So there’s a new SF series on NBC called “Debris.” It proceeds from an intriguing premise: three years ago, an alien spacecraft was spotted heading into the solar system. Six months ago, debris from that spacecraft – which had clearly been trashed – begins raining down on earth. These bits, from pebble-size to car-sized, bring with them Weird Physics. Government agencies around the world are running around scooping this stuff up.
This summary holds a lot of potential. Mystery. Intrigue. Hard sci-fi. Wonder. Cosmic horror. The potential for war among competing nations, the prospect of optimism due to new science and technology.
But what do we actually get? The same emotional crap that has ruined essentially all the other network sci-fi shows over the last decade or more. Remember “Terra Nova?” Premise: it’s a few hundred years in the future, the world is a horrible political and environmental dystopia, but a doorway to the Cretaceous is discovered and a colony is sent back in time to try to re-start human civilization among the dinosaurs. Potential: extremely high. What did we get: teen angst and family drama. Bah.
More recently there was “Salvation:” a giant asteroid or comet is spotted heading towards earth. In a few years the whole planet will be wiped out. Fortunately, fake Elon Musk has himself a rocket ship able to transport a small colony of humans to Mars. Potential: very high. What did we get? Interpersonal drama, emotional baggage. Bah.
I watched the first two episodes of “Debris,” and both revolved around bits of the alien wreckage manifesting fake humans in order to let people let go of their emotional troubles. Bah. This garbage is from the same school of writing that has turned superhero comic books into episodes of the “heroes” getting emotional validation from random strangers and their peers, rather than manning the frak up and doing the job because it needs doing. I won’t be watching episode three.