Glen here...
I've been meaning to do this for several weeks now, but every time I've tried, something got in the way.
I just want to say a few words about Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's (Independence Day) first foray into mainstream television - The Visitor - which has recently begun re-running on the Sci Fi Channel.
Most people don't even know what The Visitor is. When the show aired a few years ago, it got a kiss-of-death time slot from Fox, and was unceremoniously dumped before its first season had been completed.
The Visitor was a sedate, understated show which took its time illuminating the rather interesting story of a young WWII pilot who shows up in 1997...still the same age he was back in the second Word War. His back story is something of a mystery, all we ever find out for certain is that he had some kind of experience involving aliens, and he's been returned to this time to "prepare" mankind for an unseen and gathering menace which constantly looms over the episodic proceedings.
Every week, our hero has some kind experience which not only interrelates to the bigger picture, but immediately changes someone’s life in there here and now - something of a cross between Starman and Kung Fu.
Perhaps the most enlightening and intriguing premise The Visitor was in it's appreciation of the sometimes paradoxical nature of the human condition. For example, one recurring motif in the series was the notion that even people who apparently have nothing left to offer the world may hold valuable and essential talents that may someday make all the difference in the grander scheme of things.
The Visitor starred John Corbett (Northern Exposure), Grand L. Bush (the black Johnson of agents Johnson and Johnson in Die Hard), and Steve Railsback (Lifeforce, The Stunt Man). An ethereal and haunting theme by Stargate and Tomorrow Never Dies composer David Arnold helped set the mood, episodic scores were rather good as a whole. The show also has a nice, cinematic look.
There’s a lot of anti-Emmerich and Devlin sentiment out there on the Net these days. In my humble opinion, much of the criticism leveled against them is too simplified and often not entirely thought out. As such, I really don’t want the Talkbacks below to turn into an E & D bashing session. Let’s try keep the subject on The Visitor, and only The Visitor - unless you can bring in periphery ideas (like the premature cancellation of other shows) which relate directly to the subject at hand. The Visitor is a surprisingly different kind of show than you might expect from the folks who also gave us Independence Day, Stargate and Godzilla. If you have a few moments Sunday nights, keep it in mind.
As a side note - I understand the series’ cancellation had more to do with political posturing and arbitrary whim (the "taste" of a few execs) than actual ratings or viewer response. But those are stories for another day.
One thing I’ve learned over many months is that: for all the people who were quick to vocally tear down this series, there were many people who were really getting into it when it was prematurely terminated. As a brief aside to those who "believed" in the show: I am told there is a chance this incomplete series might someday be resurrected and continued or completed. If it is to happen, the process will be very complicated and take some time. If this is to be the case, now might be a good time to get your bearings if you’ve never seen the show before, or refresh your memory if you enjoyed it the first time around.
For more background, set-up story, etc. about The Visitor, check out its Official Web Site by CLICKING HERE!
The Visitor is part of the Sci Fi Channel’s Sunday night triple header, which also includes Dark Skies.
Dark Skies forwarded the notion that many of the major historical events of the century are the result of direct extra-terrestrial influence. In my humble opinion, DS was a show whose aspirations were never quite met by its execution. But it is a well-staged, good-looking period piece that is frequently entertaining eye candy - if nothing else. It’s also a good chance to catch an earlier performance of Jeri Ryan (now Seven on Star Trek: Voyager) who was a recurring character in the series.
The third component to The Sci Fi Channel’s Sunday line-up is The Burning Zone. I havenever, ever seen a single frame of footage from The Burning Zone. I guess now is my big opportunity.
