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Professor Shark
May 22, 2012



:siren: SPOILERS FOR SEASONS 1+2 BELOW! :siren:

Colony is a USA Networks Science Fiction show. It takes place in the near future following an alien invasion of Earth, which humanity lost almost immediately. While Season 1 somewhat dragged in my opinion, Season 2 is where this show really began to shine! We find out more about life before the invasion in the form of flashbacks spanning as far as decades into the past, suggesting that the invasion was a long time coming and that many humans and governments were aware of the invaders before the Arrival.

Here is Wikipedia's write up:

quote:

In a dystopian near-future Los Angeles, residents live under a regime of military occupation by an organization known as the Transitional Authority. The Authority serves an extraterrestrial group referred to as the "Hosts", about whom little is known. The symbol of the collaborating forces features stylized birds of prey, or raptors, which gives rise to their nickname, the "Raps". The Authority enforces Host policy via militarized police called Homeland Security and nicknamed the "Redhats".

The Hosts took control on a day known simply as the "Arrival". Late that day, massive rectangular blocks descended from the sky, linking together to build walls dividing the city. One of these walls, 20—30 stories tall, many meters thick, and many miles in length, surrounds the central part of Los Angeles, where the series is set. Other similar walls have been constructed around neighbouring urban areas, called "blocs", with the whole referred to as a "colony". Traffic passes through the walls at heavily secured checkpoints, called "gateways", which allow the Authority to strictly control the movement of people and the distribution of consumables, such as food and fuel, which are rationed. The geographical extent of the alien invasion is unclear, but it is presumably worldwide.

A privileged class of elites, drawn by the Hosts from the local population, are denigrated by some bloc residents as collaborators. The ruling forces maintain control through the separation of loved ones, shoot-on-sight curfews, forced disappearances, random checkpoints, frequent electronic identity checks, limitation of motor vehicle usage (most people walk or ride bicycles), pervasive visual propaganda, slave labor in a place called the "Factory", and electronic surveillance with Host-provided drone aircraft that launch from the wall. Some medical problems, such as diabetes, have been "deemed unworthy for treatment" by the Hosts, to cull the population.

A resistance movement is referred to as both the "Resistance" and the "Insurgency". An informal barter-based black market has also sprung up, trading in surplus materials and home-produced goods.

In the second season, it is revealed that a large organization, known as the Global Authority, stands between the Transitional Authorities of the colonies and the Hosts. In flashbacks, it is revealed that before the Arrival an organization called the "Institute for Global Advancement" was collaborating with the Hosts, recruiting suitable people for the Transitional Authority.

The series begins less than a year after the Arrival. It follows the Bowmans and their extended family. Their son Charlie was on a school sports trip and was separated from them when the walls came down. The father, Will Bowman, is a former FBI Agent who reluctantly joins the Redhats and is tasked with tracking down members of the resistance, after being threatened that he and his family would be sent to the Factory if he did not comply. Unbeknownst to Will, his wife Katie is a Resistance operative. She later reveals this, and they begin to trade information. Their son Bram discovers a way under the wall, and later joins a rival Resistance group.

Season 3 opens with the Bowman family living a peaceful life in the woods after escaping L.A., which was "Renditioned" by the Hosts. While I'm still early into the premiere episode, so far I'm really enjoying the different perspective of the post Arrival world and the early hints at where the show is going!

:canada:Canadians:canada: can watch the show on bravo.ca, which runs like crap most of the time. My recommendation is to not pause the show during commercials.

Professor Shark fucked around with this message at 15:10 on May 12, 2018

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qirex
Feb 15, 2001

One thing I can't figure out about this show is that it's a nearly identical premise to a Robert Silverberg book called "The Alien Years" but there's not a peep about that anywhere.

I'm interested to see where they're going on the outside but I'm worried that they'll get caught up in Walking Dead style "maybe man was the true aliens all along" thing with this new camp full of weirdos they're at and not move the actual alien plot along much. I also did a double take at the ski lift in episode one as "LOL British Columbia" but then I remembered there's this one ski resort like 60 miles outside LA so it's almost plausible. The surrounding area sure doesn't look like that though.

VictorianQueerLit
Aug 25, 2017
Oh hey this is back.

Looks like they are going Falling Skies or something.

HUGE SPACEKABLOOIE
Mar 31, 2010


This is a really underrated show you should watch.

qirex posted:

One thing I can't figure out about this show is that it's a nearly identical premise to a Robert Silverberg book called "The Alien Years" but there's not a peep about that anywhere.

I'm interested to see where they're going on the outside but I'm worried that they'll get caught up in Walking Dead style "maybe man was the true aliens all along" thing with this new camp full of weirdos they're at and not move the actual alien plot along much. I also did a double take at the ski lift in episode one as "LOL British Columbia" but then I remembered there's this one ski resort like 60 miles outside LA so it's almost plausible. The surrounding area sure doesn't look like that though.

The first two seasons were shot in LA, and yeah there are several resorts on the outskirts of the area’ mainly Big Bear. Wills partner in S1 had the cabin there.

HUGE SPACEKABLOOIE fucked around with this message at 17:12 on May 12, 2018

Professor Shark
May 22, 2012

I enjoyed the first couple episodes, I'm guessing there will be a lot more human drama based on what the new resistance guy, Vincent ( Waleed Zuaiter) said about things getting "political".

muscles like this!
Jan 17, 2005


One thing I like about the show is how it isn't afraid to just completely change things up since they really could have dragged that original premise out for a couple of years.

Also kind of funny how brutally they ended all those other characters' story arcs. The Factory blew up, they're all dead.

Professor Shark
May 22, 2012

Haha yeah, the mystery of The Factory was ended within two sentences. I guess whatever weapons they build are pretty toxic to humans, hence the very high attrition rate?

muscles like this!
Jan 17, 2005


The Moon itself is very unsafe for people, especially if someone was uninterested in safety.

Interestingly enough scientists recently did some tests with moon dust and it is extremely toxic in ways they don't quite understand yet.

etalian
Mar 20, 2006

No not the BSG rain forest forest again..

Also not suprising that Synder didn't give up his Quisling ways.

Rocksicles
Oct 19, 2012

by Nyc_Tattoo

etalian posted:

No not the BSG rain forest forest again..

Also not suprising that Synder didn't give up his Quisling ways.

It was Chulak long before it was Caprica

HUGE SPACEKABLOOIE
Mar 31, 2010


It's been every city and every forrest in like 4 different galaxies and god knows how many timelines and parallel universes.

Octy
Apr 1, 2010

I'm glad someone made this thread so I didn't have to. Really enjoyed the first couple episodes and interested to see where they head with the new alien race (faction?) plot.

etalian
Mar 20, 2006

The red mist explosions deaths still rock, as well as being a nice shout out to the season 2 wall scene.

Professor Shark
May 22, 2012

etalian posted:

The red mist explosions deaths still rock, as well as being a nice shout out to the season 2 wall scene.

It’s so simple yet terrifying. Red mists deaths are quick and scary, the show does them really well!

counterfeitsaint
Feb 26, 2010

I'm a girl, and you're
gnomes, and it's like
what? Yikes.
This show deserves a thread and I'm glad it has one now.

I also really love it when shows will change their premise to progress the story. It sure beats still being stuck on the beach acting bewildered 5 seasons in, eh Sawyer?

Anyways, I can't remember, was it established or just hinted at that the rapps were machines last season? I hope they don't go too far with the "But the real enemy is man!" thing in this show with the oppressive camp leader. That poo poo gets played out on literally every alien invasion story ever told, and beside Colony did it in a far better and more interesting way back in season 1 with all the nazi occupation allegories.

etalian
Mar 20, 2006

Synder is pretty much my favorite character on the show for how good the actor is at being both sympathetic and devious.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMPwbuu-sQg

muscles like this!
Jan 17, 2005


counterfeitsaint posted:

This show deserves a thread and I'm glad it has one now.

I also really love it when shows will change their premise to progress the story. It sure beats still being stuck on the beach acting bewildered 5 seasons in, eh Sawyer?

Anyways, I can't remember, was it established or just hinted at that the rapps were machines last season? I hope they don't go too far with the "But the real enemy is man!" thing in this show with the oppressive camp leader. That poo poo gets played out on literally every alien invasion story ever told, and beside Colony did it in a far better and more interesting way back in season 1 with all the nazi occupation allegories.

Yes, we saw last season that the damaged Rap got that sphere in its head removed and put in a new body.

etalian
Mar 20, 2006

The first two seasons are up on Netflix:
https://www.netflix.com/browse?jbv=80077417&jbp=4&jbr=5

Professor Shark
May 22, 2012

Catching up with the last episode, Red Mist Galore!

Rocksicles
Oct 19, 2012

by Nyc_Tattoo

Professor Shark posted:

Catching up with the last episode, Red Mist Galore!

Those Mechs are pretty good at atomising people.

Grognan
Jan 23, 2007

by Fluffdaddy
Lol this show is what happens when first contact happens but they listen to elon musk in how to reorganize society.

etalian
Mar 20, 2006

Rocksicles posted:

Those Mechs are pretty good at atomising people.

At least it's pretty sanitary.

precision
May 7, 2006

by VideoGames
Oh man season 2 was a wild ride and I'm stoked to start this season tonight

Professor Shark
May 22, 2012

That was a good time-skip transition at the end of the episode.

Rocksicles
Oct 19, 2012

by Nyc_Tattoo

Professor Shark posted:

That was a good time-skip transition at the end of the episode.

Yeah i agree. It was great stuff.

This season has been really good.

etalian
Mar 20, 2006

broussard is one smooth operator

Professor Shark
May 22, 2012

I really like him this season.

etalian
Mar 20, 2006

Professor Shark posted:

I really like him this season.

I liked it how in the most recent episode he didn't kill the Redhat soldier in the ambush scene since he was more focused on evading
his way out of the ambush.

Sonderval
Sep 10, 2011
This show continues to be good, Synder is amazing.

spookygonk
Apr 3, 2005
Does not give a damn

Sonderval posted:

This show continues to be good, Synder is amazing.
He is that.

Open Source Idiom
Jan 4, 2013
Wrong son died!

Like, seriously, that kid actor was waaay better than his sister.

bring back old gbs
Feb 28, 2007

by LITERALLY AN ADMIN
drat, didn't see that one coming :smith: And in the same episode they bring up the fact that they're consciousness in a machine. But just to rub it in here's the definitely dead decomposed body shot

Professor Shark
May 22, 2012

That episode was very depressingly good.

Sydner's "I hammered away at the weak link" was really good. I wanted Vincent to turn things around and become the Good Guy... but instead he died being the unconfident gently caress-up he always had been :(

I feel that Charlie died because they didn't know what to do with him anymore. He's with Minnie the Dog now :smith:

BlackJosh
Sep 25, 2007
Man Charlie went through some rough stuff and then dies getting shot down in front of his family. Bleak stuff.

Snyder is a very good character. What a sneaky little weasel.

muscles like this!
Jan 17, 2005


Straight up killing Charlie sure was a hosed up moment for the show.

etalian
Mar 20, 2006

BlackJosh posted:

Snyder is a very good character. What a sneaky little weasel.

The actor is top notch especially how subtlety manipulates people to survive

counterfeitsaint
Feb 26, 2010

I'm a girl, and you're
gnomes, and it's like
what? Yikes.
Very much a "This is not Falling Skies" episode.

HUGE SPACEKABLOOIE
Mar 31, 2010


Open Source Idiom posted:

Wrong son died

Like, seriously, that kid actor was waaay better than his sister.

When Charlie caught the dudes with guns who busted in and killed the tutor/alien religion lady early and saved the sister by hiding on the roof he established himself as the true badass kid having survived on his own in Santa Monica. He should have been the one to kill Vancouver Seattle George Washington and Bram should have caught the bullet.

Octy
Apr 1, 2010

Yeah honestly I thought either Bram or the sister was going to get it. I was coming around to liking Charlie. :(

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Rocksicles
Oct 19, 2012

by Nyc_Tattoo
The sister was primed to be the dead child. Charlie was a tough kid.

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