I really wanted Extant to work. I've lamented before on the uneven quality of recent genre television efforts, but I'll admit, I had high hopes for Extant. Big stars, big budget, big network. What could go wrong?
I suppose its greatest crime is the fact that at heart, Extant is boring, and science fiction should never be boring. On occasion, scifi tv shows might be too violent, overly ambitious, fall back on beloved but well-worn tropes... never just dull, though. Even the horrible mess that is Defiance (terrible, bordering on God-awful), isn't actually dull.
With Extant, it's like the futuristic beige costuming seeped through other layers of the production and beiged my brain.
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| Beige out. |
So I decided to think about why exactly it doesn't work, instead of vaguely slamming it. I mean, the premise is full of promise; an astronaut (Molly, played by Halle Berry) on a solo mission for a year, returns to earth to find herself pregnant. Throw in a robot child, and theoretically, you should be golden (totally wanted to work in some kind of clever reference to PK Dick's novella The Golden Man here, but alas, nothing.)
In an attempt to define why the show falls so flat (and hopefully never replicate the error), I've focused on elements that negatively impacted my viewing experience:
In an attempt to define why the show falls so flat (and hopefully never replicate the error), I've focused on elements that negatively impacted my viewing experience:
For God's Sake, Hurry Up!
Pacing may be part of the problem. Extant looks like a beautiful movie (especially in terms of production) but it hasn't mastered the faster pacing required in today's television world. Events spread out over the first three or four episodes (and boy do I mean spread out) should have all happened in the pilot.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of slow paced material (Solaris lover, right here), but only if it's literally seething with thematic complexity. This material should be, but it just isn't - the ideas feel dumbed down for mass consumption.
You get the impression Extant underestimates its audience, and the audience can tell.
Dramatic Tension and Reveals that Reveal... Not Much I Hadn't Guessed In 20 Seconds
Pacing may be part of the problem. Extant looks like a beautiful movie (especially in terms of production) but it hasn't mastered the faster pacing required in today's television world. Events spread out over the first three or four episodes (and boy do I mean spread out) should have all happened in the pilot.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of slow paced material (Solaris lover, right here), but only if it's literally seething with thematic complexity. This material should be, but it just isn't - the ideas feel dumbed down for mass consumption.
You get the impression Extant underestimates its audience, and the audience can tell.
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| John's "robots are exactly the same as real people" schtick, and the fact this is so obviously his fatal character flaw, gets real old, real fast. |
Dramatic Tension and Reveals that Reveal... Not Much I Hadn't Guessed In 20 Seconds
A big issue is the handling of narrative tension. The few times Extant managed to build it, the narrative threads didn't POP like a balloon (ie with a wild crescendo of drama and revelations). Instead, storylines proved to be more like a balloon blown up with an unseen hole in it; the narrative tension just fizzled out, leaving the audience deflated.
Example? Fellow astronaut Harmon, supposedly dead, who appears in Molly's driveway one night, does the whole "trust no one" shtick and then "vanishes". Fantastic, because who doesn't love a good conspiracy?
I thought he was going to be part of some vast underground network fighting government/corporate (sadly these labels are now almost interchangeable) "baddies", and an intense web of hidden truths would be revealed bit by bit...
Couple of episodes later, turns out he's "hiding" in an old caravan by itself on the edge of a deserted cliff (cause THAT'S not conspicuous) and his message is basically, yeah, they did something weird to us/something weird happened to us, in space.
I thought he was going to be part of some vast underground network fighting government/corporate (sadly these labels are now almost interchangeable) "baddies", and an intense web of hidden truths would be revealed bit by bit...
Couple of episodes later, turns out he's "hiding" in an old caravan by itself on the edge of a deserted cliff (cause THAT'S not conspicuous) and his message is basically, yeah, they did something weird to us/something weird happened to us, in space.
Uh huh.
Seriously Harmon that's ALL you've got?!
Seriously Harmon that's ALL you've got?!
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| Obviously Harmon is rebelling. The man's wearing green, for God sake. |
Worse, his secret location is so secret that Molly drives there whenever she wants to chat about, you know, crazy space stuff. The guy faked his own death! Top tip Molly: When under surveillance, maybe you shouldn't drive in what is probably the company car, straight to your paranoid supposed-to-be-dead co-worker's door.
This disappointing mess (in regard to reveals) is a recurring issue. Extant borrows a lot of scifi ideas but can't quite figure out how to run with them, or more accurately, how to utilise them in a way that intrigues the viewer (similar to Flash Forward, a show that alluded to potentially thought-provoking notions but couldn't offer a complex enough script to honour said concepts).
This disappointing mess (in regard to reveals) is a recurring issue. Extant borrows a lot of scifi ideas but can't quite figure out how to run with them, or more accurately, how to utilise them in a way that intrigues the viewer (similar to Flash Forward, a show that alluded to potentially thought-provoking notions but couldn't offer a complex enough script to honour said concepts).
Molly's Boring And Epically Self Indulgent Emotional Turmoil
Don't even get me started on this one.
Soooo much of the first few episodes revolves around Molly's reluctance to tell her husband what is happening to her. Which, let's face it, is REALLY ANNOYING. She disappears for hours at a time, acts vague/distant, he's not happy about it, and this results in constant conflict that is incredibly lame to watch. By the third episode I was so tired of her I kind of didn't care who'd knocked her up.
Soooo much of the first few episodes revolves around Molly's reluctance to tell her husband what is happening to her. Which, let's face it, is REALLY ANNOYING. She disappears for hours at a time, acts vague/distant, he's not happy about it, and this results in constant conflict that is incredibly lame to watch. By the third episode I was so tired of her I kind of didn't care who'd knocked her up.
Maybe Halle Berry's "star power" is the problem, in that too many pointless scenes are dedicated to her character's inner turmoil and personal journey because emoting equals Emmy? Who knows.
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| Ironically, the alien impersonating Molly's dead human husband feels like the most "real" character so far. That can't be good. |
Minor Characters With Better Stories Than The Lead, But With Minimal Screen Time
Potentially fascinating narrative threads for interesting minor characters are hinted at, but not really explored, the camera too busy returning to Molly mulling over her internal conflicts, insecurities, and fears (that to reiterate, deserve much less screen time!).
As the current big baddie (from what the audience can tell), Yasumoto feels under-utilised. Researcher Julie's frustrations with her (sort of) surrogate mother relationship to the robot child, and her professional "wife" connection with Molly's husband John, is actually a much more interesting (almost maternal) relationship narrative than the core motherhood plot, but is only hinted at/inferred, rather than focused on.
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| The lab scenes are actually interesting, hence they're kept to a minimum. |
Are the show's creators putting in place storylines for a seven year run and therefore taking their sweet time getting anywhere? Perhaps they should have focused more on engaging the audience during the first season, if they wanted a second one to play with...!
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| The potentially fascinating shadowy corporate power figure has already been dulled down a tad. Continuum, this aint. |
High End Suburbs Will Always Be High End Suburbs, Please Go Back To Space
Strangely, the scenes in space, designed to show Molly isolated in a sterile environment, don't feel that different from the scenes at home. If this was intentional, it would be clever, but I think it might be accidental - it's obvious the homely moments are intended to be warm and fuzzy (hence the "warm" lighting, because whoever works on this show follows these kind of rules ad nauseam) but they just manifest as bland.
Turns out, even in the future, when facing (possible) alien impregnation and dealing (really badly) with The Good Son robot child, yuppies are still kind of boring.
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| Go back to space Molly. We liked space. |
Strangely, the scenes in space, designed to show Molly isolated in a sterile environment, don't feel that different from the scenes at home. If this was intentional, it would be clever, but I think it might be accidental - it's obvious the homely moments are intended to be warm and fuzzy (hence the "warm" lighting, because whoever works on this show follows these kind of rules ad nauseam) but they just manifest as bland.
Turns out, even in the future, when facing (possible) alien impregnation and dealing (really badly) with The Good Son robot child, yuppies are still kind of boring.
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| The party scene, where some of the future-people wore colour for early evening drinks in the lounge room and my eyes nearly died of excitement. |
Molly and John Are God Awful Parents
Ironic, given that motherhood, and by extension parenthood, are such major themes here. Molly's interest in robot child Ethan is lacklustre at best, and for John he's an extension of his professional ego.
What's possibly creepier is that the show honestly thinks the occasional pat on the head and five minutes of attention is enough to convince the audience Molly and John are wonderful, loving parents. Yeah, that's reall-y not how it comes across.
Their negligence toward Ethan is astounding. Molly is subconsciously judging and monitoring the kid 24/7, to the point where any time he doesn't act like an extra from Stepford Wives, he's instantly Children of the Corn, and she freaks. John is basically every pushy parent, tenfold. Sending Ethan to school was the cruelest thing I've seen a character do on television this year.
I think the fact their child was upset and had gone to bed during his mother's birthday party, in their own home, and neither parent EVEN NOTICED, pretty much said it all...
(That the scriptwriters think this is a valid representation/portrayal of great parenting is actually more interesting, and more disturbing, than the material in the actual show.)
(That the scriptwriters think this is a valid representation/portrayal of great parenting is actually more interesting, and more disturbing, than the material in the actual show.)
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Finally, An Overall Disrespect For The Genre
In my mind, science fiction is clever and well thought out, addressing complex societal fears and attempts to comment on difficult issues facing humanity in a way that both entertains and inspires thought/discussion.
At its core, Extant is mundane, something scifi should never be.
In my mind, science fiction is clever and well thought out, addressing complex societal fears and attempts to comment on difficult issues facing humanity in a way that both entertains and inspires thought/discussion.
At its core, Extant is mundane, something scifi should never be.
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| Family dinner in the Land of Beige. (I'm amazed that uber-green salad made it to the table.) |
