MovieChat Forums > Defying Gravity (2009) Discussion > Defying Gravity, really screwed the pooc...

Defying Gravity, really screwed the pooch.

posted 12 years ago by standrkm
19 replies | jump to latest

The show had sooooooo much potential. I can't even find the words to describe how disappointed I am in how the season turned out. But I will try in hopefully just a few sentences.
It starts off over 40 years in the future, has a bunch of attractive and talented actors, and yeah they are going to explore our solar system. That is a fantastic premise, you could only screw that up with bad cgi right? Wrong! Instead of them ever doing space walks, repairing satellites, exploring planets, running into asteroid fields, worm holes, or being chased by ufo's or whatever, they don't do anything. They just think back on the past, have flashbacks non-stop, and walk around dressed like astronauts. And when they speak to eachother present day you get this really goofy music and all of a sudden you're watching grays anatomy. In between present day you have flashbacks from god knows when, scenes that jump from 5 to even 10 years back and all the while this is happening they are on the ship where the shows focus should be. Good luck to anyone tuning in for the first time because there's probably no way someone could accidentally run into this midseason and get into it.The ship is very similar to the one used in Alien's but you never feel like they are out in the middle of nowhere and as vulnerable as they should be.

Each episode had a hint of greatness and you can just feel it all unravel over and over again within each episode. The cgi was great, the astronaut training was fun, the ship even looked great but it literally felt like it never left the ground. It was a space soap opera. They had the wonder years narration, the formulaic crew, chemistry, the techno gadgets, and the cgi eye candy. But it all fell short. The humor was lame, the dialogue was weak, the action was predictable, and the story was all over the place. This show never seemed like you could even call it sci-fi even though it took place in outer freakin' space. I wish they had watched a few episodes of BSG or Firefly before they created this because I think it would have helped it greatly. It never puts you on the edge of your seat, they hardly ever work as a unit, and they lack discipline. All you see are people crying, arguing, and whining, and it really takes you out of the moment and loses it's effectiveness. In Firefly you had confrontations, challenges, goals, character development. In BSG you had judgement, conflict, violence, attitude, humor. For example Zoey has a freakin hysterectomy and that's it. She doesn't ask if they removed her uterous or anything, it's just "hey, sorry you had an emergency hysterectomy and you shoulda told me becuase I could have helped". Zoe is like oh ok,a nd then they end the episode. Now in BSG a pilot gets radiation poisoning and is dieing, great words are said and it turns into a freakin tear jerker. It happened a lot on that show and because of the entire feel, the music, the acting, the dialogue, the environment, it was epic. This show had a couple people die and close calls and all you got was some elevator music and slow motion pan out. And on BSG (yeah I'm a fan) they didn't just screw, work, and make small talk all day like here. They took you on an adventure in every episode and played upon every emotion. But in this show the adventure takes 13 episodes and you still have no idea what the heck just happened.

Plus they supposed to be traveling the solar system but end up going to Venus first which is in the wrong direction. I mean if they go there then they would have to swing around pass Earth again to continue to the rest of the planets (even if they do/don't visit Mercury) which means there would be no point in being on a 6 year mission because they sure as heck would stop at Earth for repairs after 50 billion miles. Or not, maybe I'm wrong. But what will they be doing next season, visiting another planet for fractal (a super annoying word by the way, you would know why if you've seen this show) with more hallucinations to "help" them on their way, lol. The six year thing is just ridiculous in itself. No relationship would ever last and no one would want to even try and put their partner through that. I mean who are we kidding here? It's 2053 or whatever, technology is super advanced, there isn't even communication lag but it will still take 6 years to visit those planets? Why make it take so long to seem somewhat realistic when so many other things are insanely make believe? Why even have it take place in a future with nothing more than neat credit cards and magnetic hairspray if nothing else changes?

I had high hopes for this show, it could have been great for the space program but it seems the aim here was just for a certain age group of empathetic drama lovers. Longest post I've ever written, and I'm sorry if I put you through it.

When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads.

-Ron Paul

[–] Moesislak 12 years ago

Yeah, good points and for some reason it reminds of me virtuality.

[–] graham-167 11 years ago

Plus they supposed to be traveling the solar system but end up going to Venus first which is in the wrong direction. I mean if they go there then they would have to swing around pass Earth again to continue to the rest of the planets (even if they do/don't visit Mercury) which means there would be no point in being on a 6 year mission because they sure as heck would stop at Earth for repairs after 50 billion miles. Or not, maybe I'm wrong.

You are not only wrong you are VERY wrong.

The planets do not sit in a straight line out from the sun. The orbit it, which means sometimes they are on the same side and sometimes on opposite sides. When you also add in that they are all constantly moving, flying between them gets pretty complicated.

As but one example, here's the course the Galileo mission flew to go from Earth to Jupiter : http://www.askamathematician.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/galileo-tr ajectory-browse.jpg

It flew from Earth to Venus, then back to Earth, then out into space and back to Earth again - and nothing about the mission involved studying Earth or Venus, it just flew by them to pick up speed so it could eventually fly out to Jupiter's orbit.

[–] standrkm 11 years ago

interesting, thanks
I guess I was just thinking of their ship as being something completely different from what we have today. Because they obviously are a bit ahead of us in some aspects. Maybe I've just seen too many sci-fi space films where ships just blast off to wherever they need to be and never took their orbit and gravitational pull into consideration.
A 6 year mission sure does sound completely insane though. Would love to see man land on Mars but that alone would take a good two and a half years....and a 19 month wait for the planets to re-align!!

"the day I tried to live, I learned that I was alive"
-Soundgarden

[–] graham-167 11 years ago

Actually, you may not know this but Defying Gravity was inspired by a "mockumentary" called "Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets" (look it up, it's on IMDB and wiki). This kind of multi year "grand tour" of the solar system is a real thing that the space types have suggested, using the kind of engine that they use on the show - which is indeed a system we probably could build for real, at that.

And yes, it would take years to do. Bear in mind, the Voyager 2 space probe took 12 years just to get to Neptune! The Defying Gravity ship is already a lot faster than that, going to most of the planets in the system and back in just a few years. The flight time is one aspect of the show that is actually very true to real science.

[–] standrkm 11 years ago

I've never heard of that tv movie, will have to check it out (though it is listed as a "documentary")haha.

Yeah it's too bad we only have money for wars now, well not really lol. There's no telling what could have already been accomplished. I do think that we should atleast have constructed some type of moon base by now but hi-dif mars pics ain't bad. Though they tend to lead to more questions.

I'm not too familiar with the voyager 2 but I did her about what the Galileo did and it's really amazing they can travel that far and last that long in such harsh conditions. Looks like Europa's the next mission impossible.

thanks for the reply

"the day I tried to live, I learned that I was alive"
-Soundgarden

[–] graham-167 11 years ago

"Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets" is on youtube in full...

Part 1 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjaBK7rLJks

Part 2 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGJIG_ZketM

[–] standrkm 11 years ago

thanks, I might watch it this weekend.
I saw a few minutes of it last night and it looks promising.

"the day I tried to live, I learned that I was alive"
-Soundgarden

[–] RockGrey 11 years ago

That is a fascinating look at the Galileo mission. Thank you for posting it up.

Anybody want a peanut ?

- Fezzik, " The Princess Bride " ( 1987 )

[–] TexasBEAST 11 years ago

standrkm wrote:
"Instead of them ever doing space walks, repairing satellites, exploring planets, running into asteroid fields, worm holes, or being chased by ufo's or whatever, they don't do anything. They just think back on the past, have flashbacks non-stop, and walk around dressed like astronauts."

There was a line in one of the eps that reminded me of this commentary. In Ep. 6, "Bacon", when the ASCANs are all training at the hospital, Paula asks if all they can do with the drug junkie patient is just sit and monitor him, and Claire makes it all sound so boring:

Claire: "OK, so check his vitals every 15 until his bloodwork, um, comes back. You know, sometimes, a trace shows up."

Paula: "Wait, I mean, is that all we could do?"

Claire: "Yeah, Paula, sometimes medicine can be . . . dull. GET OVER IT."

The junkie later goes on to die in his hospital bed.

This exchange encapsulates the show and the reaction to it, as a whole, for me. The haters are like Paula, so busy eagerly waiting for something blatantly exciting to happen, that they miss the point of the drama which almost constantly DOES happen. Sure, it can seem awfully boring compared to laser blasters and planet-eating monsters or transforming robots. But the drama is the real point of the show--not the space background. It's the same with Grey's Anatomy, in that the hospital stuff isn't the real point, there, either. It's about the PEOPLE and their relationships.

The title "Defying Gravity" isn't really about the physical process of counteracting the forces that matter of a given mass exerts upon other matter of a given mass (gravity). It's about people being in denial of all sorts of issues of grave concern (gravity), and what happens when they are forced to confront that denial and deal with the issues.

Hospital stuff and space stuff are just window dressing to make these shows seem exotic and shiny. But the drama is what makes these characters relatable and down-to-Earth. To say that these characters "don't do anything" is to fail to understand what makes them, and us, all human.

[–] standrkm 11 years ago

thanks for the reply, I guess I'm just more of a "firefly" type of guy myself

"the day I tried to live, I learned that I was alive"

[–] LordManhammer 11 years ago

I think most people share your opinion, standrkm, which is why the show was canceled. There certainly were annoying bits (like how the flashbacks always mirrored the present day and offered a "moral lesson"). But I kept watching because I really wanted to see how the writers resolved the mystery around the Beta objects. Now I never get to!

__ __ __
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"--Pres. Merkin Muffley

[–] standrkm 11 years ago

yeah haha in hindsight, I miss the show now, just not many show's like this, too many csi and 90210 knock-offs and not enough space

"the day I tried to live, I learned that I was alive"

[–] LordManhammer 11 years ago

Actually, right after posting this I came across another post with links to an interview with the writer/director or whomever, giving an outline of the upcoming episodes and seasons. They seemed really lame, and are entirely about the psychological and interpersonal dramas unfolding as the Beta object works its magic.

There was almost nothing in the works regarding what the Beta object was, or how the scientific mission continues. They essentially planned to drop this element from the show. Now I'm glad I didn't have to stick with it!

I'm saving all my real ire for bemoaning the loss of SGU.

__ __ __
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"--Pres. Merkin Muffley

[–] Korios 8 years ago

The show's creator, clearly having the show Lost as a model, said back in the day in interviews that he would never explain what the Beta etc objects are, if more seasons were green-lighted, which I think is too frustrating. Maybe if some miracle happened and Netflix picked it up he might by now have changed his mind, because the Lost model has been copied down to extinction, and it is now largely considered an example to be avoided* rather than mimicked. Thank god for that!

*or maybe not, there is always The Leftovers.

Fanboy : a person who does not think while watching.

[–] Morgana0 11 years ago

But why would I want to watch a Grey's Anatomy in space? I want my sci-fi to be sci-fi and not soap opera. I'm not saying I want all action and no character development, but as someone else mentioned, BSG had both in the right proportions. I hate it when I get excited about a show like this (someone mentioned it) only to be disappointed once again.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgana0x

[–] LordManhammer 11 years ago

Over the past few years I've changed (well, let's be honest, lowered) my sci-fi standards. I used to strongly dislike the genre other than a few "gateway" shows like X-files and Stargate SG1. But now I'm having a lot more fun with it, because I refuse to let myself be disappointed if a show or movie isn't what I expected, or what I prefer about sci-fi.

__ __ __
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"--Pres. Merkin Muffley

[–] Morgana0 11 years ago

I have 'lowered my standards' also to an extent. I no longer have the expectations of sci fi series/films that I had before I started watching Falling Skies/Oblivion, to name only a couple of disappointments. Every now and again I go back to watching Falling Skies in the hope it has improved but I watch an episode or two and realise it hasn't. Then I go searching for other sci fi series to watch, which is how I came across Defying Gravity. I'm still waiting for another series to really grip me as BSG did, or Game of Thrones does.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgana0x

[–] Prequell 9 years ago

Just finished this joke.

It was 8/10 up to 8.
Then came episode 9, retarded Spielberg Close Encounters-esque whale sounds and all that sh*t, I mean this is not the first time I heard whale sounds in a fiction as a narrative tool, but this is definitely the worst.

First of all, WTF where all these things came from?

I get no one knows nothing. But this is the worst depiction of noone knows nothing.

I have seen 2001 and worshipped it, but this is the worst possible tv show version of 2001.

This thing actually is a FREAKING COLLECTIBLES show of a freaking game!

Side-quests crap in games serialized!!!

You know... you collect all the sh*t for hours for some sh*tty-ass "completed" text. This is exactly the same... I mean I know the cancellation but, seriously? They were gonna pull this sh*t for 5 years? Glad it's cancelled. Oh who am I telling. 2009 was one of the prime eras of never-ending c*cktease BS coming from guys who lack imagination like a goddamn disease... I mean Flashforward and The Event jokes were aired in 2009 and 2010.

WTF was gonna happen when they collected all the crap anyway? Some grand revelation? There literally was nothing they could possibly do even if it never got cancelled.

So I was saying... I get all the noone knows nothing crap, but WHERE THE *beep* did Alpha-Beta-Gamma etc... names come from? Just because there were X amount of them? Then why name it as something like a technical name? As in they know something about it so they named it or the name have been told to them somehow so they called it beta... But no... There's nothing. Just because beta was 2nd they decided to call it beta? "Beta doing it", "beta this", "beta that"... What is this c*cktease? What a freaking joke... And don't even get me started with the "faithful" women in this... Paula and Eve are some of the most annoying characters... I mean Paula is by far the lead in this but even her idoitic belief system her 5 year old personality is excuseable or forgettable, but what about Eve? She may not be as annoying as her but she knows nothing yet she acts like she knows everything. She never implied that she were an outsider to the thing, yet bam! she's the victim here... Am I supposed to feel sympathy for her? One of my favorite characters in this thing was Zoe and even she turned into a super annoying character where I just wanted it to be over... I mean Donner is already a *beep* retard and he has the face for it, but the way Zoe acts is annoying as heck.

As I gathered from another thread's title, the relationship between the two, and all other relationships really, is really very weird. She is hurt but she doesn't wanna say anything, I'm okay with that, but she also doesn't react to him or Nadia neither on earth nor on space. And nadia couldn't care less. I know nadia didn't know until the end but she not only didn't sense anything even Jen who knew everything all along didnt really react to Nadia most of the time. And Zoe before leaving for Venus didn't give out any gestures to Nadia. I understand wanting to keep it a secret but there's just no character psychology here. She still could keep it a secret by reacting more. And I'm not just talking about Zoe's reaction. Donner isn't any different. He slept with her and there were no talks again and then Donner went back to Nadia and never apologized or tried to explain and Zoe didn't care or didn't confront him. There were simply no expression of emotions and that made the relationship super weird. Most of the romantic relationships are unexplained or weird and just happens to be the way they are.

So if we conclude it went at least "okay" up to 8th episode, despite the insist on delaying most of things, it completely failed to deliver any character development in 5 episodes. And I can't even imagine what would it be like if it went on for 5 seasons. I guess we would feel the same cabin fever and anxiety of being out in the space all alone in a metal box. Exactly.

I'm glad we didn't.

Sorry but not good enough. My rating started off 8/10 and it dropped to 6/10. I'm glad the era of 2009-2010 ended and buried deep into the ground. 'Cuz I can handle a bad show but I can't handle a show that acts like a *beep* drug. That is just health danger.

[–] ajhdettmer 8 years ago

Yeah,i can just wholeheartly agree with that.