I decided to check out the new series "Terra Nova" on NBC recently. I made it through the entire two-hour premiere, but probably won't be returning to watch more. There was simply too much about the show that was too predictable and so very, very boring.
One thing that did make me stop and think was the initial conflict of the protagonists. To quickly sum it up, the show begins in a dystopian future where the cities are so polluted and overcrowded that the sun has not been seen for generations and it's necessary to wear breathing masks when outdoors. The protagonists, a family of five (father, mother, son, and two daughters) are at constant risk of being found out: the law only allows two children per family. At one point a billboard flashes the message "A family is four. Overpopulation equals extinction."
Ok, so here's my problem with this. The audience is supposed to root for the protagonists, to sympathize with them as they are punished for having the gall to have a third child. Unfortunately, in painting the world with such misery, they shoot themselves in the foot; it's hard to look at the situation as a viewer and understand why the family would choose to break such a sensible rule. Instead of seeming brave and daring, they simply seem selfish and narcissistic. It could be said that the world is as ugly as it is (on the show) because of people who prefer to put their own happiness ahead of the common good.
By the time the family reached the gateway to utopia, I was rather rooting for them to be caught and punished. Instead, they make it to the new world and start their lovely new life.
Ugh.
