Defying Gravity – The baby’s coming

This is the episode that is probably going to be the end of Defying Gravity. Don’t get me wrong, I still really like this show and think it’s underrated, even by its fans. However, most of the show’s detractors reference the more soap-opera nature as its major downside. If there are any stragglers with that opinion holding on, they’re not going to be back next week.

Having (or not having) children was the major theme woven through the whole episode. Zoe followed through on her decision to abort her pregnancy while Jen gives birth to her baby rabbit in space. Both of their stories were juxtaposed against Dr. Winkler, the ex-astronaut ER Chief in charge of their hospital field trip. The allusions to Grey’s Anatomy continue (though loosely), as you can draw a dotted line between Zoe’s complications and Yang’s. A reckoning is coming based on the baby bunny, though. Just plain silly on Jen’s part if she doesn’t see the endgame.

I’m glad that the storyline with Evram isn’t turning out to be PTSD, at least not in the strictest sense. I would have found it hard to believe that he would ever be able to get on the crew without the disorder being discovered. Indicating that his visions were, in fact, full blown hallucinations, quickly brings the story back to Beta, and the hallucinations that Ted, Donner, and Zoe are all having as well.

The Paula and Wass stuff was good, but I wonder what will come of it. I don’t think that Wass will go through some big life change, or even begin one. It’s just too early in the run of the show (there I go trying to be all optimistic again) for a character to experience dramatic change. I do like this other version of Was,s though, who wouldn’t give up on Paula for no other reason than she would do the same for him.

Other stuff:

• Ajay being back on the floor took too long, and his thanking Goss, who did everything in his power to stop it, was a nice bit of irony
• I’m patient when they throw a new term into the vernacular of the show, but I never got paid off as to what “ass-can” meant in this particular usage
• It would seem that, in the future — through one form or the other — football still exists (and yes, I know I should say American football because of the global nature of the show and the internets in general, but I’m not going to)
• I know that I’ve seen them before, but I like the communication devices and their homage to Star Trek: TNG
• We’ve seen people puke twice on this show in six episodes … at least this time wasn’t in space
• Speaking of fluids in space, the effect of the blood was pretty cool
• I don’t think for a second that Zoe could have felt like she could trust Eve, at least not at that point (And what was with that weird camera move/angle in that scene?)

Much as been made, at least around here and on Twitter, about the show’s dismal ratings. I wonder, though, how the multi-national nature of the production, and the fact that it runs in several countries, will affect its longevity. I’m sure that this is much cheaper for ABC to run versus shows produced in, and primarily for, America.

Clacked by Ivey West
on Aug 31, 2009 @ 09:05 EST5EDT