Air Date: Monday, October 31, 2011, 8/7c on Fox
I have to admit, “Bylaw” lacks excitement. I keep thinking there will be more intrigue, more something considering Terra Nova has its first murder. Alas, no. Nothing holds me to the screen; nothing makes me curious about what else will happen. I get so bored while watching I venture off to make tea. (And I am not exaggerating.) Whatever I missed in the two minutes I was away from the television didn’t cause any panic. That’s not good for a brand new show. It should hold my interest long enough that I don’t forget what’s happening in the episode.
Terra Nova is slacking in the action department. I actually like the premise of a dinosaur being used to commit murder, but the motive behind the murder isn’t all that interesting. The confession of Rebecca’s (Alice Parkinson) husband Howard (Steve Rodgers) is poorly done. I don’t even want to blame the actor for his delivery because he’s working with the material given, but come on! You are an actor; your job is making me believe whatever you’re saying—yet sadly, I’m not convinced. Of course, it might be because Howard is lying and just isn’t the best liar in Terra Nova. Either way, I don’t really care. I think the story arc is a device to give Jim (Jason O’Mara) police work, which is kind of sad. He’s a cop with nothing and no one to police. His job in security doesn’t seem to be enough for him. There’s no every day grind to deal with, no serious crime causing uproars in the colony. So what’s the point? Bring the Sixers into the mix, and then we’ve got something cooking. In fact, that’s what I think is missing—the opposition to the serenity of the colony. Since we don’t know what’s going on in the future, we’re stuck in the past where things are supposed to be different. Obviously, they aren’t since a murder has been committed, but there has to be more going on than gambling and making hooch.
Observations and thoughts:
What does work is Commander Taylor’s (Stephen Lang) rule proprietorship of the colony. He’s tough, informed and doesn’t like to go with hunches. There needs to be more Taylor focus. I’d like to find out he’s corrupt or keeping secrets about the colony (which we know he is) and see more about his son. The idea there is something going on in Terra Nova we don’t know about was introduced but seems to have vanished since the show’s premiere. Those strange markings Josh (Landon Liboiron) and Skye (Allison Miller) found still have me wondering what they are and what they mean.
The other thing I think would make Terra Nova more interesting is focusing on the characters we’ve been introduced to. You know there’s a love story brewing between Skye and Josh—he wants his girlfriend to come from 2149, but Skye has eyes for him and I think Josh has feelings for her too. Mira’s (Christine Adams) another interesting character we know very little about. She broke away from the colony for a reason and we’ve yet to get a glimpse into what that is or her motives. That is something I want to find out. Why don’t we see more about the Sixers or who created Terra Nova? Heck, even the dinosaurs have lost their flare. The time Malcolm (Rod Hallett) and Elizabeth (Shelley Conn) spend operating on a dinosaur could have been spent doing something, anything else.
I hate to give up on the show but my interest is beginning to fade. So much so, I’m not looking forward to the next episode. Terra Nova needs to focus on the dramatic aspects of life in a new place, the people who have contrived ways to get there and the criminals who’ve managed to make their way into positions of power. Like Boylan (Damien Garvey).
Tune in to Terra Nova on Mondays at 8/7c on Fox. For more on the show, visit http://www.fox.com/terranova/.
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