Revolution TV series premier

[Panzercat]

So, I've been looking forward to this one for a while now-- TVs take on a TEOTWAWKI scenario. Don't worry, this isn't one of those threads, but it was interesting to watch somewhat honest television for a change. To give you a quick run down, something happens to the Earth and kills electricity world wide. 15 years later it's still out and society has reverted to about 18th century tech. Farms and totalitarianism, swords, crossbows, muskets and the occasional modern firearm here and there. The plot is a mix of The Postman and One Second After, to give you a general idea of the direction.

So what's this have to do with that and network honesty? It pretty accurately portrayed a society where the average peasant (you and me) were denied the right to bear arms by a militaristic regime. One of the first scenes was a squad of soldiers demanding to detain somebody from a village. When challenged, the bootkickers produced firearms (namely muskets for the conscripts) vs the villagers farm tools. When the villagers got out of hand and appeared to actually have a decent chance of resisting, the lead bootkicker pulled a Desert Eagle and decimated his opposition.

It was a pretty poignant- almost blatant -scene that I couldn't help but to consider dead on in its take on not just this fictional future, but on the very days we live in. Anybody else watch this one?

[Borregos]

Watched it but it didn't really turn my crank

[Idahoser]

I enjoyed it and plan to keep watching. I like Supernatural, from the same creator.

[FWiedner]

I watched it and thought the episode was telling a believeable tale until Uncle Whatsizname turned into a superhumanninjabadazz.

[Mac in Mo]

I saw it and thought it was pretty close to SM Stirling's Dies the Fire.
I had to laugh when a guy hit by a cross bow bolt was flung backward several feet from the impact. I may or may not keep watching. Probably won't to tell the truth.

Kevin

[Old Ironsights]

What is this "TV" of which you speak?

[Hobie]

What is this "TV" of which you speak?

It is the box with a flickering light in front of which my wife sits...

[Old Ironsights]

What is this "TV" of which you speak?

It is the box with a flickering light in front of which my wife sits...

Ah... I think I saw one of those at a museum once...

Not even my PC LCD flickers at this point...

Only flickering light we sit in front of is a fire... usually made of burning materials sent to us from the DNC, RNC & NRA...

[AJMD429]

What is this "TV" of which you speak?

I was wondering the same thing...

I didn't realize the "One Second After" book was written by William R. Forstchen & Newt Gingrich as in the same team who wrote "To Try Men's Souls", and "Valley Forge; George Washington and the Crucible of History"...

Interesting...!

I've read the two historical-fiction works above, and just ordered "One Second After".

[gundownunder]

Watched it last night.
I thought it was pretty entertaining apart from the super ninja uncle and the massive impact from arrows knocking people off their feet.
I would imagine that a real life outcome would be pretty similar in regard to disarming the people and the gangs with guns ruling the rest by old fashioned brutality.
I'll keep watching for a while and see what comes out of it.

[Panzercat]

Yeah, the super arrow physics made me chuckle/cringe every time somebody got it, and we all know it almost none of those would be the one shot kills. Medieval combat was a messy business but I guess it would make for poor TV to have a to step over a bunch of wounded.

[piller]

Hollywood forgets physics in favor of looking cool. for something to have the power to throw the person on the receiving end, it would have the recoil to throw the person on the sending end. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. A simple law of physics that cannot be overcome. Recoil pads and stock shape do help with the perceived impact, but there is still the same total force each way. We all know that, but Hollywood writers want it to look cool for the uninformed.

[Idahoser]

Y'all should look up Jericho on netflix. They haveit to watch online.

[Old Ironsights]

Yeah, the super arrow physics made me chuckle/cringe every time somebody got it, and we all know it almost none of those would be the one shot kills. Medieval combat was a messy business but I guess it would make for poor TV to have a to step over a bunch of wounded.

Like the Civil War/pre "germ theory"/pre antibiotic Era.

.22 Shorts killed a lot of folks simply from Sepsis...

[hfcable]

What is this "TV" of which you speak?

I last had one of those in the late 60s early 70s! not very interesting then, but may have gone down hill since.

[hfcable]

What is this "TV" of which you speak?

I was wondering the same thing...

I didn't realize the "One Second After" book was written by William R. Forstchen & Newt Gingrich as in the same team who wrote "To Try Men's Souls", and "Valley Forge; George Washington and the Crucible of History"...

Interesting...!

I've read the two historical-fiction works above, and just ordered "One Second After".

"one second after " is an interesting [ and depressing ] read; some medical inaccuracies, but a very sobering scenario to contemplate.

someone like me, i have a Common Variable Immune Deficiency, requiring IVIGg every three weeks [ tomorrow is the day...six hours sitting in the infusion center ] would not be around very long after this kind of apocalyptic event.

[L_Kilkenny]

What is this "TV" of which you speak?

I was wondering the same thing...

I didn't realize the "One Second After" book was written by William R. Forstchen & Newt Gingrich as in the same team who wrote "To Try Men's Souls", and "Valley Forge; George Washington and the Crucible of History"...

Interesting...!

I've read the two historical-fiction works above, and just ordered "One Second After".

"One Second After" is a good read albeit depressing as already stated. Some BS but it really points out a lot of issues if events were to take place.

I was thinkin the show was gonna be along the same lines and was kinda caught off guard by it's dateline being 15 years after whatever event took place and it's mostly science fiction/fantasy type story line. Kinda hard to enjoy something when you go in expecting one thing and get something entirely different. But alas, now that I know what to expect I'll give the show a go and see how it does.

[Hobie]

I have read that estimates are that 100,000,000 people in the US would die within 5 years of an EMP event resulting in what is depicted. Of course folks like Doc Cable, dialysis patients, and so forth but also we'd suddenly be back to pre-contraception and things being what they are lots of women would die from various things associated with their physiology. These people are still using make-up, have nice clothes (not homespun) including tight jeans, have modern boots and do their hair. They managed to produce a lot of tentage for the general's army. It irritates me no end. The backwards crossbow bugs me, too.

[wecsoger]

Y'all should look up Jericho on netflix

I was so bitterly disappointed in Jericho when it was on the telly. (Not picking on you in particular)

It was a good concept and a wealth of possibilities, but the writers screwed it up, badly. They worked so hard creating artificial drama when there were so many good "real" options. I barely made it through half the season.

Sad, too. All they had to do was stick with realistic subjects and it would have scared the dickens out of everyone.

Thanks for mentioning 'Revolution', I'm going to look that one up.

[Old Ironsights]

... The backwards crossbow bugs me, too.

They look weird, but really work well. Been on the market for a few years now....

[Panzercat]

Yeah, don't get me started on One Second After. It keeps me up at night. Really.
And lets not forget the India blackouts as of recently.

[Rusty]

I bought One Second After, after hearing the author on the radio one night. My wife read it and we have passed it around to several other people. It has served to get a lot of people thinking.

[Hobie]

... The backwards crossbow bugs me, too.

They look weird, but really work well. Been on the market for a few years now....

I know... still bugs me!

[Old Ironsights]

... The backwards crossbow bugs me, too.

They look weird, but really work well. Been on the market for a few years now....

I know... still bugs me!

Meh. "Traditionalists"...

I'll bet your great^2E10 grandpappy complained about attaching sharp rocks to perfectly good pointy sticks too...

[hfcable]

I bought One Second After, after hearing the author on the radio one night. My wife read it and we have passed it around to several other people. It has served to get a lot of people thinking.

yes, my copy is still circulating out there somewhere.

might be nice if the idjits in congress were interested in doing a little preventive planning on this issue.....last one who did so was Ronald Reagan.

both parties seem to have their heads where the sun don't shine, most of the time.

[olyinaz]

Hollywood forgets physics in favor of looking cool.

Yes, the airliners all falling straight down out of the sky because their engines and generators quit was some loony physics as well. What? Gliding only works if you have electricity? Someone should have told the 82nd Airborne that back in 1944! Not that an airliner's gas turbine engines require any electricity to run in the first place. Or Diesel engines, or...

I did note the scene mentioned regarding an unarmed general populace. Everyone fodder for tyrants? A fundamental plank of the Liberal agenda.

My wife and I enjoy science fiction so we recorded it and gave it a look, but it was a disappointment.

Oly

[Hobie]

... The backwards crossbow bugs me, too.

They look weird, but really work well. Been on the market for a few years now....

I know... still bugs me!

Meh. "Traditionalists"...

I'll bet your great^2E10 grandpappy complained about attaching sharp rocks to perfectly good pointy sticks too...

I think HIS dad was upset when they started using fire to harden those wooden sticks...

[Idahoser]

Hollywood forgets physics in favor of looking cool.

Yes, the airliners all falling straight down out of the sky because their engines and generators quit was some loony physics as well. What? Gliding only works if you have electricity? Someone should have told the 82nd Airborne that back in 1944! Not that an airliner's gas turbine engines require any electricity to run in the first place. Or Diesel engines, or...

I did note the scene mentioned regarding an unarmed general populace. Everyone fodder for tyrants? A fundamental plank of the Liberal agenda.

My wife and I enjoy science fiction so we recorded it and gave it a look, but it was a disappointment.

Oly

If they're fly-by-wire, they surely won't be controlled glides.

As somebody else already pointed out, physics changed is the premise. Batteries don't work. Electricity doesn't work. Just go with it and try to enjoy the story. Or would you rather they didn't even try and gave you another 'reality' show?

[FWiedner]

The human body and nervous system operates via electro-chemical impulse, does it not?

If electricty doesn't work, how come everyone isn't dead? If batteries don't work, neither would people.

An EMP won't drain a battery or drop an animal in it's tracks.

[olyinaz]

Hollywood forgets physics in favor of looking cool.

Yes, the airliners all falling straight down out of the sky because their engines and generators quit was some loony physics as well. What? Gliding only works if you have electricity? Someone should have told the 82nd Airborne that back in 1944! Not that an airliner's gas turbine engines require any electricity to run in the first place. Or Diesel engines, or...

I did note the scene mentioned regarding an unarmed general populace. Everyone fodder for tyrants? A fundamental plank of the Liberal agenda.

My wife and I enjoy science fiction so we recorded it and gave it a look, but it was a disappointment.

Oly

If they're fly-by-wire, they surely won't be controlled glides.

As somebody else already pointed out, physics changed is the premise. Batteries don't work. Electricity doesn't work. Just go with it and try to enjoy the story. Or would you rather they didn't even try and gave you another 'reality' show?

Well that's just it, it's a strange and thus far not very believable premise. I'd give it time to develop if they didn't have so much guffaw factor in the opener, but they maxed my BS meter before the episode ended so unless the wife decides to follow it I will probably let it pass.

Also, the most common fly by wire airliner is the Airbus 320. If I recall correctly (it's been a good 15 years or so since I've flown one so...), the elevator and rudder trim are mechanically linked to cockpit controls for backup, so yes - even they would enter controlled glides and would not fall from they sky (assuming the fire in their turbine engines is somehow quenched). In the show, the sky was littered with airliners falling from the heavens (with their electric lights still on...) like autumn leafs blowing off a big oak tree in a breeze. It was ridiculous.

Guns work and fire still works, but no one has figured out how to hand crank a Diesel engine? Give the militia a few Diesel attack helicopters and they'd rule the World! Sorry, but it's pretty silly thus far.

Oly

[olyinaz]

The human body and nervous system operates via electro-chemical impulse, does it not?

If electricty doesn't work, how come everyone isn't dead? If batteries don't work, neither would people.

An EMP won't drain a battery or drop an animal in it's tracks.

Yep, good point. I supposed the theory of the show is that an electrical damping field is in place that doesn't go so far as to impede biological function - only technology.

Still, where are the steam tractors and cars?

Oly

[Streetstar]

I recently read a book called "Lights Out" by David Crawford --- very good take on the "end of the wordl" scenario books -

Its a rather long book, but i managed to read it in just a few settings

started making me think about things like, even if i have a generator, can i hook it up to my water well? among other things


I liked JEricho too --- had some broken ribs a few months ago, so i watched all episodes beginning to end on Netflix in about 3 days (im a little OCD sometimes ) - but doing much the same with "Hell on Wheels" now also whenever i get some couch time

[Old Ironsights]

There's actually a very good SF short Novel from the 70s that has as the premise the "Fact" that the Earth had spent the majority of its evolutionary perion IN a EM dampening field and that when it passed OUT of the field some really bizzare things happen to all animal life... (think Intelligent/sapient animals and Humans that consider 200 IQ to be near Moron status...)

It may actually be called "brainwave", but I don;t remember. I'll have to dig it out of my library when I get home.

Edit:

I was wrong. It wasn't the 1970s, it was 1954.

Poul Anderson, "Brain wave", 1954, ISBN 0-345-32521-4

Both uplifting and sad... Sad in that it describes a Galaxy where Intelligent life simply winks out when it encounters the "cone of darkness". (when you wake up with the IQ of a sea sponge, most folks simply forget to breathe...)

OTOH with all Life on Earth evolving WITHIN the "cone of darkness" as soon as the turning of the Galaxy moves Earth out of the cone, hyper-intelligence runs amok.

Good read.

[Panzercat]

That sounds interesting. He's written more than a few books if I recall.
And I bought an ammo can. Just need to figure out what to do with it now