Written by Buckdiddy

On this Friday night the Fox network premiered a two hour made for TV film entitled Virtuality. It was actually a pilot for a series created by Ronald D. Moore, the man behind Battlestar Galatica. But Fox being the big pieces of pussies that they are decided to pull the plug on the “risky” show. What could have been is now a question and may forever remain a mystery to the people who watched this throwback and improvement on the sci-fi genre. My thoughts follow.

I have to admit I almost didn’t catch this tonight as Fox advertised it as much as they advertise Talk Show with Spike Feresten. They promoted it for about a week after passing it up for the fall schedule. It is directed by actor turned director Peter Berg and is a two hour film (with commercials of course). Though Berg has had his ups with films like The Rundown he has recently been stuck in average city with Hancock. With Virtuality, Berg brings an all around showcase of what can happen in a new age sci-fi television program.

The made for TV movie progresses itself through storytelling rather than phasers and explosions. You have Commander Pike (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) as the stead fast leader who holds his crew together and the stand out of this film. The film is actually set up in two genres as along with the sci-fi sticker, the mission of the spaceship Phaeton is presented as reality show to the people of Earth while we get the full spectrum. The reality show aspect brings in added drama as our crew’s lives are spun to the people on the crisis ridden Earth.

The crew also isn’t facing problems of defamation on global television but there is also the added factor of a virtual reality module that is seemingly in a glitch. This glitch played by Jimmi Simpson brings peace to the story at end. His presence causes the crew to question their desires on the deep space exploration as well many other revolving factors.

The cast is what really makes this. All powerful actors and everyone hitting their marks, whether small or large. James D’Arcy plays Dr. Roger Fallon who serves as not only the producer of the reality show but also the psychologist and seems bred to be the evil bastard. Clea DuVall also comes in and plays her part well as the tough and rough Sue Parsons. You also have a gay couple (Gene Farber and Jose Pablo Cantillo), the young reality show reporter (Kerry Bishe) and a slew of excellent acting.

What stands out most is the fact that this film is set up like a pilot. It has an ending that leaves you guessing what really happened. It is ambigious yet satisfying. It wets the appetite while envoking that immediate second watch. It plays out like the next great TV show. Virtuality could easily rival likes of LOST as thought provoking and encompassing series.

But yet Fox can’t take a risk. The station that started with following Cops and a foul mouthed cartoon character. The station that is now driven by one overblown and overrated TV show with promising series waiting in the wings while it plays out. Bones and House would be two of those but it seems evident that Fox is obsessed with these reality shows. You’d think that since they are built on reality shows they would at least pick up a series using the reality show gimmick in a well strung story.

Hopefully we will see more of this again and Virtuality is the suprise of the summer.