Talk:War of the Worlds (1988 TV series)
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Did Pal really have an idea for a TV series?
George Pal really had an idea for a TV series? I find that rather hard to believe; the ending of the film was satisfying enough that he shouldn't have seen any need for a series. Besides, the book didn't have a sequel, so why should the film? Scorpionman 02:47, 4 February 2006 (UTC)
- What planet are you from? Since when did Hollywood ever need a literary sequel to proceded with a film sequel? Jurassic Park was based on a novel by Michael Crichton, but the film sequel, The Lost World was not based specifically on Crichton's sequel novel, and Jurassic Park III and the fourth sequel were not based on any book at all. The Godfather trilogy was based on a single novel, or rather the first and second films were based on a novel and the third film was simply a sequel not based on a novel. The examples could go on and on. Why shouldn't the film have had a sequel? Besides, Pal's plan for a series is well documented; it doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. Canonblack 01:52, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
And to note, I don't think his proposed series was going to be a sequel. The aliens look roughly the same and have the same war machines, but Earth is talked about as if it is a kind of utopia and humanity has the ability to easily travel into space to chase the aliens - way out to Alpha Centauri to be exact, origin of the invaders, so no Martians here. Assuming it's the future, there is no reference to a past invasion within the story, so I'm not entirely sure what the link to the film there was going to be. A TV series loosely inspired by a film loosely based on a novel? Say what you will, but the series that happened held strong links to its predecessors (no Sylvia or tripods in the presentation I saw). And on that note, to be honest, I'm kind of glad this vision didn't materalise. Some of the concepts are certainly interesting (like taking the fight to the fleeing invaders, and finding out that they are only an underling race to a greater evil), but the episode-to-episode idea that would fill out the time to carry the series to the meat of its premise came off as a little too derivative of Star Trek, and seemed very generic in terms of science fiction. --Bacteria 10:36, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
Forrester and Van Buren: lovers?
I appreciate Bacteria's desire for accuracy, but the first season does not firmly indicate that Forrester and Van Buren had "only a professional relationship". Blackwood clearly indicates that she was a mother figure to him after Forrester adopted him. The Pal film indicates that they were (or would be) lovers, and in a second season episode Blackwood calls her "Mrs. Forrester". That is about the sum total of info we have on the matter. Taken as a whole, it would seem that they were an "item" and served as Blackwood's parents, or perhaps they were actually married but she kept her maiden name for professional reasons. At any rate, the clear indication in the film that a love interest existed between the two rules out any idea that they were "just colleagues". Canonblack 01:41, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
- I'm still not certain that they were indicated to be lovers for a few reasons:
- Second season isn't canonical to the first. Any information that has to stand up to information in the film and/or first season has a very weak case. Different people behind the scenes and way too much contradictary information in general, so the whole "Mrs. Forrester" (in S2's "Time to Reap") vs. "Ms. Van Buren" doesn't hold water. Even supporters of The Second Invasion take the continuity with a grain of salt.
- Blackwood never really calls Sylvia his mother. This has nothing to do with the issue of not being his biological parent, as he has no problem calling Clayton his father. A working relationship is the only kind Blackwood alludes to when putting them together in his statements.
- The film is really the only strong case here. However, the look of the aliens changed, so if the first season can override information from the film (and we are addressing the nature of their relationship in the context of the first season), then that can be a moot point.
- I'm willing to listen to differing opinions on this (and I'm not the only fan who doesn't see them as lovers), but unless there's something solid, I'd prefer a compromise - a rewording to keep it from being boldly stated, but not igorning the possibility. --Bacteria 10:36, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
POV
The current writing of the article is obviously biased. Large portions of the description are just an extended argument for the value of the first season and against the worth of the second. I suggest a full re-write by someone familiar with the series. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.167.119.236 (talk) 03:34, 23 December 2007 (UTC)
I agree, so I tagged this article with a possible POV template. Sentences like: "The two saddest demises are that of fan favourites Norton and Ironhorse." or "Sadly, all this potential was lost as many plots, back-story, and characters were never picked up and carried into the second season.", shows the lack of neutrality in this article. I also added the original research template since the article is filled with unverified claims such as: "While the radical changes were often claimed to be for the better of the show, many fans were turned off for many reasons. Ultimately, the ratings were so poor that the series had to wrap things up just two episodes shy of a full season." or "Another issue for season two is the part of the Eternal. There is some debate about whether it was a genuine god, or if it was going to be revealed to be a false idol controlled by a villain (perhaps Malzor). " 129.16.49.4 (talk) 15:03, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
- I suggest those tags be moved to the second season section since the premise and first season sections don't seem to make a major violation, a conclusion that could be reached based on the examples brought to the surface by Anonymous #2. Although maybe in need of some tweaks, I don't think they warrant going the way of vast retooling as Anonymous #1 seemingly suggests - that's analogous to that saying about babies, bathwater, and how you throw them out. I step up to take some responsibility for the degraded state of the second season material. It's not necessarily that I hate it; it's that I can't seem to simply get into it, problems furthered by the obvious ignorance of the creative staff to keep a cohernt story. However, a part of the fault comes from the lack of additional contributors to help bring up the rear. I don't see many coming in and digging into the article. I'd say that I crafted 91.875 percent of the article as it stands. A majority of the rest of that tiny fraction was here when I joined in on the editing process - some of it I'm not sure should stand. What I refer to specifically are the Series end and Loose ends sections. Am I the only one who doesn't find them to be necessary? And dropping them off at the next editing stop could leave some of these questionable phrases out and lop off a part of the problem right there. Anyway, I shall push no resistence towards improving the aspects of the second season - just as long as we don't leave out the continuity problems, the damned near complete swapping of production staff, and Mancuso's on-record statement about not watching much of the first season (it's not cited now, but I can easily dig it up when I get the time and put up the effort). They shouldn't be the primary direction of the summary, I understand, but they are nevertheless important because they contribute to the shift the show takes, which has lead to the assaulting critique of the latter season. This trails to another difficult angle I bring up: that is to take in mind that some of the criticism of the second season is quite public and numerous in forums like that of the one attached to the profile page at IMDb, so it's not hard to disprove a few comments as original research... but for some reason, forum records don't seem to count for shit when it comes to verification. If we're bringing up a fanbase, I don't see why we can't cite a thread where they're aruging the pros and cons. And it's not as if there's a lot professional analysis in this particular case. That was a digress. The point I think I'm trying to make is... I don't know how to summarise very well. However, I think I've countered the issues that have been addressed with what I wanted to air out, so there. --Bacteria (talk) 19:30, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
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Second season DVD release?
Why hasn't the second season of War of the Worlds (aka War of the Worlds: The Second Invasion) been released on DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment? As far as I know, only the first season is currently available on DVD. AdamDeanHall (talk) 23:33, 9 August 2008 (UTC)
- Because the second season was shit? Hell, it had Adrian Paul in it, that's reason enough to keep it off shelves. Optimus Sledge (talk) 11:43, 31 March 2009 (UTC)
- Wasn't Adrian Paul the Highlander guy named Duncan MacLeod? AdamDeanHall (talk) 17:31, 5 September 2010 (UTC)
Original research
Below information was tagged for
| Loose ends |
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== Loose ends ==
The first season's finale, "The Angel of Death", introduces a synth from the planet Qar’To (which is in the same system as Mor-Tax) named Q'Tara who arrives on Earth and begins killing aliens right and left in effort of finding the Advocacy, without whom the aliens would be lost and helpless. The Blackwood Team is happy to have such a powerful ally (who can shoot "atomic bullets" and can easily detect aliens) on their side who seems to be fighting the same enemy. In fact, after the aliens launch a surprise attack on them all, Q'Tara even goes the extra mile to heal the fatally wounded team members. Although she is shown to be doing well so far, she reports that she needs to bring in reinforcements. Just as she is preparing to leave Earth, she makes a last report in a strange native language (subtitled), which states that her mission is incomplete, and that humanity as a future food source is still in danger. This cliffhanger—combined with the plans of the rogue alien Quinn vying for his own global dominance—would potentially bring millions of more aliens and their leaders to Earth in a short strand of years. Under these scenarios, the show painted a future in which many friends and foes would be battling for the planet. Ultimately, however, this potential was lost, as many plots, back-stories, and characters were never picked up and carried into the second season. Another element that was being built was the issue of why no one remembers the invasion of ’53 (something that is the center of the show's criticism). Many hints of the true explanation were dropped in many episodes, but this was something that season two never even acknowledged, much less answered. Some believe that, as the synth constantly says "Remember nothing" and appears to be able to change people's memories, the aliens are somehow involved in wiping humanity's collective memory. The first season also touches upon a government conspiracy as demonstrated in the discovery of a whitewash of the alien reconnaissance mission that took place in Grover's Mill in 1938 that was forgotten because of the infamous radio broadcast made by Orson Welles. A few online sources claim, unverified, that the 1953 film audiences know is also a film within the show's universe, and was produced for the same purpose on a wider scale. Though the show gives no clear evidence of such a thing, this would, however, explain some discrepancies, such as the noticeable difference in the aliens’ appearance, and would also leave room for the idea that the global destruction depicted in the film may have been exaggerated from the show's reality. Another theory is that the aliens were somehow able to manipulate human memory, possibly to ensure surprise in the future should they fail and recuperate or for the colonists when they arrive. This is supported in an episode in which an alien object, regardless of its original purpose, is capable of radically altering a human being's personality. How any of these theories tie into the real explanation (separately or even all together) remains unseen and the issue of debate. The post-apocalyptic cyberpunk atmosphere for season two is never fully explained, although a radio newscaster in the first episode hints that the legalization of narcotics may have led to the deterioration of American society. |
| Series end |
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== Series end ==
The story ends with the final episode of the second season. In desperation, Malzor makes a final attempt to eliminate all life forms native to Earth. Fearing for his human friend Debi, the young alien boy named Ceeto attempts to interfere. Blackwood and his team are introduced to a faction of aliens willing to make peace with the human race. Together, they use a device that stores the history of the aliens' homeworld. In that history, Malzor is shown to be a scientist who creates crystals needed to power starships. The crystals provide a wealth of energy but require much energy to produce. Studying other planets, they discover on engineered nuclear explosion , suggesting the existence of a burgeoning technological society on Earth. The leader of the Morthren, Malzor's father-in-law, orders a major expedition to Earth, to be led by Malzor's wife and powered by large quantities of Malzor's crystal. Malzor is reluctant, not only because he fears for his wife, but also because he knows the dire consequences posed by large-scale production of the crystal. His fears are realized on both counts. The expedition is a failure; the Morthren are shown dying in large numbers, their ships failing. Worse, in mass-producing and empowering the crystals, the Morthren have severely altered their own planet's ecological and meteorological systems. Enraged by the Morthren leader's insistence on the expedition, Malzor murders him and usurps his position. Obsessed with Earth, and resigned to the destruction of Morthrai, Malzor accelerates crystal production needed to power a second invasion. The history comes to an end with Malzor preparing a last-minute escape from the doomed world.
Learning the truth, the aliens turn on Malzor. Ceeto is killed by Malzor, further alienating Mothrai. When the Blackwood group finds the aliens, Debi shoots Malzor dead, preventing his plans from reaching fruition. With this, the Morthren call off the war, and the heroes walk out into a sunny world. Many facts concerning the Morthren past revealed in the episode contradict various aspects of the mythology established both in previous second-season episodes, and especially those from the first season. Morthren are shown observing the catastrophic end of their expedition of 1953 from the safety of their homeworld. The images they observe are taken from the last few minutes of the 1953 film. There is a contradiction posed by the finale, in which the clearly warlike behavior of the aliens in the 1953 invasion was purportedly a mission of exploration. In making the 1953 invasion the first visit of the aliens to Earth, the episode ignores the previous expeditions detailed in "Eye For An Eye", "Dust to Dust" and "The Raising of Lazarus". |
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Article title
The title of this article is under discussion, see Wikipedia_talk:Naming_conventions_(television)#The_War_of_the_Worlds
-- 67.70.33.184 (talk) 20:39, 4 October 2019 (UTC)
