Ascension: In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb?

When SyFy’s Ascension debuted on Monday, I was excited.  I’m a huge fan of The Twilight Zone and Ascension had a definite Rod Serling vibe to it, what with the mysterious space ship designed to save humanity, a 100-year mission, and a crew trapped in the Kennedy-era with no idea what has happened on Earth since 1963.

Episode 1 was great.  The twist was superb.  The drama increased in Episode 2.

But Episode 3 sputtered.  Last night felt like a letdown, in some ways.  Yes, they set things up in a way that screams “sequel,” but there was way too much going on to really feel like we reached a conclusion.  In fact, I’m not sure we concluded anything.  The show simply ended.

Had there been one more night, things might be different.  Episode 3 felt rushed.  It was moving in an interesting direction, but at that point so many storylines hatched that there was too much to fit into two hours.

If SyFy has plans for Ascension, I will tune in.  I want for there to be more. There has to be more.  Ascension started out too strong for the story to end here.

What did you think?  Am I alone in my thinking?

(A full review, laden with spoilers, will follow soon)

SyFy’s Ascension: Themes from Episode 2

(Spoiler Free)

I noticed quite a few major themes in last night’s episode of Ascension.  I don’t want to go into the plot twists and turns, because that’s a whole other post, really.  For now I want to focus on what life is like after spending 51 years in isolation, without any influence from the outside world.

Last night we learned that the inhabitants of Ascension were carefully selected.  Breeding is a selective process, as resources have to be allotted to each passenger.  Therefore no homosexuals were allowed on board; according to Harris, they are “superfluous” to the needs of the mission since they cannot reproduce.  Breeding is “regulated” so that the brightest offspring are produced.  In this case, Krista is one of those special offspring.

Ascension inhabitants have no idea about the Kennedy Assasination, the Civil Rights Movement, the sexual revolution, Women’s Rights, 9-11, Vietnam.  Sexual favors are exchanged for information.  The stewardesses are used as political spies.  Sex is a currency.

The people behind Project Ascension view it as a sociological experiment, though it has become “the best reality tv show never made.”  In that sense, it’s a lot like The Truman Show, where people live their lives in a totally contrived environment.  Indeed, this middle generation of inhabitants grows up with the forced understanding that they have no choice but to live out their lives on this ship with no ability to leave.  They will know everyone they will ever meet, and they will never see their final destination.

Harris believes that the people on the ship are happy to be where they are.  Or, more precisely, they are happily living in ignorance of the truth.  “Had you been born on that ship would you want to know the truth?” he asks.

As someone who studied both History and Political Science in college, I find the concept of Ascension to be fascinating.  These people are living in their own world.  They have been given the brightest minds and as many resources as possible, and so a little world has been created in which there is social strife (ie living life as a lower-decker) and a political hierarchy, but no crime (until now) and what seems to be a thriving communnity.  Of course, every Eden has its demise, and I’m sure that we’ll see this demise in the final chapter that airs tonight.

Are you watching Ascension?  What do you think?  Is such an experiment possible?

 

 

SyFy’s Ascension: Brave New World (Spoiler Free Thoughts)

The three-day SyFy Channel event, Ascension, debuted last night.

I’m hooked.

I first saw promotions for the show during San Diego Comic Con, where the SyFy Channel decked out Mary Jane’s Cafe at the Hard Rock with Ascension-themed decor.

I had no idea the show would be what it is.  And I love it.

The concept is simple: In the 1960s, a super secret plan was realized which sent hundreds of Americans into space aboard a giant ship.  The 100-year mission was to arrive at a new planet capable of sustaining life.  Several generations of inhabitants would make the journey: those that were there for the launch, those in the “middle”, and those who arrive at the new planet after 100 years.  The “Middle” generation has to deal with the psychological impact of being born and dying on board a ship, with no option of leaving, and no possibility of a return to Earth.

We meet the residents of Ascension in the 51st year, when a suspicious death delivers the ship into uncharted internal strife.  The most startling aspect of the show is that the Ascension residents are now second-generation residents, but they can only refer back to Earth’s history as it was in the early 1960s.  That means they left Earth before men walked on the moon.  They are advanced…and yet they are stuck in the Kennedy-era.

Meanwhile, back on present-day Earth, we meet the man who originally engineered the whole idea (he’s in a senior care facility), and his son, who is trying to protect his father’s legacy.  When a student approaches him claiming that the Ascension project is in fact a reality, the son blows him off, stating that there is no truth to the project at all.

However, Ascension is real…but it’s not what it seems….  The twist is a game changer.

Watching Ascension is like watching a long episode of The Twilight Zone.  The Cold War and racial/social tensions exist as they did in the 1960s even though 51 years have passed.

Part Two airs tonight on Syfy.  I’ll discuss more details as soon as the show has aired.  This is one show that should remain spoiler-free!

 

SDCC After Dark

I promised you more about Comic Con, and here it is!  Have you ever wondered what happens when the sun goes down and the Exhibit Hall closes for the night?  If you thought Comic Con was done at 7pm, you’re very wrong.  That’s when some say it starts to come alive.

Every year the San Diego Symphony presents a special Summer Pops presentation, and this year they did three different shows including a salute to the music of Danny Elfman as well as a performance of the music from the rebooted Star Trek franchise while the movie played onscreen.  Like I said, everyone gets in on the Comic Con action.

If you decide to venture out into the Gaslamp Quarter, you’ll see that the whole area is celebrating.  Petco Park is the home base for Nerd HQ as well as The Walking Dead Escape.

 

Nerd HQ is the brainchild of Zachary Levi, creator of the Nerd Machine.  Nerd HQ is open throughout SDCC and is free to everyone.  It’s a great place to hang out, play games, take photos, and meet celebrities.  They also host popular conversation style panels with stars of movies and television that are so popular that the tickets sell out in seconds.

While wandering around the Gaslamp, you’ll see that SyFy has once again taken over Mary Jane’s Cafe at the Hard Rock Hotel.  In the past the restaurant has featured decor from Eureka and Defiance.  This year the theme celebrated the upcoming series Ascension, an outer space sci-fi drama set in the atomic era.

Meanwhile, back at the Convention Center, there are panels still going after the Exhibit Hall closes, along with movie screenings and special events, such as the Klingon Lifestyle Presentation. However, on Saturday night the Convention center comes alive when the Masquerade takes over Ballroom 20.  There are multiple broadcasts of the popular event so that everyone can watch the dozens of handmade costumes and their presentations.  The best place to watch the event is under the sails in the Sails Pavilion. 

 

 There, you can enjoy snacks like the infamous Comic Con street nachos and this year’s dessert, True Blood cupcakes.

    

Once the Masquerade goes to the judging stage, the lights go down and the music pumps up as the Sails Pavilion turns into a giant dance party.  

And then, when you’re ready to go home or return to your comfy hotel room, you catch one of the 24-hour shuttles back to where you need to go so you can do it all again the next day!