A Carnosaur in TERRA NOVA - Season 1 - "What Remains" | ©2011 Fox/Brook Rushton

Cast: Jason O’Mara, Christine Adams, Byron Brockmann, Shelly Conn, Stephan Lang, Simone Kessell, Landon Liborion, Allison Miller
Director: Nelson McCormick
Writers: Byrnn Malone
Network: Airs on Fox, Mondays @ 8pm
Original Telecast: Oct. 10, 201

I really thought the dinosaurs in the pilot episode of TERRA NOVA were pretty good, well, as long as they didn’t move and just sat there looking big and dumb, but these last two episodes, wow, the special effects have gone from SyFy Channel quality to a notch above Ray Harryhausen.

OK maybe that’s a bit harsh.

Much like the special effects, the storylines in TERRA NOVA have taken a nose dive as well. I don’t get it. You have an entire new (old?) world around to explore or bring to life. Or examine the mysteries of this place or focus on the creatures or the environments or even coping with this strange new (old?) world. But instead we are being force-fed the Shannon family and all of their boring, clichéd subplots.

There is also the bubbling of mythology about Taylor (Stephen Lang), the Sixers, the writings on the stones, the possible connection to the past and future and how each fate is intertwined and more. Focus on this. Focus on this much more interesting aspect of the show and not at all about whether Josh Shannon gets his rocks off with a moonshine-making teen but longs for his girlfriend stuck in the future.

“What Remains” didn’t do much to further any mythology aspects of the show except for give some additional background about the characters. Now, if this was LOST, it would great because it would be actually interesting and we’d see it. But on TERRA NOVA, they have to create some super virus that somehow attaches to your DNA and changes it so that you forget the past 20 years of your life. And then we get some historical information.

So wait … some dude wants to cover his tracks for some nonsensical reason. So he creates a virus that swipes your memory by attaching to your DNA and eventually makes you catatonic. But, this super duper über virus that he created, doesn’t like the common cold? What is this, WAR OF THE WORLDS? Really, the common cold solves some DNA-centric viral riddle that incapacitated supposedly some of the greatest minds of this generation?

Landon Liboiron and Allison Miller in TERRA NOVA - Season 1 - "What Remains" | ©2011 Fox/Brook Rushton

So we couldn’t come up with a prehistoric disease that cripples the characters because no humans were alive back then? So we had to have a futuristic disease do the job? Again, use what the show is based on. Nonsensical viruses, CGI birds flying about and clichés don’t further this show that’s already struggling with force-feeding us family-centric plotlines that are prehistorically bad (yes, that’s a very bad pun).

Some commentary/observations from “What Remains:”

• Maybe claymation still has a role to play in special effects after what was shown tonight.
• Don’t joke with the doctors in the future, because they’ll give ya the look.
• The kid that was placed in the air conditioner when the futuristic Census came calling tends to develop colds easily, go figure.
• Hammocks are still a good place to get laid in the past.
• Forming a garage band in the prehistoric age is still possible.
• Do they still have statutory rape in the futuristic past?
• Dinosaurs love electric wires.
• Apparently, teens have nothing to contribute to the society and there is no school at all instead they spend all day hooking up, drinking moonshine, playing guitar, swinging on hammocks and paying the local black market dealer to get his girlfriend to travel back in time to maybe Earth (but maybe not).

AGREE? DISAGREE? LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK – COMMENT BELOW!

Click on Link: Exclusive Interview with TERRA NOVA star Stephen Lang
Click on Link: TV Review – TERRA NOVA – Season 1 – “Instinct”
Click on Link: TV Review – TERRA NOVA – Season 1 premiere

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Article:TV Review – TERRA NOVA – Season 1 – “What Remains”

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