:maize:

Great Dragon.

This rocks!!!

I just saw the second episode (a two-hour pilot that was broken in half; first half was last week). I would've posted last week, but it was Wednesday before I had time, and the show wasn't actually done, and. . . but anyhoo.

This show truly rocks.

Where to begin. Okay, imagine Indiana Jones, crossed with X-Files, crossed with Mission: Impossible.

First, some real data: Y'see, the field of Archaeology, like any "science," is by now a world of dogma and denial worthy of any religious fanaticism. We like to believe that our view of the past is correct, and that we now know almost everything about where we come from. Every now and then however, archaeological research turns up "impossible" results, that must be hoaxes or flukes in the equipment. In all honesty, most of these probably are flukes; C14 testing isn't perfect, soil strata can shift, archaeological finds can be contaminated by cross-cultural trade, etc.

The other things, quite simply "don't exist." The ancient maps that show details that no mariner could know. The tribal traditions that account for elements of stellar mechanics that we're only beginning to catch up to. The "misidentified" artifacts that are at least a century older than the culture that "made" them.

I mention this 'cause the premise of the show is simple. What if there really is something wrong with our view?

Enter the Veritas Foundation, a very small, yet suspiciously well-funded organization dedicated to the Truth. Even if that truth ends up blowing away everything that we "know" about our past. These men and women aren't willing to toe the line and blindly accept "The Proper Theories."

The "Quest" of the title isn't for relics or treasure. There are no tank-topped sex-idols (despite having the same creators as Tomb Raider; Patrick Masset and John Zinman), no wild gunplay, and only one massive explosion so far. This one's about information. Information that could conceivably change the entire course of human history, and could answer the Big Questions.

Who are we? Where do we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going?

Of course, this information could also be very dangerous, and there is some sort of "Shadow Government" sniffing around. . .

I've been waiting for this. A TV show that's intelligent, insightful, philosophical, and sexy without resorting to soft-core porn. The archaeological and "real" historical data is historically accurate, and as I just pointed out, even the pseudo-science is based in existing conspiracy theories. Heck, even the "ancient glyphs" aren't just squiggles drawn on the props (like most other shows would throw in), but actually look like what they're supposed to be (blending Norse runes and Egyptian hieroglyphs in some "impossible" pan-cultural dialect).

It's one of the only shows on the air that doesn't talk down to the viewer. All the lead characters are multiple-PhDs, with the exceptions of the "audience proxy" (the team leader's son) and the female lead (his tutor/potential love interest). And even they are of above-average intelligence (he inherited his father's brilliance, and she's working on her Master's in Archaeology). As entertaining as the character angst and action-packed spy drama are, the intelligence of the show is like an oasis in the desert of low-brow gross-out TV that's been choking the airwaves lately.

That's part of why I'm worried. A brilliant show like Veritas has every rule of television against it (much like how the characters have every rule of conventional archaeology against them). On the bright side, the show is on ABC, which doesn't have FOX's reputation of unfairly euthanizing brilliant shows. *cough*Firefly*cough* It also has a Monday night timeslot, making its only competition "reality" TV and sitcoms. Back on the bad side, intelligent viewers are in a distinct minority (most of us have given up on TV). :(

With a little Network support, and a lot of luck, Veritas could have what it takes to become the X-Files of a new generation.

There's no official site (that I can find), but Yahoo has a small capsule over there (http://tv.yahoo.com/tvpdb?id=1808454429&d=tvi&cf=0).

:indy:

:eek:

Wow. I really don't like this show. It's mostly because of the atrocious dialogue. All the other aspects of it seem quite, "blah" as well though. Herc said it best. "...Raiders of the Lost Ark as told by a slow 9th-grader on Sominex".


http://66.227.96.58/images/icons/icon13.gif) One Thumb Down.

Maybe its worth checking out...

Well it's not on over here anyway so I don't have to worry about wether it's good or not o.o

Yeah, I SERIOUSLY doubt that they will show any American show that isn't already watched by half of America in Jordan.


by the way, does anyone happen to know where that is?

What, Jordan? I could find it on a map, assuming I haven't completely forgotten high school geography. Near the mediterranean, right?

*realizes that he doesn't actually have a map of Earth*

:eek:

Originally posted by Boba Rhett
Wow. I really don't like this show. It's mostly because of the atrocious dialogue. All the other aspects of it seem quite, "blah" as well though.

Well, the show's just getting started. Heck, it even took Firefly a week or so to start coming up with truly memorable lines, and that was with Joss Whedon writing. Give it a few weeks.

Personally though, I like the dialogue. Sure, it's not snappy and witty, but it is realistic.

Like I said, it's more cerebral than action-packed. It needs a little time to strike that razor's edge balance between what the creators want, and how much they're willing to whore themselves to the Networks.

ABC didn't make the FOXian mistake of not airing the premiere, and with a stable timeslot long enough to gain an audience, I maintain that this show could go far.

I sincerely hope so, at any rate. We need something like this; something that's not "Reality" TV!!!

Jordan is on the East border of Israel. so if they show a map on TV, look to the right of Israel, and you will see Jordan.