There's a very common saying among science fiction television fans: "In scifi, no one is ever really dead. Finding ways to come back from beyond the grave is certainly a cliche of the genre. Sometimes it can be really well done, and often it is just really cheesy or annoying. More often that not it can have the effect of completely negating some very powerful character moments and development within a series.
It also has a tendency to lessen the tension of pretty much any life-or-death situation your main character may find themselves in. The average viewer is sitting there thinking to herself, "Well, I know this looks bad, but there's no way they're getting rid of that actor any time soon, so clearly they're going to find some way to pull it out of the fire..." You know nothing too bad or final can really happen to your favorite character because they are the lead and as such aren't going anywhere.
Yeah this is just as common in mainstream shows as it is in sci-fi and fantasy, but the difference in the genre shows is that the characters just as often do die...and then they come back somehow. Heck, I think every main character on Stargate SG-1 has died at least once, and there were a few returns from the beyond on Stargate Atlantis as well. [Sidebar: Stargate Universe is claiming that death will be a much more permanent state of existence when it happens on the new series--it should be interesting to see if they live up to that promise and how well they make use of it.]
While British genre shows certainly aren't immune to this phenomenon--think Owen in season two of Torchwood, or the Doctor's regeneration capabilities, to name a couple--I have found that almost as often as they kill someone and then bring them back, they are just as willing to kill off someone and leave them that way for good. And I'm not talking random red-shirts here, I am talking series leads.
A prime example would be the short-lived but incredible Hex. Yes, my favorite character, Thelma, could fall under the umbrella of the amazing not-dead dead people--she is killed in the first episode and then hangs around for the rest of the series as a ghost. (Though I am inclined to feel this is not such a copout because really we never get to know her as a live person--her character was intended to be a ghost from the start.) But the main character from the start, the character all of the events of the show (including Thelma's death) are built around, is Cassie. Then, in the episode before the season finale, she gets killed dead. Cassie's gone. Bye bye, so long. And wonder of wonders, the show doesn't fall apart. The characters deal with what has happened and move on, and the show's focus shifts to another character and her life and adventures in the aftermath of what has gone before.
So I have to say that even though I am sad to see some very talented actors leave the cast of Primeval, I am also very impressed at the way they've managed to express how truly dangerous the characters' situation really is through the use of some very well planned deaths. At the end of season two we lose the character Steven. His death opens the door for all kinds of changes around the ARC and among the characters. His death has really meant something within the universe of the show--it is hardly meaningless. More recently, in last week's episode the actual main character, Cutter, is shot dead by his wife. We're only what, three episodes into the new season? And this is also another very meaningful death within the show, you can already tell one episode later. There were relationships in place or developing between Cutter and other characters, and you can see how each of them is dealing with the loss. This also sets in motion a lot of things that I feel will have repercussions throughout the season.
Yeah, I miss Cutter already, he was a loveable character. He wasn't the main character without reason. But still, the fact that now we, as an audience, know that no one is safe from the dangers of anomaly chasing is one that makes me even more eager to watch the show and see how the story plays out.
I think what may be the coolest thing about these deaths is the fact that they aren't all played up. This isn't some big publicity stunt. "Tune in this week to see who won't make it out alive!" No, this is just part of the story, and usually a part the audience doesn't see coming. As opposed to the American shows I am used to where really killing a character off is rarely done without some advance notice or big hyping in the weekly promotions. That in itself can cheapen a character's death, even when it is permanent. Of course, for all I know, when the Bristish shows air across the pond they do the same darn thing but BBC America just doesn't bother with the hype, but for some reason I doubt it.
While I can't complain when a character I really like manages to cheat death or come back from her cute little goth clutches, every once in a while it is really nice to see that there are real consequences for the actions taken by the characters in a story--that the perceived danger really and truly is just that--dangerous. I do, occasionally, like there to be a little bit of a point to my fluff. Go figure.
Some random thoughts on this week's Primeval episode:
I adore how cat-like the G-Rex was in its movements and attitude. Seeing him chase after all of the vehicles on the runway was extra amusing for it.
While the G-Rex was running up on the plane, I kept waiting for the pilots in the cockpit to turn around and go, "Oh my God! What is that!" until I realized that, oh yeah, airplanes don't have rearview mirrors. Huh. Sucks to be them, doesn't it?
I am really enjoying how the show is steering clear of all of the most common dinosaurs and prehistoric eras for the most part. With the exception of the velociraptors (which are freaking awesomely done), we are getting to know a nice wide variety of prehistoric critters. It's nice to know that the creative team isn't just throwing darts at a Jurassic Park poster to figure out the next beastie.
Is it completely wrong that when the news crew was all hanging out in front of the anomaly that we knew a G-Rex was about to come out of, I was sitting there hoping to myself that it ate them all? I mean seriously, freaking vultures. Once upon a time I wanted to be a journalist when I grew up--that used to be a respectful profession. Now, in this age of overinformation, not so much.
As much as I hate to see Cutter go, I am almost glad his anomaly predicting system went with him. While I do hope the series revisits that sometime down the road, having that and Connor's anomaly-sealing device would just take all of the fun out of it I think. For the moment, it's a race of time to see if the team can get to the anomaly and seal it up before anything bad comes out. And of course, a matter of if the device works every time or not.
Well folks, I think that just about does it for me. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will catch you on the flip side!
Peace out,
C
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