I'm still not sure why so many praise the second season for being dark. I like dark. Hell, I live for dark. I love the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica and Millennium, but The Second Invasion never really had a story or strong writing to back it up. It seemed to be just part of the background with the episode kind taking more mundane science-fiction approaches to some of the first season episodes. And I emphasise the sci-fi approach. It's too cheesy and kind of cartoonish, what with the time travel, laser weapons, cloning, and they even managed to built a robot. The first season was a bit more organic. The aliens had a technological prowess beyond humans, but they were reduced to tinkering with whatever they could gather, wisely keeping the aliens from utilising their sleek and polished devices. They had to struggle, like trying to continually overcome Earth's bacteria.
My biggest annoyance with the second season was the continuity - or shall I say, the lack thereof. Someone was clearly asleep at the wheel. First the original invasion were leftovers to be executed, then they all died back in 1953 of bacteria (which would also effect the very existence of the Blackwood team as they are), then they're not even an invasion force but a scientific crew that inexplicably opened fire on people as part of their research mission and may or may not have been killed by common human military. And that's all just within the second season, never mind the continuity issues between the two seasons. Sorry, but Mor-Tax and Morthrai cannot be the same planet, for the sake of some interspecies linguistics issue. If they were, then it wouldn't take the Morthren a mere 8 years to get to Earth when Mor-Tax was explicitly stated to be 40 light-years away. On top of the fact that the Mor-Tax had visited Earth no less than twice prior to the invasion (sorry, "expedition") of 1953 whereas the Morthren are clueless until 1945. And where the hell did the Eternal come from and more importantly, where the hell did it go in the finale? Trust me, mate, you're only, what 2 episode in. This crap gets thicker. Because it makes no sense and clearly was pulled out their arse as they went along. And even worse, didn't have the sense to even try and smooth it out, all culminating in the worst series finale I've ever seen. It's so embarrassing because of how much thought was not put into it. The first season had some holes, but the creative team clearly had developed a mythology and they were unfurling. Season 2 just threw it up.
And this is all bypassing the main reason why I loved the first season - because I'm a fan of the whole War of the Worlds story, from the H.G. Wells novel to the Jeff Wayne musical. And the first season paid Wells more respect, sticking to basic tenants of the story (the struggle with bacteria whereas the Morthren just miraculously pulled one out just having come to Earth and never bringing it up again), and broadening many of the social commentary Wells injected (seemingly highlighting a looming American Empire it inherited from the British). From the tripod in "Dust to Dust" to recapping the theme of the novel with one of the Advocates proclaiming "our race - a race superior to any organism in this galaxy - is threatened by an insignificant disease." There's another sly reference one can work out if you do the maths in regard to the timeline of the invasion force leaving Mor-Tax. The second season never evokes any element of its namesake and even ignores it or outright works out of spite for it.
And while the first season was admittedly cheesy, I loved that it didn't take itself too seriously. It honestly has some of the wittiest lines I've ever seen in a non-comedy TV programme. "Great. First the white man, now aliens." Yet, the show didn't dismiss the alien threat and the fact that some episodes end with the aliens getting the upper-hand (or, at least, our heroes losing theirs) demonstrated that things could very well go bad at any point.
Then there's general aspect I liked about Season 1 that I can't properly categorise. Like the aliens' fixation with the number 3 or the sociological premise of individuality (the Blackwood Project) versus collectivism (the aliens). Or that the show actually lived up to the war part of its title, from Ironhorse, to the multiple parties vying for domination, to the militaristic main theme. As I pointed out above in the continuity rant, the second season couldn't even uphold its subtitle (if the first party wasn't an invasion force, then there can't technically be a second).
And all of these has nothing to do with being aggravated by superficial changes like killing off characters. No, they changed the very foundation of this show and what was actually working by carelessly replacing some elements and completely discarding others, much of which actually worked. And for what? What was the overall story of the second season? What was the theme? And I probably haven't even touched upon half of a quality comparison between the two side-by-side series. Season 1 may have quite a bit of flukes, but it had more substance than its inter-title successor. I cannot and will not speak for other fans, but all of this is why I abhor Season 2 haven't watched any more than four of the episodes more than once - and among them exists only one half-ass decent outing, "The True Believer", the rest are so absurd that they are borderline entertaining in that so-bad-it's-funny type of subgenre.
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Formless, faithless, and free.
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kolchak-thenightstalker
15 years ago
@thorn
I agree with you 100%.
I am also only about half way through season 2. I had to take a break from it. However, I did get to the time travel episode (I get a kick out of time travel plots). In regards to that time travel episode, talk about causing a paradox, lol!
Also they were supposed to be hot on the trail of the alien who went back in time to the invasion(?) of 1953, with no time (pardon the pun) to waste, and yet Harrison finds the time to give his younger self a pep talk? If we have learned anything from time travel episodes on Star Trek, he shouldn't go anywhere near his younger self! lol
There is not much continuity between the first and second season which is a gigantic disappointment. I also find the whole "post-apocalyptic world" rather confusing. For instance, what exactly happened in this apocalypse? obviously it wasn't nuclear war or a plague. the aliens seem to still be working very clandestine and not out in the open, so most of the population doesn't even know the aliens exist, yet there was an apocalypse of some kind? they (the writers/producers) have kind of lost me with that concept.
One other little thing I noticed among the changes, is that Harrison doesn't even wear his glasses anymore. So there was an apocalypse and Harrison's vision gets better? I would much rather have no apocalypse and wear glasses or just get contacts, lol
Storyline was shot straight to hell. It is a shame because I too loved the idea of the story staying as faithful as possible to the 1953 movie and the H. G. Wells novel. That is what originally drew me to the series. I read the H. G. Wells story when I was in 7th grade and I always watched the 1953 movie when it was shown on tv so naturally I would be curious about the tv series.
If I recall correctly when the second season first aired I watched the first episode or two and after that i stopped watching. I guess now I am older and am willing to see what I missed out of curiosity. however, it is only out of curiosity. In no way whatsoever do I think the second season is better than the first season. i think the second season would have worked as a different show all together with different characters and no connection to War of the Worlds.
if they had to make changes, it would have been nice if they kept the original premise and used the look and feel of the second season (but got rid of that post apocalyptic idea) then it might have worked. like i mentioned previously, i felt the directing and camera work was better in the second season. there were tighter shots and it looks like it could have been filmed recently. however, that isn't enough to make the second season better than the first, not by a long shot.
it would have been nice if the show took itself a bit more seriously in the first season. I like to use the X-Files as comparison. the X-Files was serious, yet also had some humor at times, dark, gory at times, and, most importantly, it worked.
War of the Worlds: The Series was definitely on to something in that first season. If only they could have kept that train rolling.
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sabalon1
13 years ago
i posted the thought elsewhere, as i see this a reoccurring theme - the continuity from season one to two
i felt season two should have actaully been season three or four.
the real season two fades from what was started in season one, leading up to the cliffhanger of the introduction of the new invasion. offseason the war between the two races rages, and as season three (or this season two) begins we start with the aftermath of the war, and off we go with the new storyline.
i had no problem with either seasons narration on its own, but slapping the two together one after another, it definately felt like alot of something was left unsaid.
eureka scrambles the timeline/storyline every season, but at least they explain it each time lol. WOW just said, here 's the new season, deal with it
if it wasn't for my horse, i wouldn't have spent that year in college
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