Well it took me a while to find the time to watch part 2 of Syfy’s miniseries, Ascension. This installment was easier to follow. The plot still leaves me with many unanswered questions, but I found this second part to have fewer WTF moments.

*** SPOILER WARNING ***

At the end of the part 1, we learn that the Ascension mission was all a ruse. Those people on board for 50 years believe that they are in space, while they are really still on earth in a simulated interstellar journey. A sinister government agency (not sure which one), is running an experiment on the 600 people on board.

Where I become confused is when there are still references to how important the Ascension is to saving humanity. If it isn’t en route to a new planet and has been sitting on the ground for 50 years, how is this helpful to that goal? What is this nebulous threat?

I have to wonder whether anyone on board would really believe that they took off. I’m not sure how the project simulated the G-forces that would have been involved in a launch. If all of these super-bright scientists made up the original crew, was there an equal group of super-bright scientists that worked to ensure the voyage was accurately faked?

I did notice that two of the original scientists who are mentioned to have been on board the Ascension were really SF authors – Fritz Leiber and Alfred Bester. That was a fun tribute to throw in.

The project is being investigated by a special agent. I’m not sure what triggered this, but I like her, mainly because I don’t like the guy who is currently in charge of it.

The little girl on the Ascension looks like she is developing some psychic or telekinetic powers. It is hinted that one purpose of the project is to try to produce this effect.

Off to watch the last part!

This isn’t really a review because I don’t have the time or energy for that tonight. But I just watched the first part of Syfy’s Ascension mini-series and I feel like writing something.

The show is pretty, and I have to give some to Syfy for their production and special effects. This is certainly a step above Sharknado. The premise was also interesting, with most of the show taking place on Ascension, a generation ship launched in secret by the United States sometime in the 1950’s. I wanted to know more about why and how this happened, however, which is not explained (at least in the first part).

When the show opens, a young woman on Ascension is murdered. The story follows the investigation of her death, with secondary plots involving a confusing number of cheating spouses, a strange little girl, and some brewing insurrection. A few scenes on earth are interspersed with those on the ship.

At first, the plot progressed logically, but as more twists came up and more characters became involved, the plausibility began to falter. Characters suddenly knew information that they shouldn’t, while others leaped to conclusions without any explanation of what led them to this. I could barely follow who was setting up whom for what. And as to why – well, I’d probably have to watch it again to guess at that, and I can think of at least a couple dozen better ways to spend another 90 minutes.

Photo by Tom, shared under Creative Commons license.

Here are a few other random thoughts:

Apparently, the standard procedure for surviving radiation is to go to sleep with the aid of a creepy breathing mask. Why would you need to sleep through the radiation? As long as you are in a shielded area, can’t you stay awake?

I don’t understand why the commander is elected position. If I understood correctly, he was once a working class guy from the lower decks. It is hinted that he saved some people from a fire and that propelled his political success. But – here is the problem. If he never trained to command a starship, how does he know how to do it? He acts as more than a politician, giving technical commands when the ship is in trouble. Clearly he learned that somewhere, but it defies my character logic.

Then there’s the big reveal at the end of the episode, which I won’t give any more specifics about. I don’t buy it. I doubt that this would have been possible to pull off.

Okay, so maybe this was a review. Who else watched Ascension this week? What did you think of it?