Be Excellent To Each Other

I only saw episode 1, due to stuff going on and being surprised at it nipping past so fast. How was the rest of the series? Any good?

Yeah I liked it, a good mix of characters and situations.

It ended rather suddenly, looking on Wikipedia, 1975 run had 3 series, but there was no mention of Survivors returning next year.

Its getting a second series.

3 series of 11 episodes a series, although at a slower pace (which was a good thing in terms of character development and plot, but bad in terms of the thing really dragging at times).

I gave up on the new one after episode 2 I'm afraid. I could no watch the awful woman from Bone Kickers chew her way through the scenery while Max Beasley scowled at everything.

It's also ironic that not only are most of the good guys still horrifically middle class (one of the major problems of the 70's series) with the working classes being presented as bad guys or horrible caricatures, but also that the storyline tries to get them all playing happy families as soon as it can. These are actually two of the biggest criticism of the original series (although happy families kicks in more in season 2) and it fucking shows that the producer and director blatantly haven't really paid attention to the problems of the original and instead are adapting Terry Nations novelization. So no lessons learned....

The original has a stack of faults but the new series not only repeats most of them, but also falls into the stock BBC drama trap of the same old faces, there being some sort of conspiracy and there needing to be happy scenes and a happy ending.

In fact one of the things I love about 70's drama in general (be it Survivors, The Sweeney, Blakes 7 etc) is that they were never afraid to end an episode on a low. Not just one offs, but as a regular thing. Survivors did it alot, and made all the better for always launching into the stirring end theme they had. And how many episodes of The Sweeney end with Regan not getting the result he wants and him giving a one liner before the theme tune plays?

So the new series gets a thumbs down from me. A hugely missed opportunity to address the problems with the original and do something special. They did make a spectacle, but what the needed was a few less familiar faces and a production team that knew enough about the original series to fix the problems with it.

Are we dead yet?

I've watched up to episode 5 and I'm mightily impressed with it. Thankfully there's none of those horrible working class oiks in it to spoil things. Imagine if it was a program made up of doctor who companions from the RTD series. Shudder.

One major bit of what must surely be bad science is the bit about the satellites. They aren't going to suddenly start switching off just because humans have died out now are they? Eventually yes but not that quick.

Still on the whole very very good and better than Doctor Who.

Apparently someone I used to act with is in the last episode of this. Katie Lyons (June).

How odd.

Apart from the horrible Billie-a-like and friend in episode 2?

I meant in the main characters with whom we're supposed to sympathise. I couldn't help but wonder if they'd thrown in a Billie like just for a bit a dig at Doctor Who. Probably not but still it was fun seeing a Billie type we're not supposed to like.

Oh and I think Patterson Joseph is brilliant (despite his constant slightly concerned look) and would be the best possible choice for the next Doctor.

I've not watched it, but boredly caught half the final episode being repeated last night. I especially liked the scene where an easily-accessed, 2/3 full office water cooler bottle got shot for dramatic effect, shortly after the chase over half a refilled 1.5l bottle.

Very consistent, I thought.

Just finished watching it, what was it about teh last 10 mins. Is there going to be another series? or is that the ending?

It says a second series is being made on the BBC site. I'd like to see how they conclude certain things.

I watched the first series but it was never that good was it, I kind of wish it did finish first series so I didnt have to watch more.