Killjoys - Cheap but enjoyable

[shavedape]

If that is their policy per se it makes Caprica harder to understand, as it got whacked during its first season (specifically shortly after they started showing the second half of season one) and they then just burned off the remaining episodes in a middle of the night marathon.

It seems to be a tacit policy that isn't set in stone. Different productions get different treatment. SGU got two seasons right out of the gate based upon the reputation of the preceding SG shows. DEFECATION got a green light for multiple seasons because the producers came to the table with hundreds of millions in financing already in the bag.

With Caprica though I think that SyFy figured it was better to cut their losses instead of agreeing to a second season for a high-budget show that clearly wasn't earning its keep from the start. (And Caprica was high budget in that it had a large cast, extensive sets plus remote location shoots and also copious CGI. Chances are SyFy agreed to this show with the expectation that it would get nuBSG's audience, which it failed to do. They got stung. Lesson learned.)

So maybe it's a matter of budget when it comes to getting a guarantee of multiple seasons? SyFy is probably more willing to give show-runners a two-season guarantee for new shows if the budgets they submit for perusal are economical and parsimonious. That way there won't be any Caprica type surprises that put them in the red right out of the gate.

 

[Joelist]

Killjoys is back.

Not a bad premiere for season two, it picked up where season one ended and resolved the immediate plot situation of getting D'Avin back. It also put Cline and his relationship to Dutch in a different light, introduced two new characters and advanced the overall story.

On the good side, the visuals were a bit more spruced up from last season. It looks like the budget is a little higher. Also, the action choreography was well done, which is a contrast from last season where it was inconsistent with some episodes being good and others not so much. All of the acting was good and sufficient to carry a series which is still, at its core, essentially "space Xena". And the comic style credits now reinforce that this is not a deep, serious serial but rather action with space sauce.

On the bad side, PLEASE get rid of the stupid pop/rock score and just use instrumentals that are appropriate to the scenes. Also be aware that the pacing is both fast and non-sequential. More than once what you are seeing are images D'Avin is seeing while being given chemicals to try to transform him, and they don't let you know that these are not real until after they conclude.

 

[Joelist]

Episode two continues the improvements we saw in the season premier. The action choreography is MUCH better than last season. It also had nice movement in the base story and gave us a revelation about the RAC - Cline and his group were not RAC but had instead taken it over and co-opted it for their purposes. Now that they have cleared out the RAC is back to what it was originally intended to be - a neutral agency that fulfills warrants. Or is it? It was strongly hinted at the end that Level 6 is still in operation, just underground.

Acting is still good, and the writing is a touch more in depth than last season. To be sure, this show is still overtly "space Xena" but it is nice to see that when they got a season two they made the investment to up the game as well.

 

[shavedape]

I'm still not a huge fan of this show but I am glad to see that they have made improvements this season. Better budget, better FX and yes, better choreography. (I cringed at some of the fight scenes in season 1.)

 

[Joelist]

Hi Shaved! How are things?

As to Killjoys, it is still light entertainment and indeed has embraced the "space Xena" kind of mantra. I agree that when it started last season the fight choreography was not good, principally because it was too slow. They started fixing it by speeding the fight moves up as season one progressed and so far this season the fights have almost looked polished.

It also looks like Hannah John-Kamen underwent some fight training between seasons, as her moves are smoother and more precise.

 

[Overmind One]

I'm still not a huge fan of this show but I am glad to see that they have made improvements this season. Better budget, better FX and yes, better choreography. (I cringed at some of the fight scenes in season 1.)

Hi Shaved! How are things?

As to Killjoys, it is still light entertainment and indeed has embraced the "space Xena" kind of mantra. I agree that when it started last season the fight choreography was not good, principally because it was too slow. They started fixing it by speeding the fight moves up as season one progressed and so far this season the fights have almost looked polished.

It also looks like Hannah John-Kamen underwent some fight training between seasons, as her moves are smoother and more precise.

I liked the first season a lot. But during the first season, The Expanse came out and somehow something died in my relationship with Killjoys. I found I could no longer watch it. I can't really explain why.

 

[Joelist]

I like both of them. They are two different flavors of Science Fiction. Plus they are not on at the same time.

 

[shavedape]

Hi Shaved! How are things?

As to Killjoys, it is still light entertainment and indeed has embraced the "space Xena" kind of mantra. I agree that when it started last season the fight choreography was not good, principally because it was too slow. They started fixing it by speeding the fight moves up as season one progressed and so far this season the fights have almost looked polished.

It also looks like Hannah John-Kamen underwent some fight training between seasons, as her moves are smoother and more precise.

I think the directing and the budget have both improved for this show. I liked the look of the last episode. It didn't seem cheap the way some of the episodes did in season 1, at least to my jaundiced eye.

I really hope they let the seasonal story arc fade into the background for awhile and just concentrate on episodic stories. The show works best when the Killjoys are doing their thing as opposed to running around dealing with a larger, more dramatic inter-personal story arc.

 

[Bluce Ree]

Maybe I'm just being too finicky with my tastes but I also have a hard time getting past the first few episodes of this series, like Androm... I mean, Dark Matter.

 

[Joelist]

Dark Matter is okay. So is Killjoys. I just accept it for what it unashamedly claims itself to be, which is an a action show with space sauce (after all, the credits are comic book style and the ads literally said "SPACE BOUNTY HUNTERS!" in big letters like you saw in the fight scenes in the 60s Batman TV show).

 

[shavedape]

Maybe I'm just being too finicky with my tastes but I also have a hard time getting past the first few episodes of this series, like Androm... I mean, Dark Matter.

I understand what you're saying. I gave up on the first season of this show also. I've watched some of the second season and it seems to have improved. Don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna start getting a bikini wax in preparation for Friday night viewing of SyFy or anything crazy like that. But this show is tolerable if I'm hard up for something to watch.

Now Wynonna Earp, well, that was some shit I couldn't be bothered to waste time on. It didn't even rise to the level of mindless viewing for me.

 

[Overmind One]

Dark Matter is okay. So is Killjoys. I just accept it for what it unashamedly claims itself to be, which is an a action show with space sauce (after all, the credits are comic book style and the ads literally said "SPACE BOUNTY HUNTERS!" in big letters like you saw in the fight scenes in the 60s Batman TV show).

Nailed it (bolded). It does not try to be dark and broody and serious, it is what it is and does not try to be anything else, and that's what makes it fun.

 

[Joelist]

Killjoys this week did more of a small set story largely set in a mine for the main team. It also had the next step in the escape of Potter from her captor (only to get taken prisoner again by someone else right at the end). It moved the overarching plot ahead a little but was much more a standalone piece.

Not a bad episode. The score was better for the lack of rock music, and the setting was nicely creepy in the mine. The discovery of the centipedes and how they tie into Level 6 was interesting too, as was learning a bit more about scarback traditions. Acting was also good. Plus, I like their new relationship with Alvin, where he turns his back to some of their activities and in turn they help him to determine exactly what is going on in the RAC. They are actually fleshing his character out pretty well.

 

[shavedape]

Is "Alvin" the screaming queen they've got running around with them this season? (I'm never good with names.)

 

[Joelist]

Alvin is the RAC guy they made the agreement with where they run some unofficial missions for him and he in turn looks the other way when they step outside the rules.

 

[shavedape]

Still not feeling this show. I'm trying but it's just not clicking for me. I don't hate it, but I've found that if I miss an episode I don't care. In fact, I tuned out towards the end of last nights episode about the grade school space station thing. I mean really, the one kid who doesn't die in the pod overload just happens to be the brother of the kid they bring to the station? Really? All those kids at that school and the survivor just happens to be Olan?

And the story line with the Level 6 characters who can't die is just plain annoying. I don't give a shit about characters like that. They aren't relatable.

 

[Overmind One]

Still not feeling this show. I'm trying but it's just not clicking for me. I don't hate it, but I've found that if I miss an episode I don't care. In fact, I tuned out towards the end of last nights episode about the grade school space station thing. I mean really, the one kid who doesn't die in the pod overload just happens to be the brother of the kid they bring to the station? Really? All those kids at that school and the survivor just happens to be Olan?

And the story line with the Level 6 characters who can't die is just plain annoying. I don't give a shit about characters like that. They aren't relatable.

I stopped watching this show. I don't hate it, I just can't watch it anymore. I stopped watching when The Expanse came out and Dark Matter. It's lighthearted and fun when you watch, but within 10 minutes of an episode ending, there is no sense of advancement of any story arc.

 

[shavedape]

I forgot to add something else that is really annoying about this show: the bad writing. In last nights episode they must have said the word "shit" over twenty times (okay, maybe not that much). They also said "bullshit" and "asshole". I had to roll my eyes because I could picture the immature writer of this show getting excited about the fact that SyFy was now allowing this level of cursing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude, I just find the over use of swear words to be immature. It's a definite sign that a writer is trying to cover up for a lack of talent. Now, a well placed "shit" can add verve to a scene but when it is used continuously it loses effect and just becomes annoying.

I'm not in grade school anymore. This isn't the playground and I'm not some punk six year-old who giggles hysterically when someone swears. When I plunk my ass in front of the TV I want to see quality television, not juvenile writing poorly masquerading as something better than it truly is.

 

[Joelist]

I still like it. It is exactly what it advertised itself as. Also, this season they are advancing the story arc a bit at a time.

 

[shavedape]

I still like it. It is exactly what it advertised itself as. Also, this season they are advancing the story arc a bit at a time.

I'm shocked that you would defend this profane filth. Tell me, when they start casually lobbing the F bomb around will you still give this show your imprimatur?