I Use To Love: Le Femme Nikita

I remember I wanted to hate this tv show when i first heard it was coming to the USA Network back in ‘97. I had loved the the movie (by my favorite director, Luc Besson), and i kinda liked the american remake with Bridget Fonda. But i was sure that the tv show was gonna scrape the bottom of the barrel. And then I got a look a Peta Wilson and fell in love. Granted, those early episodes was a little ‘rough’ on the acting and the scripts. But once they got their legs, the show seemed to beceom something special. It was quite possibly the unsung hero of cinematic style for TV in the late 90’s.

The cool thing about this show was even though it was an action thriller, it focused more on the complex characters and their actions with walked a very thin line between right and wrong. You could’ve called it an updated film noir style with amoral heroes and villains and plots that flip flopped and twisted with every commercial break. And once Peta Wilson got out of her stiff acting by the middle of season 1, she became a complex character that you cheered for, even though you knew she was in way over her head in the villainous, yet good “Section One”.

The real star of the show was the music, both original and selected fore the episodic soundtracks. Music composer Mark Snow, seems to bring everything into the show’s overall dark, yet chilled feeling with songs from Depeche Mode, Mandalay, Engima, Curve, Afro Celt Sound System, Enigma, Gus Gus, Morphine, Mono and others.. and it all worked beautifully. It’s a shame how a lot of shows took the successful elements from Le Femme Nikita without acknowledging how important the show was in the evolution of television series. Watching now, i can see how JJ Abrams to the ‘model’ and crafted ‘Alias’ into a more fine-tuned premise.

All in all, it became my Sunday Night must see show. It ran for 5 seasons and I think Season 2 was their high point. But watching the entire show start to finish should be cool.

La Femme Nikita (or simply Nikita in some countries) is a Canadian/US television spy drama based on the original French film by Luc Besson, co-produced by Jay Firestone (Firestone Entertainment) and Warner Bros, and created for television by Joel Surnow who later co-created 24 with fellow La Femme Nikita executive consultant Robert Cochran. This television series debuted in the United States on USA Network in January 1997 and ran for five seasons until March 2001.[1] La Femme Nikita was the highest-rated drama on American basic cable during its first two seasons; also distributed on television in Canada (as Nikita) and, ultimately, internationally, it continues to have a strong cult following, according to the definitive book on the series written by Christopher Heyn in 2006.[2]

Despite being advertised as an action-oriented series, the series’ uniqueness primarily stems from its deemphasis on action as such and greater reliance on well-crafted dialogue and complex plot structures more common to the genre of sophisticated spy fiction as influenced by film noir and neo-noir. Since its inception, the series did not have a large enough budget to finance complex action sequences (as seen in later dramatic spy fiction or spy thriller TV series such as Alias or 24). Its creative team exhibited great ingenuity marshalling its modest resources, channeling their energies into the writing of episodes with more complex plot structures, fuller character development, and more substantial dialogue for the series’ talented actors (all of which aspects are less costly than filming special effects in action sequences).

The autonomous nature of Section One allowed the writers of this series freedom to explore areas not usually associated with this genre on television. Nikita’s voiceover in Season One establishes the Machiavellian motif of Section One. While founded as a counterterrorism organization (traditionally represented within fiction as good), Section One uses (as a standard) immoral means to achieve its objectives, while still citing efficiency and “service of the greater good” as justification for its actions. Its standardized implementation of draconian procedures include the use (upon both terrorist and innocent) of intimidation, torture (“The White Room”), murder (“cancellation”), assassination, abduction, suicide operatives (“abeyance” operatives), false imprisonment, and terrorist cooperation. In one early episode, for example, in exchange for crucial information Section One hands a woman over to a sadist knowing she will be carved up.

Unlike most organizations engaged in counterterrorism, Section One’s key personnel work neither for monetary gain nor for “pure” ideological devotion; instead, since most of these operatives are purportedly reformed criminals (though their backgrounds are often ambiguous), they work out of fear of execution for substandard performance or disloyalty (fear of being “canceled”). Such a dynamic based on fear fosters a bleak social environment in which there is little interaction among members (except regarding issues relating to work). This rather paranoid environment, combined with the futuristic hyper-realist setting of the organization, the brutally real nature of counterterrorism, and Section One’s particular mantra of efficiency, results in a dark, minimalist ethos reflected or expressed in all aspects of the television series. Most particularly, this is present in its design of costumes and selection and original composition of music, as well as in aspects of dialogue, plot, themes, lighting, and acting modes and camera styles. Also notable are intriguing camera angles and frequent close ups on actors’ facial expressions, focusing especially, during pauses in dialogue or in reaction shots, on their eyes in long takes.

Owing to the harshness (both mental and physical) of the environment in which operatives have to perform, the writing tends not to romanticize any potentially positive aspects of the organization or of most of the series’ characters (excluding Nikita, Birkoff or Walter, and, at times, Michael at his most vulnerable). The series generally exudes a dark tone in keeping with the organizational philosophies, the counterterrorist (frequently dangerously violent) situations, and the requisite tactics used by operatives of Section One. Unlimited operational resources for missions coupled with human propensity to hide ulterior motives and individual personal moral relativism lead to widespread intra- and interdepartmental infighting and recurrent secret alliances, backstabbing, blackmail and abuses of power between and among the characters, especially among those in the highest levels of power: Operations, Madeline, George.

The series raises, explores, and offers fresh insights about ethical and moral issues emerging from the paradoxical nature of a counterterrorism organization which resorts to terrorist methods to succeed in its own ostensibly altruistic goals, and the commensurate dilemmas in which the generally unwilling operatives in such an organization find themselves. Nikita’s unwavering belief in a kind of moral absolutism (as opposed to Section One’s prescribed philosophy of situational ethics) consistently and coherently motivates the underlying dramatic plot conflicts in the majority of the episodes.

(syfi.com) 7 Ways Dollhouse Could Have Been Great

This is a reprint of the article from scifiwire.com. Written by Kathie Huddleston, she hits ALL of the ways Dollhouse could’a been a big hit. I still love this show, but it’s dragged its feet for as season and a half. Only how is it starting to get interesting. Check out the article.

The small audience that’s continued watching Fox’s Dollhouse since it got canceled this fall undoubtedly has noticed something: Now that it’s canceled, it’s gotten good!

Not perfect, mind you, but good. All the potential that was there in the beginning is being realized, and we have three episodes left with characters we’re starting to care about headed to war with Rossum. AND a final episode that’s called “Epitaph Two: Return.”

Some familiar faces will be popping up before series’ end, including Amy Acker as Dr. Saunders/Whiskey, Alan Tudyk as Alpha, Summer Glau as Bennett Halverson and “Epitaph One’s” Felicia Day—and even Dushku’s real-life boyfriend, Rick Fox, will play an Active on the Jan. 8 episode.

Taking the show in fascinating directions NOW is what makes Dollhouse so eminently disappointing, and it MAKES US CRAZY! If it was just a terrible show about a mindless Doll named Echo (Eliza Dushku) and her brainless imprints for various missions, we could have come to terms with that. And if it was just about a bunch of morally bankrupt characters working for a morally bankrupt corporation, OK. We’d tell creator Joss Whedon, “Let’s put it behind us and move on. Go do something that’s worthy of your genius.”

But that’s not what’s happening, and we’re kind of pissed. Others have noted this as well, and we’ve compiled their reactions with ours to come up with seven things that could have made Dollhouse great, along with one extra bonus thing. (And, Joss, we’re disappointed you didn’t figure these out before we did):

1. After the pilot, Dollhouse should have skipped to “Bella Chose,” the third episode of the second season, when Echo really gets her ability to access her personalities. Yes, there were some great bits along the way, but the first season was slow, and Whedon did nothing but toy with what he promised us he was going to do … which was make Echo aware.

Dan from Dan’s Media Digest added, “It’s interesting to me that Dollhouse has started becoming the show I imagined we’d be getting from the very start. When I first heard about Joss Whedon’s idea, I imagined a scenario that would splice Joe 90 with The Pretender, but they instead went down the path of keeping Echo (Eliza Dushku) stuck in the Dollhouse being mind-wiped after every adventure. Thankfully, they’ve managed to spread their wings.”

2. Whedon is a brilliant writer and creator of TV shows, and he needs to stop compromising his vision.

“Shooting a new pilot was my idea,” Whedon told Brian Ford Sullivan of The Futon Critic. “Because the network, they were looking for something specific. I thought I delivered it because they were very excited about the script. They weren’t as excited about the show so we talked about why and why and why, and I figured out what they wanted. We talked about those things, and it was obvious they wanted more of an action feel than a noir feel. What I had done was very sort of dark and moody. And they wanted a show, a first episode, that absolutely laid out the structure of the show, which is—Echo is at the Dollhouse, she is imprinted for an engagement, she goes on the engagement, she comes back from the engagement into the Dollhouse. This is how it works.”

3. Trust the premise.

Blast Magazine’s Kellen Rice commented: “The premise of Dollhouse is saturated with potential. This show has the scaffolding in place to explore issues just as deeply (and perhaps even more thoroughly) as Battlestar Galactica. The concepts of self, self vs. body, informed consent, identity, death, perception, … all of these are fascinating topics that Dollhouse season one touched on and upon which season two will hopefully expand.”

4. Echo, with her ability to access different personalities, is a character that should have evolved early in the series and not at the end of it. Let’s face it, Eliza Dushku doesn’t do dumb Doll well. Most any actress would have had trouble with this role, considering that her character was too often either childlike boring or schizophrenic, especially in season one.

IGN’s Eric Goldman reviewed a recent episode where “Echo was in the mode that she (and Eliza Dushku) are served best by on this series—tough and ready to fight. We continue to get more insight into her fun ability to access all of her former imprints and their skill sets and how she can simply absorb a new one, Matrix style, and still be ‘Echo.’ This default Echo is not particularly nuanced. She can access the different personas, but she doesn’t seem to act differently—just be able to do different cool things. But considering Echo has always been a crucial weak part of Dollhouse, I’m happy to accept Dushku back in her plausible tough-girl persona, with so little time left.”

5. We love Alan Tudyk. We’re even still bitter that Whedon killed off Wash in Serenity. But Alpha should have been someone who scared us.

TheTVCritic.org had problems with Alpha, as well. “I think the biggest letdown was Alpha. Like so many television shows, we were given hints of something unique and gripping but what we got was generic. The idea of 40 personalities being awake inside a man’s head leads to so many possibilities. The combination of knowledge, skills and awareness looked like it would create a superhuman in every sense. Someone who couldn’t be beaten in a fight or an argument because they had too much knowledge to call upon. And of course what conclusion would such a creature draw about the human race, morality and their sense of self. In the end though Alpha was much more like all TV bad guys. He liked the sound of his own voice, he was obsessed with achieving unattainable goals and was undone by his own plan. In the end he put a gun to ’someone’s’ head, just like every desperate bad guy, it felt like a real let down.”

6. While we understand storywise why Paul Ballard ended up in the Dollhouse in season two, Paul should have been inside the Dollhouse to start with. Having him join the Dollhouse later did not serve Tahmoh Penikett’s character or the show.

Fandomania’s Paige MacGregor commented, “I’m a little miffed with Mr. Paul Ballard. He is so passionate about shutting down the Dollhouse and saving the men and women ‘trapped’ there; however, he continues to allow Echo to experience a number of very disturbing side effects involving her memory wipes and engagements. Of all people, Ballard has a first-hand view of what the Dollhouse is capable of and the new advancements that Topher is making with ‘programming’ the brain (and now the body as well), yet he hides the fact that Echo remembers parts of her engagements from the only people who might be able to determine if these ‘glitches’ are the result of or are causing any long-term damage to Echo’s brain.”

P.S. Not to mention letting Echo be prostituted out on a continual basis.

7. Fox should have aired Epitaph One at the end of last season. It would have been a game-changer, but we know Whedon would have made it work.

And 7 1/2 Go back to The CW, Joss, or move on to cable. We mean it. At least they’d appreciate you. Don’t ever make another series for Fox again.

Paste Magazine’s Tim Regan-Porter wrote, “The DVDs were a revelation. The unaired 13th episode, ‘Epitaph One’ with Felicia Day and set 10 years in the future, was sci-fi magic. And the unaired pilot showed what could have been. Even without the behind-the-scenes featurettes and commentary that explicitly call out Fox’s interference, it’s obvious just from watching those episodes and the show’s evolution that ham-fisted executives screwed the pooch. They wanted sexed-up action-adventure confined to single-episode stories, killing what was most intriguing about this and all of Whedon’s shows: the through-line, the meta. Whedon says he was six episodes in by the time he got one that he was happy with.”

8. And then there’s “Acceptance.” We admit we’ve been going through the five stages of grief since our journey with Dollhouse began. Denial: that the series wasn’t better to begin with and now it’s ending when it’s just starting to find its way. Anger at Fox … who else? Bargaining: that maybe somebody will pay attention to our letters and maybe someone else will pick up Dollhouse and give it a chance! Depression: well, let’s face it. Rooting for a Joss Whedon show is like rooting for the Chicago Cubs. It’s the agony and the ecstasy of the journey, and in the end, you’re just not going to win.

And finally Acceptance. Beyond all things Fox and missed story opportunities and poor ratings and angst, we can now sit back and enjoy the last three hours of Dollhouse. How cool is that?

Are you ready for the end of Dollhouse?

The Walking Dead to Become Television series!

AMC is venturing into zombie-drama territory with multi-hyphenate Frank Darabont.
Cabler is close to finalizing one of the richest development deals ever with Darabont to write and direct a series adaptation of the Image Comics graphic novel series “The Walking Dead,” penned by Robert Kirkman. Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Motion Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion are also on board to exec produce.

Project is set among a group of zombie survivors of an apocalypse who are led by a police officer, Rick Grimes, in search of a safe place to live. Numerous editions of the “Walking Dead” graphic novels have been published since 2003.

Joel Stillerman, AMC’s senior veep of programming, production and original content, said the project appealed to the cabler because of “the quality of the storytelling” in Kirkman’s work. The series will stay faithful to the tone of the original novels, he said.

“This is not about zombies popping out of closets,” Stillerman said. “This is a story about survival, and the dynamics of what happens when a group is forced to survive under these circumstances. The world (in ‘Walking Dead’) is portrayed in a smart, sophisticated way.”

Stillerman noted that the cabler’s annual “Fear Fest” movie showcase around Halloween is one of AMC’s most popular programming events of the year.

“We’ve got an audience that loves this kind of material,” he said.

Darabont and Hurd pitched the project to AMC and several other outlets. There is no studio attached yet. The duo’s involvement made the project a must-have for the cabler, Stillerman said.

“These are two world-class filmmakers who are also brilliant storytellers with experience in the fantasy genre,” he said.

Now Watching: Stargate Universe

I’ve been a Stargate fan when the movie dropped in ‘94. When The Stargate SG-1 series popped up on Showtime Channel, I watched it in passing (mostly because i wanted the actors from the movie and not recasts). Only when it moved to the Sci Fi Channel for it’s sixth season did I become a devoted fan. I had to go back and rewatch the show in syndication. Along came Stargate Atlantis, which I watched religiously and it seemed like I was on the verge of Stargate overload. And then I heard about Stargate: Universe.

I’ve been waiting for this show for almost a year. Most of that time, information was pretty scarce. The talk about it being a more darker-toned show excited me. Indeed, I was hoping this would be the show that Star Trek: Voyager was suppose to be; a survivalist/sci fi/horror ride. And after watching the first 2 episodes, I’d have to say my interest is peaked. It was a nice change of pace, with an all new direction. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

In 1994, mankind discovered a network of Stargates that took them to the farthest reaches of the universe and unlocked some of history’s greatest secrets. Since that time, they’ve carried us through travels to numerous planets and battles against relentless villains. They’ve brought to the surface the wonders of Atlantis and led us to conflict with the dreaded Wraith. Now, humanity is about to cross a new threshold with the activation of a new Stargate that links to incredible Ancient technology. Welcome to Stargate Universe.

A group of soldiers, scientists and civilians, fleeing an attack, find themselves stranded far from Earth on a mammoth Ancient ship known as the Destiny. They must live in the limbo of time and space, cling to the notion of hope, locked on an unknown course in search of home. Now the group’s fates lie at the mercy of the ship as they face the challenges of meeting the most basic needs of food, water and air. Through the danger and adventures, some will be revealed as heroes, some will be shown as villains…and some won’t make it out at all.

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Show Of The Moment: Apparitions (BBC)

[from horrorstyle.com] BBC TV series Apparitions (2008) is a six-part supernatural drama about the modern exorcist and miracle investigator Father Jacob, played by Martin Shaw. Besides the most enjoyable and brilliant acting of Martin Shaw, the film is famous for its intelligent tone on paranormal experiences and for the most respectful involvement of other religions too. Apparitions is a gripping story of possessions, satanic intrigue, war between good and evil. It has few bloodier and scarier scenes, but these are rare and they don’t overwhelm the interesting plot and the development of characters. All in all, Apparitions is one of the most intelligent paranormal horror films.

Father Jacob is a Roman Catholic priest who investigates miracles and promotes candidates for Sainthood. During his work of canonising Mother Teresa of Calcutta, he’s attacked by Satan and that draws his thoughts into the exorcism. He contacts his best friend Monsignor Vincenzo, soon to be retired Chief Exorcist o f Rome, and he learns that Satan is getting stronger and the terrifying war is imminent. Vincenzo wants Jacob to become his successor, but Cardinal Bukovak, Jacob’s boss, strongly opposes such career shift into demonology. Father Jacob becomes trapped among Satan, Cardinal and his own genuine wish to help people. From here the multi-layered plot rolls into the cruel struggle between good and evil until it takes an unexpected turn for Father Jacob and he’s forced to fight for his own survival.

Apparitions were broadcasted on BBC One and BBC HD, 13th Nov- 11th Dec 2008. From 12th Jan 2009 the film is available to buy as a set of 3 DVDs, total run time without extras: 354 minutes. The bonus content includes the mini feature “Behind the scenes” and interviews with Martin Shaw (Father Jacob), Caroline Levy (Producer), Joe Ahearne (Producer). So if you missed this brilliant paranormal drama on BBC, now you can pick it up from all major retailers.

RE:Watching – Stargate SG-1

Since I dumped cable over a year ago, I’e saved a lot of money paying for 90% of TV that I don’t watch. What have I been doing as a replacement? Mostly using the incredible Boxee, where watching Hulu.com, Joost.com and YouTube on my flatscreen.. and re-watching all my DVD movies and TV shows that I’ve ripped to media drives and that play through my xBox 360.

One cool thing is that my wife has recently become addicted to my wealth of shows and movies. So I’m having a blast re-watching my collection, while she sees this stuff through new eyes. So far, we’ve gone through Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Farscape, and others. Most recently, we’ve been embarking on Stargate SG-1. I ripped all 10 seasons of the tv series and they’ve been sitting on my hardrive for years. To tell you the truth, it’s never been that big of a thing for me. It’s been one of those ‘old faithful’ shows that I’d watch when nothing else was on. So I’ve pretty much seen the entire series, but I’ve never really paid that much attention.

Well, to my surpise, I’ve been enjoying it A LOT! Really paying attention this time around has made the show seem more fresh and new. Theres so much about the show that goes far beyond just the Stargate (political intrigue, civil unrest, moral dilemmas, etc.). Right now, we’re on Season 6 of 10. Another cool thing is when we reach season 8 (i think), we can start watching Stargate Atlantis also, as it sometimes runs chronologically with SG-1. Luckily I have all 5 season of Atlantis also (thank you, amazon.com).

I remember I stopped watching Stargate for a while when Daniel Jackson died, so this Season 6 has been totally new. And I can’t wait for the Farscape cast to join the show in a few seasons. In any case, Stargate SG-1 is a cool-ass show. If you haven’t seen it before, you should definitely check it out.

Not Very Christian of Me: The Escapist Faith of a Lost Shepherd

Searching the web looking for information on Shepard Book, an intriguing character, played by Ron Glass on the cult series Firefly. I came cross this facinating post on the experience.mhgs.edu site. For the record I love examinations of created characters.  But check out the post and then the paper by Ian Klein and Kj Swanson. Real fascinating stuff.

At MHGS watching TV is never just watching TV. It’s an opportunity to encounter new characters and situations through the lens of text.soul.culture. This week, Kj Swanson along with Ian Klein co-presented their paper on the themes of fundamentalism and identity as seen through the character of Shepherd Book in the Joss Whedon series, Firefly. She recounts her story below.

In August ’08, my friend Ian Klein (Columbia University) and I decided to collaborate on a paper to submit to the American & Popular Culture Association’s Southwest Annual Conference. Our paper, “Not Very Christian Of Me: The Escapist Faith of a Lost Shepherd in Joss Whedon’s Firefly” was accepted as part of the panel devoted to the works of writer/director Joss Whedon.  This past February, Ian and I flew down to Albuquerque for four of the most fun days of our lives: seriously. 10 hours of paper presentations a day on everything from the “Left Behind” series to zombie movies, from Twitter to Harry Potter.  It was candy for the interdisciplinary soul.

As MHGS made it possible for me to attend the conference, Ian and I both wanted a chance to share our work with our friends and community here in Seattle, and MHGS felt like the perfect environment for the kind of discussion we wanted to engage. So this Monday, we presented: “Theology.Psychology.Spaceships” a film screening, paper presentation and discussion around the themes of our work exploring issues of fundamentalism, identity, faith and pop culture in the narrative context of a cult TV series. It felt like the perfect culmination to our year of collaborating, wondering and creating out of these questions. We had an amazing time and were thankful for all who came eager to be entertained as well as ask questions about the nature of conversion, the role of freedom in faith, and what it means to embrace one’s past rather than eradicate it. Thanks for coming. Let’s watch more TV together soon.

We celebrate Kj and Ian’s hard work and can hardly wait to see what their working on next. Until then, you candownload their paper, or read Kj’s and Ian’s blog to keep up with their work.

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