The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (In Our House)

Like all the rest of the suckers, the Countess and I tuned into the premiere of the new NBC show Revolution last night, attracted by the sexy lure of apocalypse promised in the relentless ad campaign for this “television event”. Images of the lights winking out across the globe and vines growing up the side of Wrigley field promised thrill and spectacle. Unfortunately, such images as existed in the program were already used up in the commercials. It was a truly lacklustre affair, evident even in the show’s first few seconds, with its technique of on-the-nose expository first person monologue telling us in strokes a three year old could understand about “what happened”. That might make wonderful radio; it’s terrible television. I need hardly join the Amen chorus of Revolution haters this morning. According to the online response, everyone apparently saw the same show I did, containing warmed-over derivative ideas; exceedingly lazy, unimaginative costume design; the tiresome yet-again casting of pretty boys and catalog models; and suprisingly spare production design — looked kind of “shoe string” for such a mega-hyped “event.”

I just have one question. Actually it’s a good one for all sci fi/ fantasy writers to ask themselves. When all electrical power goes, why does society have to dial itself back all the way to the Middle Ages? We had quite a good, functioning, suprisingly recognizable civilization going in the West without electricity as recently as the mid-19th century. There’s a lot you can do with steam power (as certain OTHER sci fi/ fantasy writers know all TOO well). You can have locomotives, hot air balloons, and even factories. Barring steam, you can still have, oh, public transportation in the form of horse drawn stage coaches and street cars. You can have wind mills and watermills. Gaslight. Victrolas. Cameras. Shall I go on? So the images of cornfields in the cul-de-dac and people living in fortified compounds in fear of modern day Huns and Mongols (albeit wearing fabulous coats) after only 15 years of darkness strikes me as a bit of stretch. But maybe I’m wrong. If I am, that’s fine. You won’t be able to read this. ’cause there won’t be any electricity, stupid!