I’ve been getting my money’s worth on my Hulu Plus subscription by watching Terra Nova and Grimm – and I was surprised to see that the former is not getting any critics’ accolades the way the latter is. Let’s get this straight: TN is a high-cincept show, and as such has to walk a more general line to draw a broadened demographic in to justify its expense. Grimm has a darker tone and is more narrowly focused. It’s the truism of TV that the former type of show are just aren’t considered “artsy” the way the latter are, but in many ways the Big Idea script is the one that has the freedom to tell a more interesting story. I love Grimm, but ultimately it’s about as relevant to society as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. TN on the other hand has a message. Whether you disagree with that message or not is not relevant, it’s about the debate as well. You could make an argument quite easily that the Villains in Terra Nova have the moral upper hand in their goals and it’s the colonists under the messianic ministry of Taylor who are on the wrong side of history. Whether the show is permitted to explore that gray area is of course solely dependent on whether the show survives season one. But I challenge anyone to watch Encounter at Farside and not wince, especially in comparison to Yesterday’s Enterprise or The Inner Light.
So: the finale deserves a lot more respect, in my opinion. (spoilers follow).. (more…)