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Harsh Realm Pilot

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Bardo Thodol

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Sorry about delay in posting this.

It was a great pleasure to just sit down and view this episode on a friday night. Often, I view my fav TV shows and movies while doing the ironing for my wife and I. Often, my wife and I view other things on the tele together in the evenings while we are relaxing. So, most of the time, I view my DVDs at some other time.

It was great to just set aside a time just to sit back and watch some a 1013 show. It almost felt like Harsh Realm's original airing. I always wanted to start a fan season viewing for myself, and the results were great! I highly recommend it! I found myself looking forward to tonight's viewing of Leviathan all week!

Seeing it again, the cinematic nature of the Pilot really struct me. The ep is like a cross between an film and a TV show. The amazing action sequences, sets, cinematography, and epic story feel make it a movie-like experience, while the dialogue and character development have the feel of television episode. It is like the best of both worlds.

I thought it was a great introduction to the characters, 'the game', 'the rules', and the over all story arc. I love the referencing of all sorts of things that went before - Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, Mad Max, etc. I love the use of all sorts of iconic and archetypal heroes and political figures. What exploration of power. Can't you imagine if the series had survived into 2001 and beyound? What a great reflection the show could have been of what has been happening the past several years!

I truly enjoy my fan season viewing. Looking forward to the next episode tonight!

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Chris Carter had the ability to make excellent pilots. I very much enjoyed the pilot to Harsh Realm, except for the damn dog -- that was a big mistake, and ended up being a drag on the series.

Harsh Realm is my least favorite 1013 show, probably because it's so archetypal. But I really loved the show -- it had great imagination, which made up for it's many downfalls.

It should have been given the opportunity to at least fill a complete season.

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Guest Frank L.

I will name a few things that I noticed.

Positive:

- The Harsh Realm music theme is good. I really like it. (it's not in the pilot, but you hear it on the dvd menu)

- It's good to see all these '1013' actors together.

- The instruction video, with a voice-over by Gillian Anderson, is great.

- Direction by Daniel Sackheim is good.

- Everything looks really slick. There definately was money.

Negative:

- It's not really gripping for a pilot. A pilot has to grab you, and this episode didn't really do that. The X-Files and the MillenniuM pilots were much, much better.

- I've never liked voice-overs aimed at loved ones. "Dear Sophie..."

- Many of you will probably disagree, but I'm not a fan of the acting by D.B. Sweeney.

Conclusion:

Not a great start for a new show.

Score:

7 out of 10.

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- I've never liked voice-overs aimed at loved ones. "Dear Sophie..."

- Many of you will probably disagree, but I'm not a fan of the acting by D.B. Sweeney.

I completely agree. I hate all of the voiceovers to Sophie. Every single one. They're a drag on the action, and it makes the show too much of a stereotypical war story.

And I didn't really like Sweeney either. He had his moments, but he's a bit of an over-actor.

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Guest Frank L.
He had his moments, but he's a bit of an over-actor.

This is exactly how I feel. He's pushing too hard, in contrast with the other actors he's not acting 'natural'. He becomes a stereotype.

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Hi there!

Well, you know the funny thing is... I ADORE Hobbes' voiceovers. :) And I think that Chris Carter is very good at them, I mean I love all his voiceovers he wrote for the X-Files and Millennium. They are kind of poetic and a little bit romantic, you know. I really love them all and especially that "dearest darling" one. BTW a friend of mine really likes those voiceovers too, so I don't feel myself alone, LOL. :) And I like D.B. Sweeney, I think he was very good.

And I totally agree that Chris Carter has the ability to make excellent pilots. The X-Files, Millennium, Harsh Realm pilots - they are just outstanding (Millennium pilot is actually my fav. episode). And yeah Harsh Realm pilot was like a movie, it was great.

Edited by Blackoil
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Guest Frank L.

Hi... I'm glad people have different opinions. The world would be quite boring if we all had the same.

I agree on the fact that CC has the ability to make great pilots. The Harsh Realm pilot was a bit of a disappoitment for me, but I absolutely love the pilots for TXF and MM. And the MM is one of my favorite eps too :)

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Well, you know the funny thing is... I ADORE Hobbes' voiceovers. :) And I think that Chris Carter is very good at them, I mean I love all his voiceovers he wrote for the X-Files and Millennium. They are kind of poetic and a little bit romantic, you know. I really love them all and especially that "dearest darling" one. BTW a friend of mine really likes those voiceovers too, so I don't feel myself alone, LOL. :) And I like D.B. Sweeney, I think he was very good.

Chris Carter has written the best voiceovers I've ever heard. They're magnificent. I think the best voiceover of all time was Scully's in Memento Mori.

The romantic swing just didn't do it for me. Maybe it was just a bit too forefed: I don't want the talk to be musy and affluent, just get to the point. The X-Files and Millennium were all business (more or less), and Harsh Realm was trying to be too personal, in my opinion.

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Guest Frank L.

I agree 100%, gmcp. I loved the V.O.'s in The X-Files. In the Harsh Realm pilot Gillian Anderson does the voice-over for the instructional video, and that sounds great too.

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Chris Carter has written the best voiceovers I've ever heard. They're magnificent. I think the best voiceover of all time was Scully's in Memento Mori.

I totally agree with you, I like every voiceover he wrote, and yes - the "Memento Mori" one was absolutely magnificent. And I also like Albert Hosteen's VOs from "The Blessing Way" and "Paper Clip", Mulder's VO for "Closure" and that long and poetic Scully's VO from "Trust No 1".

My favorite Millennium voiceover is from "Seven And One", you know that one where Frank tells that "if I see in the darkness it's because there is light, and it is the light which guides me now" - I just adore those words.

The romantic swing just didn't do it for me. Maybe it was just a bit too forefed: I don't want the talk to be musy and affluent, just get to the point. The X-Files and Millennium were all business (more or less), and Harsh Realm was trying to be too personal, in my opinion.

Well, tastes differ but as I said before those Hobbes' voiceovers are really cool. :)

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