Post by nombrecomun on Jun 19, 2024 0:29:46 GMT
I was a kid when this show came out. All I remember were the cool Eagles and super groovy Maya, the shapeshifter. I didn't remember any particular storyline. So I decided to rewatch it since it's still a series people remember with fondness, albeit older ones like myself.
And....yikes!!!! It's terrible. It's been a chore to get through these eps. I'm almost done with the second season. I understand there's a certain way of telling stories back then that has not fared well with time. For example, the shrieking, hysterical female that passes out. Or some the of the cringey romantic aspects that dictates any male/female duo needs to be attracted to each other.
Obviously the technology was outdated. The computer spitting out paper reports for example. But it was the mid-70's projecting a 20 year future.
Some pros:
1. The sets/environment: There seemed to be a lot of money in this. The base itself is spectacular. It looks like a pretty big set and quite detailed. The main command center was quite large itself(S1).
2. The Eagles: the design of these ships are still recognizable to this day although sometimes they tried to make these into fighter planes and that didn't look quite good. They made perfect sense as a transport.
3. The majority of the stories were interesting. Perhaps nothing new even back then.
4. Maya, the shapeshifter: inherently cool because of her abilities, the character brought a bit of fun into the mix.
Some cons:
1. The pace of the stories. Often it seemed like they were stretching what could easily have been a 30 minute episode into a whole hour. It seemed like a lot of the padding was just walking scenes. Koenig needs to go to the medical center.....so they show Koenig walking from his office, through the command center, down the hallway.....another hallway, and finally arrive. That doesn't mean that scenes should have been reduced to the modern day quick cuts that are dizzying with speed but I don't think I need almost 10 minutes of bracing for impact because of an energy wave(The AB Chrysalis). Five minutes would have done the trick. Even less really.
2. Barbara Bain: Not sure why they made her look so pale. She's a beautiful lady but her look was quite distracting. Her acting was also quite stilted. Not sure what the reason was to play the character this way.
S1 vs S2:
Reading about this online there seems to be a belief that the first season was the best and the second was a desecration of the series. I can see that some of the changes for the second season weren't great(supposedly done to appeal to an American audience) but the bottomline for me is that both seasons were terrible for different reasons.
Particularly there was a change in secondary characters. The professor/science advisor didn't return for the second season. Did producers think that having an intellectual wouldn't go well with Americans?
There was also more inclusion of romantic themes as a way to propel a story which weren't around in S1. For example, having a love triangle, placing a love interest in jeopardy, eliciting jealousy, from a lover, etc... It felt cheap. In some ways it seemed like they were emulating Star Trek but not the good parts.
And....yikes!!!! It's terrible. It's been a chore to get through these eps. I'm almost done with the second season. I understand there's a certain way of telling stories back then that has not fared well with time. For example, the shrieking, hysterical female that passes out. Or some the of the cringey romantic aspects that dictates any male/female duo needs to be attracted to each other.
Obviously the technology was outdated. The computer spitting out paper reports for example. But it was the mid-70's projecting a 20 year future.
Some pros:
1. The sets/environment: There seemed to be a lot of money in this. The base itself is spectacular. It looks like a pretty big set and quite detailed. The main command center was quite large itself(S1).
2. The Eagles: the design of these ships are still recognizable to this day although sometimes they tried to make these into fighter planes and that didn't look quite good. They made perfect sense as a transport.
3. The majority of the stories were interesting. Perhaps nothing new even back then.
4. Maya, the shapeshifter: inherently cool because of her abilities, the character brought a bit of fun into the mix.
Some cons:
1. The pace of the stories. Often it seemed like they were stretching what could easily have been a 30 minute episode into a whole hour. It seemed like a lot of the padding was just walking scenes. Koenig needs to go to the medical center.....so they show Koenig walking from his office, through the command center, down the hallway.....another hallway, and finally arrive. That doesn't mean that scenes should have been reduced to the modern day quick cuts that are dizzying with speed but I don't think I need almost 10 minutes of bracing for impact because of an energy wave(The AB Chrysalis). Five minutes would have done the trick. Even less really.
2. Barbara Bain: Not sure why they made her look so pale. She's a beautiful lady but her look was quite distracting. Her acting was also quite stilted. Not sure what the reason was to play the character this way.
S1 vs S2:
Reading about this online there seems to be a belief that the first season was the best and the second was a desecration of the series. I can see that some of the changes for the second season weren't great(supposedly done to appeal to an American audience) but the bottomline for me is that both seasons were terrible for different reasons.
Particularly there was a change in secondary characters. The professor/science advisor didn't return for the second season. Did producers think that having an intellectual wouldn't go well with Americans?
There was also more inclusion of romantic themes as a way to propel a story which weren't around in S1. For example, having a love triangle, placing a love interest in jeopardy, eliciting jealousy, from a lover, etc... It felt cheap. In some ways it seemed like they were emulating Star Trek but not the good parts.
I am so sorry...