KOOL TV REVIEW: "OUTCASTS"

Trouble for the PAS duo of Fleur (Amy Morgan) and Cass (Daniel Mays) in the opening episode of the ambitious UK sci-fi series OUTCASTS. All images: BBC/KUDOS. 

Having probably damaged the chances of more sci-fi programming, bar the type of thing occasionally seen in DOCTOR WHO, appearing on the BBC for a long time to come, the channels much lauded publicity/promotions for their sci-fi/human adventure epic OUTCASTS seemed to have backfired on them completely, with the eight part series quickly being unappreciated by the majority of its critics and by the all-important British viewing public, who soon abandoned it in droves after its opener, resulting in it being pretty much declared a disaster from beginning to end, which is a bit of a shame.

Over that eight episode duration it was watchable at times but, often finding it more griping than gripping, it just wasn’t interesting or compelling enough to hold the general attention of mainstream audiences. By no means a disaster like THE DEEP, it was a series that suffered in execution and lacked the very humanity and emotion its characters on this brave new world of Carpathia preached, and lacked any major excitement. How could a series about the colonization of a new world have been so overall boring? Its makers, who seemed to not want to state this was a sci-fi series, made the crucial mistake of trying to create something that they hoped would appeal to generic drama viewers and genre fans at the same time, but ultimately OUTCASTS failed to win much favour with either camp. I’d love to say it was a noble failure by show creator/lead writer Ben Richards, but it was just a failure…

As its story slowly, very slowly, unfolded, it seemed to me that the once all-important art ad technique of script editing had been lost forever. Despite some obvious careful long-term planning on the overall series mythology, the scripted episodes were ultimately very leaden and devoid of adrenalin (even the tension and panic of a human transport ship going to its doom in Carpathia’s atmosphere in the okay series opener failed to be dramatically involving, often seeming far too subdued) and didn’t fully sustain their hour length durations (it would have been better if they had been locked into forty five minute durations and tightened up in the editing), and I have a feeling that the infinitely superior THE SURVIVORS re-make, from the same makers, which had improved in leaps and bounds by its second season, was wrongly axed by Auntie Beeb (and despite sustained ratings that, in the end, were superior to the show that replaced it!), just so as to do something new and hopefully make a successful mark for the new Head of BBC Drama, as well as to fund the obvious big budget co-production filming requirements in the spectacular wilderness of South Africa (one element, to OUTCASTS credit, which ultimately proved to be one of the shows few success factors!).

OUTCASTS parallels to the pioneers of the American West were obvious and inevitable from the start-such ingredients have been a staple of many forms of sci-fi literature and film and TV, and its attempt (with its shades of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles in places) to create a believable civilization, and it's struggle to survive over the years, was noteworthy when it stuck to those pure sci-fi elements. It was when it strayed away from those areas into seen it all before bog standard character drama that the series suffered badly and didn’t engage the viewers. Equally annoying was the fact that much of the exposition discussed by the main characters involving their first arrival on Carpathia, and their early colonization and survival /adaptation to their new world, was far more dramatically interesting and exciting to hear about than what was going on with the main story and characters, and those parts of the plot would have been much better in capturing audiences if they’d been realized! I personally would have made OUTCASTS much more epic in story and character presentation and set the first three parts in the past (with their arrival), the next three in the present (the plot with the expeditionary forces and the “ghosts”), and the final three in the future (and if they had made future seasons they could always have slotted episodes into various time frames), but that’s just me! What do I know about creating TV series??!!

Stella (Hermione Norris) and President Tate (Liam Cunningham): custodians of humanity on Carpathia.

The overall casting was another serious drawback which added to the shows soon detriment. Main stars Liam Cunningham as President Richard Tate, who, most of the time, just seemed to sit back at his desk or walk around the control centre a lot looking doom laden and bored at the same time, as well as possessing permanently raised arched eyebrows that STAR TREK’s Mister Spock would have been proud of, and, I’m assuming because Sarah Lancashire or Maxine Peake weren’t available that week, the strange Hermione Norris (regularly looking and acting as if she had come out of a HARPERS BAZAAR fashion magazine editorial meeting rather than acting like an efficient and brave security commander!), as Stella Isen, provided regular one face only performances-apathy- that were cold and unspectacular: overall the pair were too snobily reserved and too intellectual for the viewers to be interested in or want to care about (with Norris often making the first season version of Dr. Helena Russell from SPACE: 1999 look lovable by comparison!), whilst the likable Ashley Walters tried hard as planetary defense/expedition commander Jack, but his acting experience was ultimately not strong enough to portray such an important series lead part. Likewise, a lot of the younger cast  were also pretty weak or their characters were also not developed adequately enough for them to get a grasp on their roles (I was also not a great fan of the clichéd Irish “voice of Carpathia youth” character of Tipper Malone, played by Michael Legge).

What cast pluses there were, though, should go to UGLY BETTY’s Eric Mabius, who brought genuine calculated menace (with mad eyes to boot), and overcame despite some pretty bad dialogue, as Julius Berger, the grand revolution planned colony leader acting with religious zeal and with an almost paedophile-like interest in young girls, and Baby-faced Daniel Meyers as the vulnerable but brave security officer, Cass, whose violent past comes back to haunt him in Episode Seven. Young freckled face Fleur Morgan, played by Amy Manson, the Omega Project lynchpin that leads to the fragmentation of control of the Fortheaven colony, also got better as a character and actress over the series run.

Sadly, the best stand-out character of the series, with lots of potential for drama and action, and the ultimate catalyst for what happens in the series was the expeditionary leader gone mental, Mitchell, was killed off way too early in the series opener, resulting in BATTLESTAR GALACTICA/LAW AND ORDER actor Jamie Bamber’s presence afterwards being much missed…

Guest star Juliet Aubrey brings the series some much needed spooky menace in the sixth episode.

Despite a strong group of visually stylish directors working on the show (including HUSTLE’s talented Bharat Nalluri), great production design in the best kind of used universe style seen in films like AVATAR and the original Ridley Scott ALIEN (if for a lot less money!) from Ex-WHO marvel Ed Thomas, and some top notch TV CGI effects throughout, the final episodes truly were a variable bunch, still staying very slow, either having intriguing beginnings that didn’t build into the promise they deserved (Episode Seven had a great start with Cunningham’s first encounter talking to his duplicate- an unknown alien species- the Life Host- who have resided on the planet longer than any of the successor human-type inhabitants they’ve wiped out), or getting interesting just before they were coming to an end (Episode Four’s finale revealed the skull of a long dead human-like species to have existed on Carpathia before the Earth men’s arrival). Other arc plots went on too long, like the tensions with their wilderness living clones, believed dead at the series opener, whose leader had as much villainy and charisma as a wet blanket. The best overall episode proved to be its Sixth, which showed great improvement with its building plotline of the Life Host phantoms, and ex-PRIMEVAL baddie Juliet Aubrey adding to the series some guest star bravura as the loyal XP trooper, Josie Hunter, accused of murdering her squad, when, in actual fact, an alien doppelganger of her is responsible, now immersed within the Human colony and ready to cause further trouble. That episode was enough to actually resurrect my interest in the series before it all tumbled down again plot wise like Humpty Dumpty a week later.

As its finale episode arrived in its late night, buried alive transmission slot (moved from its once primetime weeknight prominence due to continually declining ratings: not exactly a great and welcome sign of faith in the show from upper BBC management!), the Forthaven colony was subjected to fresh attacks by the Life Host force as they initiated a new strain of the once believed gone C23 virus into the Human outpost’s population, which was once believed caused by the now outcast Clone humans. Furthermore, the arrival of the power-mad Berger’s followers forces from space created a semi-cliffhanger that was reasonably good but now rendered moot with it's unconfirmed but most likely cancellation by a panicked BBC, who, despite what will surely be some lucrative series sales from the production overseas, have surely now made the show live up to its title within its hallowed production berthing halls.

I didn’t want to be unkind with this review of the series-I really didn’t-as making this big league prime-time genre show on the BBC was a very brave move, but, oh, the lost potential of it all. With the right people behind the scenes, and the right actors at the front, it could have been a winner. Instead, the dice fell completely the wrong way, and the series will ultimately be remembered for all the worst reasons instead of its great intentions. A pity.

To ultimately sum up my reaction to OUTCASTS, all I can really say are these three important words to the BBC: “Bring back BLAKE’S 7!”

KOOL TV OVERALL SERIES RATING: 2.5 out of 5

OUTCASTS is now available on DVD.