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Post by Batcopter on Dec 20, 2004 8:46:11 GMT -5
Episodes 13 and 14 now.
It's still unclear whether or not Chantal's experiments and investigations will bear fruit, and her persauding James to try out something potentially dangerous without telling Finbow or Eliot could be seen as either foolhardy or brave - a calculated risk.
Melody, however, does go to pieces on accidentally overhearing how serious their situation actually is. Judging form her reactions, you can understand why the information is being kept suppressed too. It's interesting that Tim is the first one she looks for, perhaps suggesting that he means more to her than she has tended to show hitherto. After holing herself up in the Dome in an attack of existensialist despair, declaring everyone on the ship to be virtual corpses or ghosts already, she wails that she wishes she was dead herself. Merceded identifies the contradiction - that if she wants to die, why is she trying to preserve her life? Melody can't answer it but I think the reason is not so much that she genuinely wants to die at heart, but that she fears the prospect of witnessing, and being a part of, the slow deaths of the entire personnel. Hence she is trying to isolate herself from that as much as possible, and would prefer a swift death to remove her from the whole grisly situation, but cannot bring herself to commit suicide, which is her only option other than perishing with the others. No wonder her anguish is so acute.
Herlinde is obviously not comfortable with Anna's disciplined approach to everything, reacting badly to the standards of cleanliness and order she applies to her life. It's possibly just out of irritation, but maybe it also makes her feel more inadequate, which would be another reason for her to not want to share a room with her. This difference in temperament rather than Anna's religious views, may be the main problem. While I find it unlikely that Anna would view Herlinde's rejection of her as God's work (the responsibilty of Herlinde's actions is Herlinde's rather than God's - I don't think Anna would view God as being responsible), I can, however, believe that she would think that God would want her to see it as a personal test for her, and that God would want her to stay true to her beliefs. It's not quite clear to me from her spoken sentiments if she is putting the former or latter construction on Herlinde's rejection of her, but the latter seems more plausible to me.
It is unfortunate for Anna though, that no-one seems to have much sympathy or understanding of her point of view. Even Rosie only orders Herlinde back in with Anna to keep the latter quiet and make her job easier (admittedly Rosie does have rather a lot to worry about at present). It's not that anyone has to share her religious views, just that it might help if someone paid her the respect of relating seriously to them, and was willing to accept them on a purely theoretical level when discussing them with her. So far only Piers has made any moves in that direction (rather obliquely), leaving her unfortunately rather isolated.
Daniel is coming across as a bit of a loudmouth, and his would-be betting on "ownership" of Melody with Jean-Francois suggests a rather unreconstructed attitude to women, even if he isn't being wholly serious.
Alex remains taciturn and inward-looking. His low opinion of the others is shown by his casually tossing out details of how Jean-Francois can get into the Dome to rescue Melody. His manner suggests he is giving it because he feels like it. He has a "can't be bothered" attitude, where he can give or withhold help as he pleases. The implication is that he views the others as unintelligent and unimportant. The ease with which he conceals his hoarding from the others when Tim gives him away must encourage him in his general contempt for them, and all of this is further indicated by his mercenary, and ruthlessly pragmatic, offer to Mercedes. Although I'm not sure whether he has chosen her simply because he is attracted to her, or because she has a skill or skills that would be useful to him. It's an excellent cliffhanger. The next episode should be interesting...
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Post by Nathan on Dec 20, 2004 8:48:16 GMT -5
Great stuff as ever. I hope everyone else is enjoying reading Batcopter's reviews as well as me.
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Post by Batcopter on Jan 7, 2005 4:48:06 GMT -5
Episodes 15 and 16
Mercedes' eventual acceptance of Alex's offer has probably taken her to places where (morally) she wouldn't really have wanted to go. It's probably more out of a desire for self-preservation than interest in Alex (although she does appear to be physically attracted to him), but is an example of the lengths you can go when you're feeling desperate enough. She tries to exhaust all other options first, and this done, is prepared to abandon the others. Rather cleverly, the audience keeps getting thrown hints that something is going to interrupt it only for these to be confounded, such as when (Piers?) stops Alex to ask him something just as they're getting into the lift. They even get as far as entering the vessel, and it's only something highly mundane that scuppers their plan ultimately, just as visions of a spin-off "Mercedes and Alex"series have been forming.
Mercedes' subsequent bad temper and disinclination to listen to Alex, ridiculing his pretensions to wildness and restlessness, is probably partially at least a result of her own bad conscience. Alex is, for the moment, an irritant, because he reminds her of something she would prefer not to think about. The crushing disappointment of still being in the same danger as before probably doesn't help either.
Alex is also taking less and less trouble to conceal his anger, physically attacking both Tim and Dan in rapid succession. I think most of the people there may be underrating just how ruthless his instincts are. But it might be intersting to see how he respaonds to being forced to stare death in the face. His argument with Mercedes about Melody is significant. Having overcome her initial panic, Melody has relapsed into a stoic resigned acceptance which bewilders most of the others not in on the secret. Mercedes' reaction is to admire it as proof of a hitherto hidden strength of character, but Alex brusquely dismisses it as pointless passivity for its own sake.
It has at least allowed Melody to adopt a much more mature, even self-assured attitude than previously. Unselfish (offering to swap Herlinde's place with Anna), and openly affectionate and sympathetic to Tim, she seems to feel less need to seek the usual affection-substitute via flirtation. Consequently she comes across as far calmer, more level-headed and less insincere than before. Although whether the writers intend this as a permanent change in her character is another matter...
It's Eliot's turn to sink into a decline, for now at least, when he finally proves unable to prevent a sudden mutiny by the others, with Finbow's support for them (or treachery to him in his eyes - that's something that must be painful to him) and Alex's muscle proving decisive, although the actual physical action is startlingly quick and little of it shown on screen. His light hearted joking with Mercedes about how, when you get old, everyone better than you seems to be younger, have now acquired a rather hollow and (to him) bitter ring. Expelled from his bridge he lopes disconsolately around the cafe in between sleeping his sorrows away.
For all Chantal's dedicated work on finding out the nature of the ion-cloud problem, it's still unclear how accurate she is. Is it just a mistake in the calculations, or is the whole theory wrong, as Eliot obviously believes? Finbow is clearly still determined on the former anyway.
Tim is probably disconcerted by Melody's relatively fond treatment of him because it goes against the usual family script so much.. However, he is also of an age where he doesn't want to be patronised, and is liable to get annoyed at reminders of his status as a child, as he is at a stage where he is trying to leave that behind. See also his reaction to Chantal's would-be child-friendly way of asking him if he'd like to help her.
One touch I thought quite funny, although I'm not sure if it was intended to be. In the scene on the bridge where Eliot is explaining how Petra has lost and randomly redirected various bits of information, what sounds like some melodramatic incidental music begins, only for Eliot to identify this as music Petra has suddenly started playing, which he doesn't like and asks to be erased.
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Post by Batcopter on Jan 18, 2005 9:45:21 GMT -5
Episodes 17 and 18 These amount to a fairly straightforward (perhaps a bit more linear than usual) race against time. It's interesting to see Tim and Fiona being used in this way - as the last hope to save the ship, and Eliot's jeering about their having to use "children" reminds me of his mock-depresed resentment in an earlier episode about younger people always being better at something than you. Oh, and it's nice to see Tim honouring one of TV Cream's "Rules Of Drama" by shouting "I'm in!" to announce his successful computer hacking. It illustrates the principle about young people finding it especially easy to adapt to new and advanced technology (because they usually learn quicker), as well as allowing Fiona and Tim the chance to play a pivotal dramatic role in terms of the Ilea's fate, rather than the relative trivia that's normally been their lot hitherto. Tim's motivation is a bit like Billy Bunter's actually - if it leads to extra food and sweets, he can suddenly put that much more effort into it. Both actors concerned also manage to convey the appropriately urgent sense of determination and desperation in what they're trying to do. Alex's attitude to Mercedes is indicated by his violent beating of Daniel for laying his hands on her. It begs the question of his motivation though. Is it protectiveness? Is he acting out of wanting to protect and support her? Or is it sheer possessiveness and jealousy? Does he view her as an equal to him, does he respect her in the proper sense of the word, or is she just something for him to play with and enjoy himself with? Is he thinking "Leave her alone, she doesn't need you bothering her" or "Don't you dare ever touch my property again"? It's notable that he thinks stealing his privately looted supplies warrants the same treatment. There's also a pointed visual reference to differing values, with Mercedes and Alex snogging indifferently in the background while Anna is earnestly giving thanks for their salvation. At the moment Anna's character is a rather thankless one, and is tending to come over as a bit of a stereotype. She's undeniably well-meaning, as seen from her attempts to comfort Victoria by offering moral homilies from her own family background, but both the characters and the programme seem mostly irritated by her. She has inner integrity without a doubt but is so isolated that it seems to be difficult to have her and the others interrelate very meaningfully for most of the time. The series doesn't seem to be in much sympathy with her at present. Victoria's illness turned out to be a different condition than I'd expected - I'd been guessing she was going to turn out to be pregnant. The character is still somewhat in the background at the moment, and the appendicitis seems, at this stage, to be mostly a dramatic ploy to heighten the tension of an already fraught situation, but we'll have to see if it leads to anything else in due course. Eliot's decline (beard growing bushier, mood ever more bitter and sorry for himself) is in contrast to Melody's increasing detachment and maturity. I tended to find the latter irritating in the early episodes, and in danger of becoming a stereotype, but she seems to be settling into a more likeable and deeper character than was apparent at first. There's a particularly good cliffhanger to 17, if a little sudden , with the entire personnel unconscious and the power seemingly down. Almost as good as 11's in some ways. Mercedes' mercy crawl through the ducts in the darkness (apart from reminding me a bit, conceptually, of Sarah Jane Smith in Ark In Space for Dr Who) also adds some intrigue when it turns out that there's an unknown person in there ahead of her, and the revelation of who it is makes for a nice triumphant moment for Finbow. It does help with the character that he is sometimes capable of these small acts of heroism and resourcefulness. I wonder what kind of short "stuck lift" story Eliot's and Rosie's time trapped in there would amount to?
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Post by Nathan on Jan 18, 2005 10:57:32 GMT -5
Alex's attitude to Mercedes is indicated by his violent beating of Daniel for laying his hands on her. It begs the question of his motivation though. Is it protectiveness? Is he acting out of wanting to protect and support her? Or is it sheer possessiveness and jealousy? I would say that he looks upon her as his possession, just as with his looted supplies. There is another interesting angle on this scene though, and that concerns what a nasty piece of work Daniel Wetherby is. Daniel's greatest assett is his charm, and uses this to get his way, always the first thing to come out in his arsenal of weapons. However he is not averse to other tactics if need be. Look at Melody for instance. At first he is content to sit by as he knows that Jean-Francois will soon be leaving and then he can then make a move as a friend. When it becomes apparent that Jean is sticking around he makes it clear that he fancies her and intends to get her, he will try anything to get his own way. Look back to the Space Raiders scene in Episode 5 where he molests Victoria. He claims that he thought it was someone else and that "they wouldn't have minded". Later on in his search for the stolen food he forces his way into Anna's cabin. When Herlinde queestions if he has done this before she denies it but it seems obvious that she isn't being entirely truthful. Could it be that she has been the victim of something that she is ashamed of? And lastly his attack on Mercedes. It is apparent to Daniel that all is lost (he has overheard Eliot saying as much in the club) so what is their to lose? He then attacks her in what seems to be an attempted rape. Desperate times sometimes lead people into desperate actions, ones that would normally be out of character, and one cannot judge Daniel solely on that drunken move made when there was no longer any hope or any possible consequences for his actions. But sometimes I wonder about what he is really capable of...
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Post by Batcopter on Jan 19, 2005 9:19:09 GMT -5
Yes, Daniel hasn't been making a very positive impression on me so far. A bit too much of an arrogant type who thinks he can get whatever he wants, and with a rather nasty attitude to women in general.
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Post by richardyardley on Jan 24, 2005 21:16:21 GMT -5
I'm well behind the times here as I've only just finished Volume 1! Volume 2 is winging it's way to me from play though as I write.
I remember very well seeing the series off and on via the old Squarial back in 1990. I got BSB then mainly to see Doctor Who and only watched Jupiter Moon when it was on and I was in and had nothing else better to do.
The only reason that I bought the first set on DVD was that it was cheap and I was curious to have another look. Nathan's footnote Plasma Ball ad on all his Roobarbs posts was also a constant reminder to give it a go too!
I certainly have no regrets. Hence the reason I've ordered the second set of DVD's. The series is a lot better than I remember it. Normally when you look again at old series, you end up in Rose tinted glasses syndrome but not Jupiter Moon. It's actually very good upon rewatching.
It somehow mixes soap and sci-fi very well and the production values, scripting and acting are good too.
15 years after the event I'm a happy convert and am enjoying the fun of watching Jupiter Moon. If you haven't tried it, give it a go!
rich
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Post by Nathan on Jan 25, 2005 4:23:38 GMT -5
Cheers for that! Always nice to feel vindicated! Post that on Roobarbs and other boards please, Richard
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Post by Batcopter on Jan 25, 2005 6:14:05 GMT -5
Episodes 19 and 20 I think all credit is due to the director and the actors concerned (especially Nicola Wright ) for the scenes involving Victoria's illness in the medical unit and the drama of the surgery performed on her. I do think they genuinely have a heart-rending quality, and that you can't help worrying for her. The character really does come over as desperately ill and weak, and the concern her friends feel for her is all the more effective for being communicated to the audience so subtly. It gets the balance right - not overly mawkish and sentimental or tacky. The comfort which Sara and Herlinde offer her, stroking and caressing her hands, seems like natural affection and concern. Both avoid overwrought melodrama by adopting subdued body language and low speech tones, and the actor playing Piers also gets across his sense of doing his duty to her ebven though he can't be sure of success. The discourse concerning surgical operations is quite an interesting one too, showing how something once taken for granted can seem mysterious to the point of incomprehensibility to later generations. The principle of physical and invasive surgery is one that Piers and Chantal have difficulty understanding, something which irritates Eliot (in his unofficial capacity as an Old Dinosaur, he is something of an identification point for a 1990 audience in this particular bit) who grumbles that it's only a matter of "30 years ago, not something out of the Stone Age". The same scenes also give an insight into his fatalistic worldview (consistent with his attitude while the Ilea has been stuck in the cloud), when he says that it would be better to let Victoria die if the only alternative was even worse suffering for her. As the final crisis point approaches a tired and apathetic air seems to creep in. Doubtless it's also partly the lack of oxygen, but the characters seem to show a strong propensity for falling asleep and not really listening to anyone. Tim barely registers any of Anna's concerns or indignation, Chantal and James express their increasing closeness by sharing some shut-eye in each other's arms, and Mercedes dozes off while Finbow reflects on his past life (which I must admit reminds me a bit of the Airplane spoof film ). As soon as they are (apparently) out of (immediate) danger, though, Anna instantly finds herself something else to worry about, her work, suggesting that she is the sort of person who is not happy unless they have something occupying them - restless by nature. Or perhaps she can't quite bring herself to believe that all the problems are over, and so has to have something else in their place. Eliot, it appears, is an extremely bitter man. What would be interesting to find out, though, is how serious he is about having Finbow prosecuted and sentenced. Is he genuinely determined to go all the way, or is he just trying to avenge his sense of betrayal by making Finbow sweat it out for a while? As for the gossip about him and Rosie and her distinctly frosty attitude to him subsequent to their ordeal in the lift together (at least whenever the subject is mentioned), I would like to think that he spent most of the time with her there sleeping the booze off and annoying her with the snoring, but I'll make no other speculation yet...
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Post by richardyardley on Jan 25, 2005 14:21:31 GMT -5
Cheers for that! Always nice to feel vindicated! Post that on Roobarbs and other boards please, Richard Will do. As should all of us who visit this site and/or are enjoying this very good and unique series. rich P.S. I'd be happy to carry an ad similar to yours at the base of my Roobarbs posts if that is possible or helpful.
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Post by richardyardley on Feb 15, 2005 10:29:25 GMT -5
Just finished Volume 2 (I know I'm late here on this ), Volume one was very good but Volume 2 is even better! What I enjoyed most about this volume is that the gravity of the life and death nature of the Plasma Ball situation is finally sinking in with everyone. Different characters dealt with it in different ways but all were very real and understandable. Eliot's pride driven over reaction towards the end for example is excellent to watch. Finbow's character is actually evolving nicely aswell. He's no longer a hard done by geek. He's a man of action, integraty and conscience that puts you, as the viewer, firmly on his side. All in all a great watch. All the sub plot's are now starting to crack along at a fair old pace and the characters are becoming more and more well rounded with each episode. Can't wait to see Volume 3. What is waiting for them all at the disaster that looks like Space city? Will Finbow be court marshalled? Brilliant stuff!! rich
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Post by Nathan on Feb 20, 2005 15:13:46 GMT -5
Glad you enjoyed it, Rich. I am really looking forward to reading people's opinions of volume 3. It marks the first "evolution" of the series and I am interested in how people view any changes.
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Post by Batcopter on Mar 11, 2005 4:06:46 GMT -5
Episodes 21 and 22
The tremendous relief of having been saved from the worst and re-established contact with Space City notwithstanding, Eliot is still heavily on the booze and not happy. However justified his case might be in his own mind, or indeed on a legal level, his main motivation seems to be sheer vindictive bloodymindedness, even to the point of spending 48 hours on the bridge to prevent any chance of Finbow relieving him. Some call it sulking. It may be that the problem is exacerbated by the fact that there doesn't really seem to be anyone of similar authority to challenge or confront him. He's having to take full responsibility with almost no accountability for the time being, leaving matters somewhat up in the air and unresolved.
It makes something of a change in the rythym of the series to have scenes taking place in Space City (as opposed to mere communications on a screen with them), with Terry Molloy suddenly being seen more extensively than before, and with his character having now gained an onscreen name. Cats also turns out to be still in the land of the living, resolving a cliffhanger from several episodes ago. Played by a different actor (alright, I admit I only know this after looking at the notes), he is received on the Ilea very much as the conquering hero, probably partly out of sheer relief at knowing that he made it after all, with Herlinde notably smitten, at least for now.
Mercedes' interest in him may be a little more complex. Although I think she may well be genuinely drawn to him, I suspect there may also be a political element in her attraction to him. The machanics of the relationship between Alex and herself are what I'm thinking of here. Alex seems unusually keen to aquire her as a partner in his putative mining project (and it might be interesting to speculate on the reasons for those in itself - simple lust, respect for her judgement, a bit of both, loneliness, or some other reason?). In paying the kind of attention to Cats that Mercedes does here, she is effectively warning Alex that she cannot be taken for granted, and that she isn't bound to do what he wants. If she fancies a guilt-free liaison with a man, she will go out and have one, and it's none of Alex's business.
Mercedes and Alex's relationship is one of the more interesting aspects of the series so far. Both are strong personalities, and each responds positively to this boldness and assertiveness in the other, but the same characteristics also mean that their relationship is a highly competitive, even combative, one too. You get the impressions that the passionate embraces they occasionally share are partly relieving the strong emotions each provoke in the other. It is more of a barely concealed power game than a romantic relationship.
Chantal and James are clearly in the throes of a mutual attraction which may or may not go anywhere, but at least one of the two cannot help themselves even when trying to push it behind them.
Piers' attempt to break the news of Victoria's father's death to her might have benefitted from a longer and gentler lead-in, although you get the feeling he has little experience of this. Well might Victoria sob on hearing the less-than-heartening news that "we're your family now" from the others. One interesting sie effect of all this talk of people being killed in space or at stations is to remind us how dangerous a business space travel can be. Perhaps it's not surprising that the people mainly engaged in it of their own free will seem to have something of a missionary fervour for the task, like Mercedes. It possibly takes that kind of dedicated attitude to face down the risks.
The Valentines business, apart from vouchsafing us the information that a Frenchman will apparently become the first person to make love in space this year (no details given about the other party), is vaguely reminiscent of school parties. Tim gets a reward for his hard work in saving them earlier, a tacit recognition that while duty is all very well, it can be nice to get the odd present on occasion too.
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Post by Nathan on Mar 11, 2005 4:17:04 GMT -5
The Valentines business, apart from vouchsafing us the information that a Frenchman will apparently become the first person to make love in space this year (no details given about the other party. Although as Melody says, if he was French there probably wasn't another party ;D
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Post by Batcopter on Mar 24, 2005 8:27:24 GMT -5
Episodes 23 and 24
If I understand the scene correctly, it is only Cats' argument that his own self-interest would be best served by letting Finbow's court martial drop that persuades Eliot into trying to abandon it. He shows a fair bit of craftiness for a change in managing to manipulate the girls into letting Tim try hacking into Petra to remove the security recording, as well as showing us that he can be a bit of a ham (the character, that is) when "acting up" something, in this case feigning sleep.
Finbow's intervention begs a few possible questions. Is he fully aware of exactly what they are attempting, and deliberately closing off the possibility of escape from that avenue? For all Eliot's raging about his stupidity, I suspect he does. The way he talks to the people trying to comfort him, it sounds as though he is resigned to it and wants to simply get the matter over with (his line to the effect of "I long ago gave up on expecting life to be fair" is quite poignant for the series). Possibly he is also thinking in the same way as Cats, and has a "If I'm going down, I'm taking Eliot with me" attitude. On the other hand he shows no sign of bitterness when taking his farewell with Eliot, and has perhaps already committed himself to thinking in terms of a life away from the Ilea.
Jean-Francois is understandably startled by Daniel's attempt to argue that the card game they played over Melody was valid. Probably the former did not take it seriously at the time, and even here his main concern seems to be that the latter is using it as a threat, on a "Let me take her out for a night or I'll tell her all about it" basis. The fact that Jean-Francois' awkward confession doesn't put Melody of him suggests that she has, or can have, a forgiving nature, and indeed she displays rather more self-confidence than her boyfriend on this occasion. Her barbed put-down to Daniel when he does try it on with her is uncompromising although I wonder whether the nature of the threat she makes to him might have actually made her more attractive in his eyes. He makes no obvious reaction, but it's possible he might be thinking "Wow! She's exciting! I'd like her to treat me rough!"
Brelan seems a bit more relaxed than I remember him being in the first few episodes, although his insistence that the college will have to be broken up for reasons of cost-efficiency seems to be marking him out as an obstacle for the series' format. Will future episodes have to be set entirely on Space City? Watch this space...
But not if Harriet gets her way it would seem. This is a character who appears to have something of a core of steel. Outwardly good-humoured, she has a definite no-nonsense quality, and on the strength of this first episode to feature her, you get the feeling she's the sort of person you would cross at your peril...
Alex appears to be becoming officially a nuisance to Mercedes, with his very presence increasingly intolerable to her. The question of whether she might try to call his bluff at some stage is still unanswered at the moment...
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