» Threshold: Yet Another Alien Invasion? Options

[kieyra]

From CBS's 2005 fall lineup:

THRESHOLD (Friday, 9:00 PM) stars Carla Gugino ("Sin City"), Charles S. Dutton ("Something the Lord Made"), Brian Van Holt ("House of Wax"), Robert Patrick Benedict ("Felicity") and Brent Spiner ("The Aviator") in a suspenseful drama about a team of experts who are assembled when the U.S. Navy makes a chilling discovery: an extra terrestrial craft has landed in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. Dr. Molly Anne Caffrey (Gugino) is a government contingency analyst whose job is to devise response plans for worst-case scenarios. When her plan called THRESHOLD is activated upon the news of the UFO, she and her hand-picked team of eclectic specialists get to work deciphering the intention of the craft and preparing for the possibility of a crisis situation -- an alien invasion.

I'll be checking this out mostly due to Carla Gugino, whom I loved in Karen Sisco, but the scheduling seems...whimsical, what with Friday being Skiffy's big night for new SciFi.

Also: Data!

[Java Dog]

First, WORD on Carla Gugino of the great, late, lamented Karen Sisco. And it's always great to see Spiner. and I heard David Goyer (Blade, multiple comic book adaptations and a true geek) is also involved.

But WHY put sci-fi on Fridays? Skiffy owns that night for geeks (like m'self), and we all see what happened with Enterprise.

And speaking of which, Braga is involved. Uh-oh.

ETA: Just saw some kind words on Threshold from Matt Roush of TV Guide. I typically agree with him, especially when it comes to this type of show. He was a big Farscape champion, and also liked Angel, Buffy, new BSG, among others. And he wasn't a big fan of Enterprise. So, perhaps more Goyer and less Braga?

TV Guide CBS "Dispatch"

This post has been edited by Java Dog: May 20, 2005 @ 1:39 pm.

[Warden]

Ditto on the Gugino as well as the Sisco. Sounds interesting plus it has Data. I wonder if he'll be a Navy SEAL or just in another typecast role as a quirky science type. If the latter is the case, I hope his fate is better than his other character Dr. Okun.

Does anybody know what color hair Carla will have?

[keckler]

Heh -- Braga and Spiner. FAB-ulous. I'll be watching.

This post has been edited by keckler: May 18, 2005 @ 3:50 pm.

[dalek]

I'll be watching because of Carla Gugino, Charles Dutton and Brent Spiner. And praying that their combined talents can overcome the suck that is Braga. OTOH, maybe Braga won't be so bad now that he's doing something that isn't Star Trek. I can hope.

This post has been edited by dalek: May 19, 2005 @ 3:23 pm.

[xaxat]

I'll be watching because of Carla Gugino, Charles Dutton and Brent Spiner. and praying that their combined talents can overcome the suck that it Braga.

Totally Word!. Charles and Carla (mmmmm Sin City) will put this high on my list of new shows. But then again Karen Sisco was on that list. Perhaps I am the kiss of death.

[Cleo256]

keckler:

I'll be watching.

Will you be recapping? Or is the thought of keeping Braga as your tormentor too unbearable?

So everyone goes in with eyes open, "Threshold" is also the name of a Voyager episode, written by Braga, that always comes up when the topic of Worst. Trek Episode. Ever. is broached. It's the Salamander Lovin' episode.

I'm passing on this show. Mostly because of Braga, but also because of my unexplainable dislike of CBS. But I'll be interested to know how it is.

[kieyra]

Can one of you all clarify who is "Braga"? I'm not up enough on newer Trek to get it.

[Java Dog]

Brannon Braga is often referred to as one of the angels of death for Trek (along with Rick Berman). Known in their mutated, genetically enhanced suckitude as "Bermaga."

BB was once a promising writer for TNG, who often wrote with one of the more highly regarded Trek writers, Ronald D Moore (who is now the poobah of the new Battlestar Galactica).

Fans had a growing distrust of Braga, especially when he moved to Voyager for four primary reasons:

His scripts started to suck balls.
He readily admitted he didn't have much respect for, or interest in, the original Trek.
He was basically a showrunner on Voyager, which didn't really live up to potential.
He pissed off his buddy RDM, who was just coming off a spectacular run on DS9, and drove him from the Voyager staff after 1 episode, never to return to Trek.

Then, he and Berman created Enterprise, while seemingly having a good premise, and totally ignored for 3 years the whole fucking premise/established canon of Trek.

On the plus side, he banged Jeri Ryan.

Still, perhaps freed from the shackles of the huge Trek mythology and coming off some stinging reviews of his tenure with Trek, he can learn and grow and give us some interesting new sci-fi.

I'm sure if you google him, or even "Bermaga," you can find several gigabytes of outright contempt and more of the story. But that's it in a nutshell.

[keckler]

Known in their mutated, genetically enhanced suckitude as "Bermaga."

TM to me on that.

Hee, Cleo, I don't have any idea.

On the plus side, he banged Jeri Ryan.

And on her plus side, she booted him out.

This post has been edited by keckler: May 19, 2005 @ 5:59 pm.

[Java Dog]

Keckler, YOU came up with the Brundlefly fusion of "Bermaga?" I've seen that everywhere. I tip my hat even more to your brilliance (over the top already with your newfound appreciation of DS9 and sudden -- but snuffed, sadly -- Trip luuurrrve).

(It's like I truly think I came up with the phrase "from hell." Like, that was the party from hell. Or, that was the furrow from hell. Or the bitch from hell. I applied it to a teacher's daughter in high school, who was preternaturally cute and obnoxious, and she was "the chipmunk from hell." Months later, I saw the phrase everywhere). but I digress.

Would love it if you recapped this for however long it is on. I can feel the snark from here!

Doesn't this sound like a combination of Sphere and The 4400?

On the plus side, he banged Jeri Ryan.


And on her plus side, she booted him out.

Onward and upward to the "family values candidate" who wanted her to have public sex in an S&M club. Or was that before? Sigh, all the good ones are taken.

[keckler]

Keckler, YOU came up with the Brundlefly fusion of "Bermaga?" I've seen that everywhere. I tip my hat even more to your brilliance (over the top already with your newfound appreciation of DS9 and sudden -- but snuffed, sadly -- Trip luuurrrve).

Yep, in the early days of the Enterprise boards. And now? I hear Jolene Blalock calls them that as well.

[Belchimaera]

Jolene Blalock is awesome.

Topic? I have adored Carla Gugino from her days as a rich 19th century (?) American sent to England to find a husband with her sister and friends. Anyone know what that was called?

What would I know Charles Dutton from?

[keckler]

Belch, that was The Buccaneers -- based on the Edith Wharton novel of the same name and it's what I first saw her in as well. Back then she was rounder and more healthy looking. In recent years, she's gotten the lollipop look.

This post has been edited by keckler: May 19, 2005 @ 11:33 pm.

[Java Dog]

Charles S Dutton is probably best known to genre fans as the righteous, glasses wearing preacher/convict (Dillon) in Alien 3. Or a crappy Fox sitcom called “Roc.”

I like the talent they have lined up for this thing (Braga excluded).