th pilgrimage to Terra Nova, shouldn't they have been wearing sunglasses and sunscreen if they are unused to sunlight? Josh moans and Elizabeth is a doctor, how? Did she print her MD off the internet? For a doctor she seems to be unaware of this thing called birth control. Plus how did she afford all the bribes and prison break?
Josh had a girlfriend back in 2159 but forgets her as soon as he meets Sky. The idiot pants after Sky (who is a baddie, I'm calling it now) and heads off outside the gate with her and her moron friends. Josh and the rest of the Shannon's look pretty healthy for a poor underclass. Also how is the air from 85 million BC in any way breathable for humans? Terra Nova is run by Commander Taylor (Stephen Lang of 'Avatar') who seems to be the only non-stupid cast member.
How does Terra Nova get all its food, equipment and supplies? Why don't the tool Jim and Elizabeth watch their children? Why is Josh such a thick snot? Is Terra Nova really in an alternate time line? I bet that probe will feature in future plots. I wish that three foot centipede had eaten the tool Jim. How is Josh able to swim? Why are there so many annoying teenagers on this show? What are the symbols carved into the rocks at the waterfall? This was good, I liked this. It has promise.
Best Lines:
"Dad scored an orange."
"There's no way back."
Genesis 2
Taylor reveals the existence of the Sixers to the tool Jim but pretty quickly everyone knows about them as a group storm Terra Nova to annoy. Terra Nova has terrible security. Why did the Sixer try to kill Taylor? Why did members of the 6th pilgrimage split off to form another settlement? What is the Sixers agenda? The Sixers are the Others of this show aren't they? Jim gets promoted from weed whacking to being part of Taylor's security. Shame the writers didn't have Taylor go 'The Cold Equations' on Jim and Zoe.
There are car chases, dino attacks, guns and obvious CGI in this ep. Also the Sixers have a mole in the camp and control a quarry of meteoric iron. The stupid teenagers have a still and get attacked by Slashers. Jim and Taylor must save the day. Taylor is so well hard he survived 118 days alone in 85 million BC. He had a son who was part of the 2nd pilgrimage but said son is now AWOL and probably a Sixer.
The Sixers are up to something, the idiot kids need a beatdown, the moon is closer to Earth and there are hints of an intriguing story arc. This was good. I liked this, it was good.
Best Line:
"The real reason for Terra Nova's existence. Control the past, control the future."