FOTEP TV Reviews

Battlestar Galactica

With a well thought-out plot arc the 4 and a half seasons of Battlestar Galactica pack so much action and so many plot twists it almost seems like a space opera. But, it isn't. It is a well architected series that builds upon itself. This is no Star Trek schlock with 50-minute stand-alone and predictable episodes, every episode takes you to new territory and leaves you wondering if they really just did that.

I thought it was going to take some getting used to having the hot-shot fighter jock be a woman but it didn't. I was sucked into this show right off. The characters are well developed and come across as quite real, foibles and all.

The whole show got a makeover and the new Cylon race is as menacing as any sci-fi movie could come up with.

Finally, here is a series that leaves the dumbed-down drivel behind and makes you think like the old Mission Impossible.

One look at the IMDB score and you know that this is a series to watch, front-to-back.

IMDB Score: 9.0/10
Amazon Score: 4.0/5

Stargate SG-1 (and Stargate the movie)

This is a TV show that lives up to the potential that was set forth in the original movie.

Stargate SG-1 was on the air, putting out new episodes, for 10 years. The show had staying power because it was so good.

Each episode, for the most part, stands on its own with a overarching plot arc that ties the development of the story together, keeping it advancing in addition to the individual plots of each episode.

The cast is strong and the characters all likable and interesting. There is just enough friction to keep the series interesting and fresh.

The series pits human travelers against a powerful alien race that has taken over hundreds of worlds. It's human inginuity that saves the day, when it gets saved... not every episode marks a victory in the long battle among the stars.

One of the things that keeps this series original is the ability to visit different worlds and become immersed in different cultures in each episode. Then we also get to follow the development of the plot thread that strings all of the episodes together.

Here is another series that makes the entire Star Trek franchendise look dated and amateurish (including the newer series). Where the original Star Trek dared to go (and it was revolutionary for its time) this series tackles even newer ground along with serving up continuous adventure.

Besides, a nerdy scientist on a team of soldiers traveling the galaxy, who sneezes when he travels by 'gate because of his allergies is just too funny a detail to miss. Seriously, secret communication by Kleenex box in one of the early episodes shows just how clever this series is going to be.

IMDB Score: 8.6/10
Amazon Score: 4.0/5

The X-Files

This is another science fiction series that was on the air for years and years. There are 9 seasons of the X-Files and no matter how much you learn as you watch the series, you find that you still have only seen the tip of the iceburg that is the mystery surrounding the seemingly unrelated events that make up the individual episodes.

Despite the horrible, horrible spin-off, the characters, including The Lone Gunmen, are great.

The entire series looks at unexplained events. The poster in Agent Mulder's office may picture a UFO, but this is certainly not a silly, little green man, UFO conspiracy show. It is so much more.

The 9 year plot line is compelling, each episode only serves to tantalize the viewer. "There has to be more to what's going on that we're seeing," you'll say to yourself again and again.

The show matches a dreamer (Agent Mulder) with a pragmatist (Medical Doctor/Agent Scully) as they go off in search of common explainations to uncommon and bizarre happenings. The pair are anything but antagonistic, there is a real bond between these two unlikely allies that has to stand up to the internal manueverings in the FBI and the power struggles among the powerful elite that are sprinkled throughout the U.S. government.

It seems that there are as many people who want Mulder stopped or dead as there are people who are manipulating events to see that Mulder survives and progresses in his researches into what is really going on.

For those of you who are itching to see the infamous Mulder Red Speedo scene, it is season 2, episode 5 and it's just plain silly. But, it is a very good eipsode otherwise.

Here is another highly rated show and rightly so.

IMDB Score: 9.0/10
Amazon Score: 4.5/5