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Well-Written TV
Aug. 29th, 2019 11:12 amI have recently watched the first season of two different sci-fi TV shows, both of which have a rather ridiculous premise, but both of which are extremely well-written.
Manifest:
A plane takes off from Jamaica to New York, experiences weird and violent turbulence and, when it lands, it's five and a half years later. Some of the passengers subsequently develop telepathic and prophetic powers. So far, so ridiculous. And, throughout the sixteen episodes of the first season, I wasn't actually that interested in the "what is behind it all" mystery of the show. What kept me watching was the excellent exploration of how the situation affected both those on the plane and those who lived the five and a half years thinking they were all dead.
The central family consists of brother and sister, Ben and Micheala, Ben's wife, Grace, and their two children, Olive and Cal. Ben, Mick and Cal were all on the plane that disappeared, so no time has passed for them, but Olive is now fifteen (while her twin remains ten), Grace has been in a relationship with someone else, and Mick's fiance has married her best friend.
Even without all the supernatural powers wibbliness, this makes for a fascinating and complex set of issues for the characters to work through, and it's done really, really well. I'm generally more interested in the character stuff than the plot stuff in this kind of show, and I think this is the best I've seen in making sure the effects of what's going on, in terms of inter-relationships, are fully explored.
The first season ended with about three different cliffhangers in the last episode, but it's all the relationship stuff I'm eager to find out about when season two is released.
3%:
This is a Brazilian future-set show I discovered on Netflix recently, and I've just finished the first season (with two more available to watch!). Every year, all the young people of the destitute Inland who have turned 20 submit themselves to The Process, which whittles them down to the 3% who will be offered a life of privilege and luxury on The Offshore.
The first season follows a group of diverse protagonists through The Process, as they are tested and manipulated by a team of Offshore agents who monitor their every move. A fair few of the candidates die during The Process and this doesn't seem unusual, based on the reactions of those in charge. A lot more are eliminated and sent back to their previous lives Inland.
Again, so far, so ridiculous. But, again, the show is so well-written that I got totally invested in the characters and was kept very much in suspense as to what would happen to them. Factions develop within the candidate group, but there is also intrigue and in-fighting amongst those running The Process, as well as the threat of infiltrators from The Cause, a terrorist group trying to disrupt the status quo.
The tests the candidates have to undertake are varied and interesting, but more from the point of view of the psychological consequences than anything else. As with Manifest, it's the inter-relationships that kept my interest, though wanting to know the outcome of The Process also prompted me to keep watching.
The first season ends with the successful 3% travelling to The Offshore. There are four main protagonists amongst the candidates by this point - two of them are successful and two are sent back Inland, so I'm really interested to see where the show goes next in following their stories.
Smart writing, tense plot, varied characters, great stuff.
Manifest:
A plane takes off from Jamaica to New York, experiences weird and violent turbulence and, when it lands, it's five and a half years later. Some of the passengers subsequently develop telepathic and prophetic powers. So far, so ridiculous. And, throughout the sixteen episodes of the first season, I wasn't actually that interested in the "what is behind it all" mystery of the show. What kept me watching was the excellent exploration of how the situation affected both those on the plane and those who lived the five and a half years thinking they were all dead.
The central family consists of brother and sister, Ben and Micheala, Ben's wife, Grace, and their two children, Olive and Cal. Ben, Mick and Cal were all on the plane that disappeared, so no time has passed for them, but Olive is now fifteen (while her twin remains ten), Grace has been in a relationship with someone else, and Mick's fiance has married her best friend.
Even without all the supernatural powers wibbliness, this makes for a fascinating and complex set of issues for the characters to work through, and it's done really, really well. I'm generally more interested in the character stuff than the plot stuff in this kind of show, and I think this is the best I've seen in making sure the effects of what's going on, in terms of inter-relationships, are fully explored.
The first season ended with about three different cliffhangers in the last episode, but it's all the relationship stuff I'm eager to find out about when season two is released.
3%:
This is a Brazilian future-set show I discovered on Netflix recently, and I've just finished the first season (with two more available to watch!). Every year, all the young people of the destitute Inland who have turned 20 submit themselves to The Process, which whittles them down to the 3% who will be offered a life of privilege and luxury on The Offshore.
The first season follows a group of diverse protagonists through The Process, as they are tested and manipulated by a team of Offshore agents who monitor their every move. A fair few of the candidates die during The Process and this doesn't seem unusual, based on the reactions of those in charge. A lot more are eliminated and sent back to their previous lives Inland.
Again, so far, so ridiculous. But, again, the show is so well-written that I got totally invested in the characters and was kept very much in suspense as to what would happen to them. Factions develop within the candidate group, but there is also intrigue and in-fighting amongst those running The Process, as well as the threat of infiltrators from The Cause, a terrorist group trying to disrupt the status quo.
The tests the candidates have to undertake are varied and interesting, but more from the point of view of the psychological consequences than anything else. As with Manifest, it's the inter-relationships that kept my interest, though wanting to know the outcome of The Process also prompted me to keep watching.
The first season ends with the successful 3% travelling to The Offshore. There are four main protagonists amongst the candidates by this point - two of them are successful and two are sent back Inland, so I'm really interested to see where the show goes next in following their stories.
Smart writing, tense plot, varied characters, great stuff.
