Good actors, bad characters.
The first new episode (the pilot was released on DVD last year) of “Caprica” aired Friday on Syfy, and I’ve gotta say, it didn’t do much for me. Three hours in, I’m struggling to figure out the point of the series. Is it about a robot’s existential crisis? Is it about two families in mourning? Is it about the struggle to balance technology and humanity? So far, the story has slowly meandered from here to there, but never stopping long enough to create a compelling storyline. I don’t know enough about anyone to care, the plot points are too vague and it’s sooooo slow-moving.
“Caprica” is, of course, the prequel to “Battlestar Galactica,” a series that was chock-full of great characters. So you’d expect more of the same here. But no. I like Eric Stoltz, but I’m finding it hard to picture him as a genius tycoon obsessed with cheating death. When Daniel sits back and tries to resolve these intricate technological problems, I get the feeling he’s instead daydreaming of Miss Amanda Jones. He lacks a certain gravitas, a hard edge that would make him the cutthroat scientist his character needs to be. His wife, Amanda, (See? What is it about Stoltz and Amandas?) seems a little off her rocker, and her memorial service meltdown didn’t do her any favors (especially since she dragged her daughter’s name through the mud and it turns out she wasn’t even the terrorist). Watching someone go through a breakdown just isn’t entertaining for me. Considering how emotionally wrenching and seeped in despair “Battlestar Galactica” was at times, it’s kinda shocking how superficially the subject of mourning is dealt with here.
Joseph Adama? Mehh. Too stoic a character. There might be some drama in his mob connections, but there’s not enough there yet. And Uncle Sam the gangster is a walking cliche.
Sister Clarice (Polly Walker) is the only really intriguing character, with her sleeper cell/’Big Love”-type polygamous family. It was nice to see Jason Street walking around again (wonder if he’s a pyramid player?), even if he was hitting on poor ol’ Lacy, who reminds me of Vic’s annoying daughter on “The Shield.”
Sooooo . . . . an ordinary family drama set on another planet. Is that all there is? What sets it apart? Series ranging from “Brothers and Sisters” to “Big Love” to “Brotherhood” all have done the family thing, but better, with their own twists and more immediately compelling angles. “Caprica” needs to be provocative; instead it’s shallow, cliched and unnecessarily melodramatic. Maybe it lacks drama because we know how it all ends. And maybe it’s unfair to compare “Caprica” with “BSG,” which was one of the best dramas of the past decade. But the “BSG” link is the only reason why I tuned in, and I’ll bet that’s the same for a lot of viewers. Brand loyalty is no reason to watch a boring series, and if it doesn’t ratchet up the drama and build some sort of intriguing, suspenseful storyline, I won’t be watching for much longer.
