The Deep [Spoilers]

[Admiral Valdemar]

Just finished the first episode shown on BBC 1 and I'm intrigued. I was totally calling it as aliens a la The Abyss, but it seems it may be something closer to home. Raymond knows what it is for sure, that much is obvious. So can't wait for next week, it's nice to have some sci-fi not set in space for once.

[Bounty]

Saw it, liked it, made a thread just after you. Reposting what I wrote there:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tc8r5

Has anyone watched this? The first episode aired on BBC One just now and it was decent - flawed, but decent. The show's about the crew of a deep-see research vessel who go and look for the wreck of the ship's predecessor and then weird shit happens.

It's got a lot of disaster movie clichés - seriously, is a dangerous recovery mission the best time to give the chief engineer an audio tape of his wife dying? - but I have to admit I'm really curious as to what that thing is they ran into.

Neat effects and sets, too. A bit BBC-make-do quality but effective.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I'm hoping the vents have some marine biology relevant to some geo-political setup which explains the foreshadowing of the loss of Arctic sea ice in the near future, the energy problems we face and the involvement of the military in that area, likely setting up something Hermes came across by accident.

[Bounty]

I'm hoping for Captain Nemo
Spoiler

Unidentified deep-see submersible, mistaken for marine life, built without anyone knowing about it, possibly with sonar-cloaking gizmos? Yes please.

One thing that bugs me: they can't get transmissions out, but Catherine's distress beacon made it up to the surface and there's a UN station nearby - what's stopping them from launching buoys?

[Admiral Valdemar]

They have no power, so I presume whatever buoys they have can't be launched, or if they can be, will be intercepted (whatever that vessel is that holds them, it's directly overhead with any buoys getting stuck in the moon pool). Catherine still had minimal power on silent running before she was "swallowed".

Hey, says spoiler in the title.

[Bounty]

I meant before SeaQuest showed up, right after they lost Samson in the vents.

Since it's spoiler-free now:

- Kelly is a godawful captain. She sleeps with a crewmember, gives Clem the tape of his wife while he's supposed to be monitoring Samson, and she's doesn't have a handle on the crew at all. I know they're supposed to be scientists, but they're also people who trained for weeks to work and live in the most hostile environment on Earth, so you'd expect them to be professional and not whine about her decisions.

- The witches' stone is making a comeback. Mark my words. They might as well have painted it bright pink for all the subtlety that had.

- Shitloads of exposition in this episode and they didn't even bother to hide it. I know you need to infodump the setting, but "as you all know"-speeches are a horrible way to do it.

- I realise it's probably a dramatic conceit, but the big-ass bridge window... if that thing doesn't dramatically crack by episode five at the latest there are no more certainties in life.

- Admiralty guy is a horrible liar and not a people person. But I somehow doubt he can kill Maddie for no reason by making her bleed out the eyes.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Agreed on the captain, she is rather awful at keeping things ship shape, so to speak. I'm curious about the witches' stone. I'm HOPING it isn't some stupid supernatural sidetrack with that "Who the hell believes in ghosts?" line, and it seemingly isn't a haunted ship or aliens that doomed the earlier expedition, so I'm expecting the crew from the other sub are still alive. Just captive for whatever reason. They couldn't go anywhere given the unidentified vessel has some kind of EW suite.

I also don't buy that Raymond killed Maddy. Unless he has some kind of toxin to spray or inject into her to cause that fit, I see something else happening, just he was in the area at the time given she suspected him of holding back information (and let's face it, it doesn't take a genius to figure an MoD addition at the last minute playing hard ball is keeping cards close to his chest).

I was expecting a melted bridge bubble window when they were going over the vents. Least it wouldn't be the crack trope.

[NecronLord]

Damnit. Now all I can think of relating to that sub is Captain Nemo. Mind, Captain Nemo was awesome, so it wouldn't be a bad thing.

Also, yeah. If that bridge dome doesn't crack or something like that, I'll be impressed. Still, pretty good so far.

[ShadowOfMadness]

Damnit. Now all I can think of relating to that sub is Captain Nemo. Mind, Captain Nemo was awesome, so it wouldn't be a bad thing.

Also, yeah. If that bridge dome doesn't crack or something like that, I'll be impressed. Still, pretty good so far.

Same. I suspect they'll discover the 'other ship' is filled with either dead people, screwed up people, or aliens. Any other outcome and it'll be a short show