Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
How is its emotional content different from what we see on American television programs such as Sleeper Cell, The Wire, 24?
For starters, Sleeper Cell and The Wire were on premium cable channels. I never saw 24, but I wasn't aware if it dealt with themes that were that shocking.
I suppose I should have qualified my point by mentioning broadcast "over the air" or "terrestrial" television.
For starters, Sleeper Cell and The Wire were on premium cable channels.
So? :shrug: If you prefer, The Shield, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PacoMartin
I never saw 24, but I wasn't aware if it dealt with themes that were that shocking.
A government agent deciding to let a nuclear bomb go off on American soil isn't shocking? A cop who loves his children like the best father on earth killing people under color of authority isn't shocking? Walter White's progression isn't shocking? Don Draper's?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PacoMartin
I suppose I should have qualified my point by mentioning broadcast "over the air" or "terrestrial" television.
Huh? BBC America is a cable channel here. It's not even on the basic or extended tier, but on an even higher tier.
Sorry, I'm just confused about the highlighting of Children of Earth. It seemed to be pretty-much standard stuff these days, on the better side of the scale.
I think that much of the impact of COE came from the fact that it was shown on consecutive days, approximating "real time."
I agree that it was extremely emotional particularly because the focus was on children and dealt with questions of how they are valued in a first-world society.
It was also highly critical of government, much the same way as is "In the Loop" or "The Thick of It" but without the humor to take some of the edge off. What do generally good people do in such circumstances?
And of course, for those (like me) who were already highly vested in the characters, the loss of life and heart-breaking decisions raised the level to almost unbearable proportions.
As for whether this is "typical" of British TV, I think that in some ways, the Brits are much more ruthless, and/or perhaps more pragmatic, with regard to portrayals of their own failings.
We are starting to catch up, but, we have quite a ways to go yet.
I think that in some ways, the Brits are much more ruthless, and/or perhaps more pragmatic, with regard to portrayals of their own failings.
It seems that way sometimes, but conversely patriotism also seems very strong in the UK. I would go with pragmatic.
Despite the highly artificial chain of events in the TV show leading to the moral dilemmas, it is difficult not to believe that such decisions can arise in real life.
Hypothetically with Africa exploding from 1 to 2 billion in a little more than 30 years, there is a possibility of a catastrophe of such epic proportions that it will make all previous human catastrophes pale in comparison (black death, influenza of 1917, WWI, WWII, Chinese famine of 1960, Ukrainian famine, Biafra famine). How will people react once the gut wrenching cries are done? You could combine the death toll of all those historical events, and you still would hardly make a significant dent in African population growth.
Despite the highly artificial chain of events in the TV show leading to the moral dilemmas, it is difficult not to believe that such decisions can arise in real life.
I agree. I think it is very easy to imagine people in certain positions referring to their fellow country people as "units" and making decisions based on this sort of neutralized thinking.
On my worst days, I expect some already do.
While not executed nearly as well, "Miracle Day" also deals with some very difficult moral dilemmas.
Such is the power of a good science fiction story.
Of course. I always remember a moral exercise given to us in 10th grade that was said to be based on a real life situation. We were given a three sentence bio of 10 people, and we could only save 2 of them from a fatal kidney disease. There were no monsters in the group. All the kids happily went about choosing the two people. We all presented our arguments, and when it was all done, we were told that in real life the 2 that were chosen were chosen by dice. None of us thought of that. None of the kids said that they didn't have the right to make such a decision based on superficial descriptions.
While you could say we were just kids, I don't think people would choose random selection given a choice like that.
I finally saw Torchwood, Miracle Day, the final season of Torchwood that they did as crossover with Starz (with more American stars). A lot of lame jokes about British slang ("cash point") and American acronyms ("ATM").
The British cast returns
John Barrowman: Captain Jack Harkness
Eve Myles: Gwen Cooper
Kai Owen: Rhys Williams
The American cast (2 good characters and 2 bad characters)
It was a little "meh", but I still hope it returns.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A cop who loves his children like the best father on earth killing people under color of authority isn't shocking? Walter White's progression isn't shocking? Don Draper's?
