The Book of Strange New Things is one of the best things I've read in a while. Naturally, I was interested in a series adaptation, although my expectations for this weren't too high. And yeah, this is very decent, but nothing more than that.
I can't say that the added plot lines benefit the story as a whole. It's as if they just had to put a B-plot in there, something which the story just doesn't call for. Why the mysterious deaths? What purpose are the David Morgan character and his disappearance there to serve? Why does the colony now have a somewhat authoritarian Indian leading figure? The portrayal of the USIC base is nothing like it is in the book; the disconnected nostalgia of the interior in The Book of Strange New Things was quite key to the story, at least to me.
Also, to someone who hasn't read the book, this just has to be confusing. It's as if they wrote the entire thing based on a description of the book, instead of the book itself, and tried to figure out what would happen next on their own. There's no mention of the Jump or the scientific advancements, something that was only briefly touched on in the book, but at least it was mentioned; the launch just happens, and that's it. Why is a priest being sent to Oasis? Is this going to be full of Christian propaganda? What is this planet anyway?
I would watch more episodes of this, if only just because I'm very curious as to where they're going to take this thing. As of right now, though, I'm not sure if I'm on board. (Also, the shot at 00:58 makes me cringe whenever I see it. It looks as if it was taken straight out of a fragrance commercial.)
I can't say that the added plot lines benefit the story as a whole. It's as if they just had to put a B-plot in there, something which the story just doesn't call for. Why the mysterious deaths? What purpose are the David Morgan character and his disappearance there to serve? Why does the colony now have a somewhat authoritarian Indian leading figure? The portrayal of the USIC base is nothing like it is in the book; the disconnected nostalgia of the interior in The Book of Strange New Things was quite key to the story, at least to me.
Also, to someone who hasn't read the book, this just has to be confusing. It's as if they wrote the entire thing based on a description of the book, instead of the book itself, and tried to figure out what would happen next on their own. There's no mention of the Jump or the scientific advancements, something that was only briefly touched on in the book, but at least it was mentioned; the launch just happens, and that's it. Why is a priest being sent to Oasis? Is this going to be full of Christian propaganda? What is this planet anyway?
I would watch more episodes of this, if only just because I'm very curious as to where they're going to take this thing. As of right now, though, I'm not sure if I'm on board. (Also, the shot at 00:58 makes me cringe whenever I see it. It looks as if it was taken straight out of a fragrance commercial.)