gwaevalarin: (Balthazar)
Tinka ([personal profile] gwaevalarin) wrote2010-12-26 11:42 pm

Odyssey 5

To be honest, I didn't expect much from this show when I asked for the DVDs for Christmas. I only wanted it because it has Sebastian Roché in a leading role and I figured that even if it turned out to be a rather trashy scifi show it would probably still be entertaining.

Five episodes into the show, it turns out that, despite the rather ridiculous initial set-up and the not too great special effects, the show is actually pretty good. It has episodic storylines, that always add something to the big arc, it has interesting characters that struggle with this weird situation they're thrown into, the weight on their shoulders and their relationships with each other. It's a group of very different characters, thrown together by the cause of events. They have their differences, but they learn to trust each other and become a team.

Odyssey 5 starts with five people on the space shuttle Odyssey watching in horror as the Earth explodes right in front of their eyes, leaving them, the last of human kind, flooding through empty space without hope and with oxygen running low. When everything seems lost, they are saved by a mysterious being, calling himself The Seeker, who claims that the Earth shares its fate with 50 other planets and that he can send their consciousnesses back in time to give them a chance ot save their planet.
The five time travelers find themselves five years in the past, with an Earth to save, and no idea where to start, the only clue being one word: "Leviathan". Soon they have to realise that knowing the future can make things quite complicated and that everything they do will change events in unforeseeable ways.

Commander Chuck Taggart is a little rough around the edges but he can tell right from wrong and is the group's voice of reason. He's experienced, in control and keeps everyone on mission.

Neil Taggart is Chuck's son who finds himself from successful and respected astronaut back in high-school, the black sheep of the family, and in the shadow of his brother Marc.

Sarah Forbes is a reporter, driven mainly by her emotions and trying to right wrongs, but occasionally making things worse by doing so. Her main concern is to save herself from having to relive the nightmare of her little son dying from cancer.

Angela Perry: Smart, independent, honest and troubled by her somewhat corrupt politician of a father.

And, of course, last but not least:
Despite what you may think, I'm all for saving the world. I just want a little fun while doing it, that's all.
Dr. Kurt Mendel. Pretty much a human version of Balthazar. He has the same "We can't win this anyway, so let's blow coke and jump on the bed"-attitude, but just like Bal he can't turn away when his friends need him.
His introduction pretty much speaks for itself:

Sarah Forbes: Why does everything that comes out of your mouth have something to do with sex?
Kurt Mendel: Maybe because were riding in a three billion dollar phallic symbol. Don't quote me.
Sarah Forbes: If I started quoting you they'd shut down the space program.

But underneath his frivolous and nonchalant surface, he isn't really all about money and women and fun and maybe genetics. There's compassion in him, and once in a while it shines through, for example when he is forced to babysit a deaf little girl and surprises with how kind he can be. &hearts

Needless to say that, with Mendel being so similar to Bal, this show has my mind racing with where Balthazar's journey might take him, and how those more compassionate and kind moments would look if it was Balthazar directing them at Castiel. The possibilities, the potential... please show, don't screw this up.

Re: I'm aware that there's no way this doesn't look stalkery...since you don't know me but -

[identity profile] gwaevalarin.livejournal.com 2011-01-07 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
I've been to A1, A2, A3, AE and A5. The last two ran a lot more smoothly. RE still has some major issues, and sometimes I feel I should stop giving them money. But I love the people I've met there and the show and cast too much to stop going.
Let me know if you help out your friend at A6. Maybe I can stop by the dealers room to say hi. :)

Supernatural is my favourite show and I love it to bits and pieces, but I do have to admit that it has its flaws, especially now in season 6. I did particularly enjoy season 4 and 5 though, mainly because I love the angel-part of the mythology and Castiel is pretty much my favourite tv show character ever.
I'm not into the whole Wincest and J2 part of the fandom either, so I usually just stick to my comfy, crazy little corner of the fandom.

But if you don't enjoy the show any more, that's just something that happens. You fall in love with shows, and sometimes you fall out of love again. Fortunately, there are enough great shows around to choose from.

Re: I'm aware that there's no way this doesn't look stalkery...since you don't know me but -

[identity profile] krazykipper.livejournal.com 2011-01-07 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
My issues aren't just to do with how they run the shows in public, but I can't really say more than that (sorry!). I popped my head in at A5 and yes, people seemed happier. No-one was attacked or anything. Cool, I will do!

I haven't fallen out of love so much as just pretended that it ended at the end of S2. Where it rounded off so nicely. :) Some people do that odd thing where they fall out of love and seem to do a 180 and hate the whole show? That confuses me, the things I loved are still there, it's just that I don't find the characters are who I liked. And some of the developments (like the angel mythology though I know people like it and the whole 'line of hunters' thing just did not work for me. I refuse to believe that John wouldn't have realized in retrospect that Mary had been a hunter) bugged me.

There are some superscary J2 tinhats as well. Most of the ones I know are lovely but some? Someone at A1 was seriously insistent that Jensen was actually God. I may have run away quickly. Though the whole watching him get jumped thing was actually funny in a surreal kinda way. There was just this shout and flurry of fangirl. My mate (Andrew - hosted some of the panels at A1?) tried to pull her off. People are nuts.

Castiel is popular, the fandom seems to have gone nuts! I didn't have much Castiel love, but Misha is very cool. He was in one of my sections at CML and we got to chat a bit.

Odyssey 5 is my favourite. (Shocker) and I have this knack for completely falling for tiny shows that no-one has heard of and get cancelled after a couple of seasons (if they get renewed). Never mind, I always have plenty to choose from for [livejournal.com profile] yuletide.

Have you thought about ficcing for O5? It's so tiny and needs all the fic it can get!

Re: I'm aware that there's no way this doesn't look stalkery...since you don't know me but -

[identity profile] gwaevalarin.livejournal.com 2011-01-08 12:12 pm (UTC)(link)
The season 2 finale is a pretty good ending point, as is the season 5 finale.

Have you thought about ficcing for O5? It's so tiny and needs all the fic it can get!
I'm afraid, I'm not much of a fanfic writer. I've written maybe half a dozen ficlets in the last couple of years. I may write something at one point, who knows. But it's more likely that you'll find me writing an episode review/meta/character analysis sometime.

Re: I'm aware that there's no way this doesn't look stalkery...since you don't know me but -

[identity profile] krazykipper.livejournal.com 2011-01-08 12:21 pm (UTC)(link)
That's good to know. I do sorta intend to go back and try again at some point. Someone gave me S5 and S6 on a disc so who knows?

Aww... sad face. Never mind, I'm not that good at it either but it's still fun. :D Character/meta is fun though - if you get around to writing any post it to [livejournal.com profile] odyssey5 :) Then the very tiny fandom can find it!

Re: I'm aware that there's no way this doesn't look stalkery...since you don't know me but -

[identity profile] gwaevalarin.livejournal.com 2011-01-08 12:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Will do. :)