I don’t have TV… well, I have “a” TV, but only for DVDs and Netflix streaming. So, I’ll have to wait for it to be available in one of those formats.
I have seen Youtube videos for this show and it looks great, but I suspect it will be like almost every show that I get excited about before I see it: a disappointment that only makes me think of all the ways they could have made it rise above the mundane. They have an interesting premise; how will they destroy it? In recent years, only Firefly didn’t leave me feeling that way.
Good point on “militia,” Kent. And good piece of writing, as usual.
I noticed that in the trailer & it became one of several ticks in the “I have my doubts about this show” column (along with the tidy, organized way the lights went dark, and the way the government “fell” seemingly with no attempt to hang on to its power).
I’m with you in not having a TV, so will wait for what others have to say about the show.
Kent McManigalSeptember 8, 2012 8:15 am
I’m not sure the gov fell without an attempt to hold on- the show does apparently skip 15 years between the blackout and the main story line. An attempt to hold on to power wouldn’t necessarily succeed. 🙂
Jim B.September 8, 2012 9:07 am
I think the government likely shrunk to a smaller size “they” could better manage. A lot of little fiefdoms is the most likely outcome. This was the model of past agrarian communities so it’ll likely be in that future.
Like a lot of shows, they show the best at first during any launches of series but it invariably get reduced to formula, unfortunately. Especially for a show that depends on action/adventure, which have always been treated as garbage by them.
JohnathanSeptember 8, 2012 9:14 am
In a future with no electrical power, their clothes look like they still came off the rack at the local mall. Doesn’t bode well.
AlanR - GunRightsAlert..comSeptember 8, 2012 9:27 am
My first thought on seeing a trailer was, “I wonder if they gave S. M. Stirling a creator’s credit?” Something about all the crossbows I guess. But you don’t have to speculate, NBC has the first full episode posted on their site for preview.
I’m not happy that their authoritative body is called the Militia. They’re kind of taking over the word, like others have defined Libertarianism and Anarchy for their own purposes.
Interviews at NBC Revolution site seem to think it’s about family taking care of each other under emergency and stress – which leads me to wonder where the “revolution” comes in.
WoodySeptember 8, 2012 10:11 am
The first thing that caught my eye was the plane crash at the 00:43 mark. That was about as sophisticated as a Godzilla movie. If that is an indication of how technology will be presented it’s gonna be awful. I also thought the clothing was pretty good for someplace that had supposedly been 15 years with no technology to speak of. I’m a technical kind of guy and it’s the little things that ruin movies for me. Oh, and I don’t have a TV either so there is very little chance that I will ever watch it.
RichardSeptember 8, 2012 10:13 am
AlanR – just the premiss of the power being turned off should have been enough to give Stirling’s Emberverse book series credit. The airplane crash is right out of dies the fire.
EllendraSeptember 8, 2012 12:46 pm
I might have to watch just to see how they explain the batteries and engines turning off. An internal combustion engine does not need electricity to run, and batteries run on chemical reactions.
And I agree about the clothes. While I could sew something that looks like it came off the rack, not many people could. And also the weave of the fabrics would be different, most spinners won’t spin thread that small if they’re doing it by hand.
But it’s the pleather that would drive me mad.
EllendraSeptember 8, 2012 12:47 pm
PS: I’d only watch if it’s online. My TV is for videos only, it doesn’t even have an antenna anymore, and certainly not cable!
JohnathanSeptember 8, 2012 1:30 pm
@Ellendra Internal combustion engines that use gasoline do indeed need electricity to ignite the fuel using spark plugs. (Diesel-powered engines can and do run without electricity–the fuel is heated by compression until it ignites.)
Anyway, there is so much else wrong with the show in terms of extrapolating what the world would look like after sustaining 15 years without any sort of electrical power. Maybe I am being too pedantic but I’m with Woody–unless it all hangs together, it just comes across like a bad elementary school play.
Mr. GaltSeptember 8, 2012 4:43 pm
I would add to the other comments by saying: they are also entirely too well fed, too clean, and have far too spiffy hair styles to even be remotely convincing. Kinda looks like “Lost” apocalypse-style.
Gag.
Matt, anotherSeptember 8, 2012 7:30 pm
It is a new series on NBC. It won’t even be good “just TV.”
Kent McManigalSeptember 8, 2012 8:22 pm
I just watched it at Pat’s link. I liked it in a “willing suspension of disbelief” way.
Why is it that people always assume it’s going to be “kill or be killed” if you remove The State? I don’t refrain from killing people only because I might be punished by cops or courts. And, even if I were a thug I still think I’d worry more about armed victims.
And, back to the subject of their “militia” [sic]… Anyone who bans guns, or enforces a gun ban for someone else, is NOT militia. Militia helps its members (in other words, EVERYONE) get weapons and learn how to use them.
EllendraSeptember 8, 2012 10:55 pm
@Jonathon Thank you, my mistake. But it still doesn’t explain how an engine could be made to stop like that. There seems to be a few laws of physics that were ignored in order to make the story.
ENSeptember 9, 2012 11:45 am
WOW! Tough crowd. I wonder how many of you would go and see a play and criticize the sets? Oh well. First off, in Stirling’s book the physics of the world did change, but it went so far as to not allowing gunpowder to work. Apparently black powder does work in this world, which is quite different from the powders used now. My complaints, too much idiot girl power. The young heroine is a moron, but she thinks she’s strong, trusts the wrong people, and is mostly petulant… in other words someone to be ignored, not followed. However, I liked the older step-mom and the Google exec. I’m curious as to why the older mom, who’s good looking, couldn ‘t have been the leader of this cluster #$%^ Nice touch with ex Google exec’s who’s also a moron, and at least they portray him that way. I liked the uncle, although why he’d go with this group of idiots is beyond me. But life is full of men doing honorable things for silly reasons, and it keeps the story going. All in all, I liked it. I didn’t think it was so bad at all. The village looked quite authentic. As for the militia, no doubt they would form after such a catastrophe, no doubt the FedGuv would lose control and no doubt a militia would soon find a “strong” leader who would turn into a thug. I know it doesn’t appear that way to most, but my take on our present government is they are losing control over large sections of the population as we speak, which makes them seek ever greater control over those who obey. Can’t wait for more of the militia leader story. Of course it will probably go bad and get cancelled after a year. After all, the writers in these shows don’t seem to have any philosophy beyond some sloppy sentimental progressivism, which can only makes sense in the unreal world of a rich country like the US, even if it is in decline. It’s enough for the chemistry to change to make for a great story, but they never seem to be able to reconcile self-interest with their love of some kind of phony altruistic tribalism that never existed in any tribe. But who knows? JJ Abrams always seems to be on the verge of greatness. His ideas are solid even if his follow threw is weak. But maybe as he’s aged he’s getting a clue. I’ll watch it for a while and see.
ScottSeptember 10, 2012 9:18 am
I might watch it out of sheer curiosity-you could have a technologicially advanced society without electricity-compressed air(could be delivered as a utility), diesel engines, steam/Stirling engines, hydro/wind(driving compressors) could do many of the jobs that electricity does now. Wireless communications would be limited to heliograph stations. Gas-mantle lighting is as bright as electric. The heating and cooling system at my last job was controlled by vacuum/pneumatic systems(part of my job was making sure water was drained out of the compressors that ran everything). All of the surgical tools were driven by compressed nitrogen.
Aircraft could be diesel blimps, or diesel/steam prop planes(two jobs ago, there was an old air-start diesel garbage truck that had pilot lights to keep it warm-no electrical system at all, other than a magneto to run the lights).
Government would simply keep doing what government does..
DrakeSeptember 10, 2012 2:17 pm
Saw the trailer, won’t be watching it. They lost me when they had the “militia” enforcing taxes. Sorry, idiots at NBC, but a military enforces taxes, not a militia. It’s going to be another “archers = good guys, riflemen = bad guys” piece of crap.
My question is, why did they skip the first FIFTEEN YEARS?! The first few years would be FAR more interesting than a decade and a half after the fact. Oh, no, can’t have people thinking about preparedness, now, can we?
anonymous "Jericho" fanSeptember 13, 2012 10:01 am
I’ll stick to hoping that Netflix succeeds in producing Season 3 of “Jericho”
LibertyNewsSeptember 13, 2012 8:10 pm
Watched the first episode on Hulu today. This show has idiots for main characters, giant plot holes that need filling in and seems to be borrowing from various films like The Patriot and Hunger Games. Where are all the guns? Muskets and a Desert Eagle are all they have? I may watch 2 or 3 episodes just to be sure, but doesn’t look like it is going to hook me at all.
I don’t have TV… well, I have “a” TV, but only for DVDs and Netflix streaming. So, I’ll have to wait for it to be available in one of those formats.
I have seen Youtube videos for this show and it looks great, but I suspect it will be like almost every show that I get excited about before I see it: a disappointment that only makes me think of all the ways they could have made it rise above the mundane. They have an interesting premise; how will they destroy it? In recent years, only Firefly didn’t leave me feeling that way.
I discussed one aspect of this show a while back: War is Peace. Military is Militia.
Good point on “militia,” Kent. And good piece of writing, as usual.
I noticed that in the trailer & it became one of several ticks in the “I have my doubts about this show” column (along with the tidy, organized way the lights went dark, and the way the government “fell” seemingly with no attempt to hang on to its power).
I’m with you in not having a TV, so will wait for what others have to say about the show.
I’m not sure the gov fell without an attempt to hold on- the show does apparently skip 15 years between the blackout and the main story line. An attempt to hold on to power wouldn’t necessarily succeed. 🙂
I think the government likely shrunk to a smaller size “they” could better manage. A lot of little fiefdoms is the most likely outcome. This was the model of past agrarian communities so it’ll likely be in that future.
Like a lot of shows, they show the best at first during any launches of series but it invariably get reduced to formula, unfortunately. Especially for a show that depends on action/adventure, which have always been treated as garbage by them.
In a future with no electrical power, their clothes look like they still came off the rack at the local mall. Doesn’t bode well.
My first thought on seeing a trailer was, “I wonder if they gave S. M. Stirling a creator’s credit?” Something about all the crossbows I guess. But you don’t have to speculate, NBC has the first full episode posted on their site for preview.
http://www.nbc.com/revolution/video/pilot/1415378
I’m not happy that their authoritative body is called the Militia. They’re kind of taking over the word, like others have defined Libertarianism and Anarchy for their own purposes.
Interviews at NBC Revolution site seem to think it’s about family taking care of each other under emergency and stress – which leads me to wonder where the “revolution” comes in.
The first thing that caught my eye was the plane crash at the 00:43 mark. That was about as sophisticated as a Godzilla movie. If that is an indication of how technology will be presented it’s gonna be awful. I also thought the clothing was pretty good for someplace that had supposedly been 15 years with no technology to speak of. I’m a technical kind of guy and it’s the little things that ruin movies for me. Oh, and I don’t have a TV either so there is very little chance that I will ever watch it.
AlanR – just the premiss of the power being turned off should have been enough to give Stirling’s Emberverse book series credit. The airplane crash is right out of dies the fire.
I might have to watch just to see how they explain the batteries and engines turning off. An internal combustion engine does not need electricity to run, and batteries run on chemical reactions.
And I agree about the clothes. While I could sew something that looks like it came off the rack, not many people could. And also the weave of the fabrics would be different, most spinners won’t spin thread that small if they’re doing it by hand.
But it’s the pleather that would drive me mad.
PS: I’d only watch if it’s online. My TV is for videos only, it doesn’t even have an antenna anymore, and certainly not cable!
@Ellendra Internal combustion engines that use gasoline do indeed need electricity to ignite the fuel using spark plugs. (Diesel-powered engines can and do run without electricity–the fuel is heated by compression until it ignites.)
Anyway, there is so much else wrong with the show in terms of extrapolating what the world would look like after sustaining 15 years without any sort of electrical power. Maybe I am being too pedantic but I’m with Woody–unless it all hangs together, it just comes across like a bad elementary school play.
I would add to the other comments by saying: they are also entirely too well fed, too clean, and have far too spiffy hair styles to even be remotely convincing. Kinda looks like “Lost” apocalypse-style.
Gag.
It is a new series on NBC. It won’t even be good “just TV.”
I just watched it at Pat’s link. I liked it in a “willing suspension of disbelief” way.
Why is it that people always assume it’s going to be “kill or be killed” if you remove The State? I don’t refrain from killing people only because I might be punished by cops or courts. And, even if I were a thug I still think I’d worry more about armed victims.
And, back to the subject of their “militia” [sic]… Anyone who bans guns, or enforces a gun ban for someone else, is NOT militia. Militia helps its members (in other words, EVERYONE) get weapons and learn how to use them.
@Jonathon Thank you, my mistake. But it still doesn’t explain how an engine could be made to stop like that. There seems to be a few laws of physics that were ignored in order to make the story.
WOW! Tough crowd. I wonder how many of you would go and see a play and criticize the sets? Oh well. First off, in Stirling’s book the physics of the world did change, but it went so far as to not allowing gunpowder to work. Apparently black powder does work in this world, which is quite different from the powders used now. My complaints, too much idiot girl power. The young heroine is a moron, but she thinks she’s strong, trusts the wrong people, and is mostly petulant… in other words someone to be ignored, not followed. However, I liked the older step-mom and the Google exec. I’m curious as to why the older mom, who’s good looking, couldn ‘t have been the leader of this cluster #$%^ Nice touch with ex Google exec’s who’s also a moron, and at least they portray him that way. I liked the uncle, although why he’d go with this group of idiots is beyond me. But life is full of men doing honorable things for silly reasons, and it keeps the story going. All in all, I liked it. I didn’t think it was so bad at all. The village looked quite authentic. As for the militia, no doubt they would form after such a catastrophe, no doubt the FedGuv would lose control and no doubt a militia would soon find a “strong” leader who would turn into a thug. I know it doesn’t appear that way to most, but my take on our present government is they are losing control over large sections of the population as we speak, which makes them seek ever greater control over those who obey. Can’t wait for more of the militia leader story. Of course it will probably go bad and get cancelled after a year. After all, the writers in these shows don’t seem to have any philosophy beyond some sloppy sentimental progressivism, which can only makes sense in the unreal world of a rich country like the US, even if it is in decline. It’s enough for the chemistry to change to make for a great story, but they never seem to be able to reconcile self-interest with their love of some kind of phony altruistic tribalism that never existed in any tribe. But who knows? JJ Abrams always seems to be on the verge of greatness. His ideas are solid even if his follow threw is weak. But maybe as he’s aged he’s getting a clue. I’ll watch it for a while and see.
I might watch it out of sheer curiosity-you could have a technologicially advanced society without electricity-compressed air(could be delivered as a utility), diesel engines, steam/Stirling engines, hydro/wind(driving compressors) could do many of the jobs that electricity does now. Wireless communications would be limited to heliograph stations. Gas-mantle lighting is as bright as electric. The heating and cooling system at my last job was controlled by vacuum/pneumatic systems(part of my job was making sure water was drained out of the compressors that ran everything). All of the surgical tools were driven by compressed nitrogen.
Aircraft could be diesel blimps, or diesel/steam prop planes(two jobs ago, there was an old air-start diesel garbage truck that had pilot lights to keep it warm-no electrical system at all, other than a magneto to run the lights).
Government would simply keep doing what government does..
Saw the trailer, won’t be watching it. They lost me when they had the “militia” enforcing taxes. Sorry, idiots at NBC, but a military enforces taxes, not a militia. It’s going to be another “archers = good guys, riflemen = bad guys” piece of crap.
My question is, why did they skip the first FIFTEEN YEARS?! The first few years would be FAR more interesting than a decade and a half after the fact. Oh, no, can’t have people thinking about preparedness, now, can we?
I’ll stick to hoping that Netflix succeeds in producing Season 3 of “Jericho”
Watched the first episode on Hulu today. This show has idiots for main characters, giant plot holes that need filling in and seems to be borrowing from various films like The Patriot and Hunger Games. Where are all the guns? Muskets and a Desert Eagle are all they have? I may watch 2 or 3 episodes just to be sure, but doesn’t look like it is going to hook me at all.