The Invasion has begun

And not just on TV tonight, as the third episode airs tonight on Channel 4.

Hi, I'm Neil and I'm no one from Liverpool in the UK. No one with an opinion, that is. An opinion on all things media related. I've been meaning to create a blog like this one for some time now but just haven't got round to it. What you'll find here will be my opinions on things like TV shows and what's happening on the Web lately. I'm sure many of you will be familiar with digg.com, which is where most of my stories will come from when related to the net.

Invasion

So, as I said, Invasion is on tonight on Channel 4. I watched the first two episodes last week and although it had a high budget, it didn't really capture my attention that much. What I've noticed as of late with a lot of shows - specifically scifi shows - is that they're working on this somewhat new form of dragging the viewer along onto the next show before they let them in on some of the story. What I mean is that the episode you're watching doesn't leave you feeling as if there's been any conclusion to any part of the story and that you only get that satisfaction the week after. I don't really enjoy this kind of storytelling. While I'm not into one-off episodes of a show either, I do think that if you plan on telling a story, you should give the viewer some sort of 'reward' for watching it at the end. There should be some sort of logical tying up of at least some of the loose ends presented in the show. To leave everything wide open until the next episode leaves me feeling disappointed, the more I watch.

Threshold

Coupled with Invasion is Threshold, which I'm informed has already been cancelled in the US. Again, I thought this suffered from a lack of any conclusions in the first few episodes so I grew tired of it quickly, especially with the terrible acting from the main characters. The premise was great, but after watching the first three or four episodes, found that they had wasted it and I'm not really that surprised it only has one season.

Lost

Of course one of the huge successes last year was Lost, which also works on the "find out next week" storytelling mode. The two hour opener for the first season was very impressive and it did have me hooked. However, as the show began to carry on throughout the remaining episodes, I found myself getting increasingly bored and yet still watching, hoping that maybe this week, something climactic would happen. Of course I was wrong.

Channel Four aired the last two episodes on Wednesday and though they were filled with great visuals and lots of mystery, where were the answers? Yes, I realise that it has a second season and yes I realise that blowing the secrets is a bad thing but give me something. Something to make me feel as if my time watching the last 20 odd episodes of the show haven't been for nothing. And yet, that's exactly how I did feel. Locke and Jack open the hatch and that's it. Hardly the answers the audience deserved.

Battlestar Galactica

The one true show that definitely gets my thumbs up is Battlestar Galactica. When this show first aired in the UK last year, it was obvious to see that there was something different about it. Although there is still an element of "We'll tell you next week", where BSG succeeds is that it does give some satsifaction at the end of watching a single show and that makes me want to tune in next week. The writing is excellent, as is the directing and the effects are of course very impressive. This is what a science fiction show should be about. Many people have said that this isn't just a scifi show, but a drama that just happens to be set in space and I'd definitely agree. I think if you placed the characters of BSG somewhere other than in space, you'd still have a great story. This is why I'll certainly be watching the rest of season two, which started on Wednesday.

After it not being on for so long, I had actually forgotten a few of the character's names. I'm sure I'll remember them by the third episode though. It was great to see Adama with an awful hairstyle and moustache. The new Cylon ship is an interesting addition to the show and I'm wondering what other things Ron Moore has up his sleeve this series. I've tried my best to stay away from the US forums so I don't read any of the spoilers.

Science fiction shows seem to be in great supply as of late. A few years ago, it was reality shows that were the big thing but it seems that now, scifi is the must have show to have on your TV network.

And that's fine by me.