The Colony

[Raiders Army]

Anyone else catch this show? It's on the Discovery Channel at 10 EST. We recorded it this week and I watched it yesterday. Snippet from the website is below:

What would you do in the wake of a global catastrophe? How would you find food? Water? Shelter?
The Colony is a controlled experiment to see exactly what it would take to survive and rebuild under these circumstances. For 10 weeks, a group of 10 volunteers, whose backgrounds and expertise represent a cross-section of modern society, are isolated in an urban environment outside Los Angeles and tasked with creating a livable society.
With no electricity from the grid, no running water and no communication with the outside world, all the volunteers have to work with are their skills and whatever tools and supplies they can scavenge from their surroundings.
Experts from the fields of homeland security, engineering and psychology have helped design the world of The Colony to reflect elements from both real-life disasters and models of what the future could look like after a global viral outbreak.
Over the course of the 10-week experiment, the Colonists must work together to build the necessities of survival, such as a water-filtration system, a battery bank that powered their electricity, a solar cooker, a shower system and a greenhouse – and even some niceties (a coffee maker!).

They've got some pretty interesting characters: Michael is pretty cranky since he gave up cigarettes, "booze", and coffee. John is a computer engineer, but knows how to filter water to make it drinkable (interesting way that they filter the water). Vladimir and Michael hook up batteries in parallel to generate electricity. It looks like an interesting show and we'll keep watching it.

[Bad-example]

This show was briefly discussed in this thread here. Belated 2009 New TV Shows/Seasons Thread - Front Office Football Central

Looks interesting to me but only watched a little of the first episode.

[DaddyTorgo]

i thought it was cool...i'll be watching

[BYU 14]

I watched the first episode too, I will be following this show for sure, there is only so much Daisy of Love and New York goes to work one can take before the Brain freezes

[JPhillips]

I liked it, but I wish there was less role playing. I'd enjoy it more if they took out all of the Mad Max type stuff and allowed everyone to acknowledge that this is just pretend.

edit: and I'm convinced the contractor that showed up with the second group is really an actor.

[cubboyroy1826]

Watched it yesterday and thought it was pretty decent.

[bob]

Ok, watched the second episode. I like the parts where they showed how to create the wood gasifier and the water filtration system. I hated the parts when they went outside to forage for food and pretend to be scared.

Oh, the moral dilemmas they faced - should we take the food away from the planted people, or not?

[boberot]

Originally Posted by bob

Ok, watched the second episode. I like the parts where they showed how to create the wood gasifier and the water filtration system. I hated the parts when they went outside to forage for food and pretend to be scared.

Oh, the moral dilemmas they faced - should we take the food away from the planted people, or not?

Yeah, as if the producers are just going to start murdering them as part of the "experiment." That does appear to be a minor flaw.

I do think it's pretty interesting -- certainly the best thing on last night.

I didn't catch the first episode, but I am curious why many of them are hell-bent to get out of where they are. Where do they think they're going to go and how do they think it's going to improve their situation? They seem relatively "secure" and are surrounded by spare parts that they have put to good use to this point.

[SnDvls]

watched both so far and the only problem I have is their "cross section" of society.

Where's the insurance sales guy and the stay at home mom? Basically everyone of them has a useful skill to help the group survive.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by bob

Ok, watched the second episode. I like the parts where they showed how to create the wood gasifier and the water filtration system. I hated the parts when they went outside to forage for food and pretend to be scared.

Oh, the moral dilemmas they faced - should we take the food away from the planted people, or not?

I'm curious how much the people know and how much they don't. The announcer mentioned multiple times that the outlaws couldn't physically hurt them but that they didn't know that. I've got to believe that somehow they know their safety is assured.

I'm not sure what to think about the other people though. The group that traveled to the shelter got a very cold and wary reception. Did they know these were other volunteers they should bring in? What about the people outside in the tents? Could they be volunteers too who don't know about the shelter? I could see some uncertainty about "regular people" in tents, but the outlaws seem rather impotent as long as nobody leaves something important outside the gates.

[cthomer5000]

I'm enjoying the show. Yes, a lot of things are kind of annoying (they must know they won't be hurt by the 'outlaws') and a couple personalities are pretty hard to take (the security guy and the aerospace engineer chick are both brutal to watch), but i like the premise overall. Must have taken a lot of orchestration to even pull this off. I applaud the effort, even if we can't take this all the way.

[Glengoyne]

Unable to get over suspension of disbelief. They're acting scared...and wondering if they should have an impact on "planted people"....a moral dilemma.

I cannot tolerate this unsustainable mix of reality and role play.

[Raiders Army]

Yeah, we watched the second episode yesterday and unlike the first episode it seemed as if there were more acting going on. Mike, the handyman, seems like he's an actor. I guess this isn't a reality show, but more like an infomercial on what to do when society collapses.

I guess we'll DVR it for the rest of the season and watch it when we get bored.

[DaddyTorgo]

*sigh*

really? crates full of "random" power tools? are you kidding me?

[cthomer5000]

the unintentional comedy is starting to kind of get off the charts with this show. ill ride it out... but it's just getting more ridiculous each episode

[DaddyTorgo]

i stopped watching. got too lame.

[bob]

Once I start watching one of these types of shows, I tend to watch it to the end. I'm not sure about this one though. Its getting too ridiculous. Really, they were able to get a generator and gas for a jackhammer and air compressor? What the fuck does anyone need a jackhammer for.

The "acting" has just gotten to be too much for me. Unless I'm really bored next week, I won't be watching this again.

[DaddyTorgo]

yeah - when they just stumbled upon the crates of "abandoned power tools" i kinda lost it

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

yeah - when they just stumbled upon the crates of "abandoned power tools" i kinda lost it

It may have been a little easy to acquire the power tools, but is that terribly unrealistic? If I survive a global catastrophe, like a virus, one of my first moves would be to break into a grocery store and stock up on canned goods, and then break into a hardware store for tools. The show can't really replicate the fully stocked stores that would be normally be available.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by BrianD

It may have been a little easy to acquire the power tools, but is that terribly unrealistic? If I survive a global catastrophe, like a virus, one of my first moves would be to break into a grocery store and stock up on canned goods, and then break into a hardware store for tools. The show can't really replicate the fully stocked stores that would be normally be available.

i suppose so.

i don't know - something about that whole episode just seemed really "fake."

maybe it was finding the goats in the middle of LA? or i don't know what...that whole episode just kinda felt "off" to me

[BrianD]

I agree that the show feels a bit weird, but I'm not sure it as crazy as some people think. This certainly isn't a Survivor-type show where there is nothing around anywhere. There would be quite a few resources available for a while.

The outlaw segments feel a bit fake, and the trading segment felt manufactured. Segments not dealing with outsiders have felt ok.

[DaddyTorgo]

yeah - maybe that's what it was - the outlaw thing, and the thing where they stumbled across that little tent with the food and stuff and then were like "oh but if we take this we know these people might die...but that's life" - that to me felt really fake. Like okay...you know nobody is going to DIE people, stop trying to pretend that you think they might

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

yeah - maybe that's what it was - the outlaw thing, and the thing where they stumbled across that little tent with the food and stuff and then were like "oh but if we take this we know these people might die...but that's life" - that to me felt really fake. Like okay...you know nobody is going to DIE people, stop trying to pretend that you think they might

I haven't watched the show and don't really care to, but this comment got me a little. Are you saying you have to be in the situation before you can have a discussion of ethics?

Just because you "know" nobody is really going to die doesn't mean all of your other emotions turn off. use your imagination a little and you can get very worked up. If my understanding of the show is correct, these people are going for days at a time without showers, eating poorly, sleeping poorly and are on edge to begin with.

While it may be "acting," I still think the question raised above is a good one. Were I in their position and found a tent with food, would I take that food knowing someone else may die because of it? What if I had suspicians that person was a child? What if I had a strong belief that person had raided my camp? Sitting here in a chair I'm thinking about some of these scenarios and putting serious thought into them. And I realize nobody is really going to die based on my choice.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by TroyF

I haven't watched the show and don't really care to, but this comment got me a little. Are you saying you have to be in the situation before you can have a discussion of ethics?

Just because you "know" nobody is really going to die doesn't mean all of your other emotions turn off. use your imagination a little and you can get very worked up. If my understanding of the show is correct, these people are going for days at a time without showers, eating poorly, sleeping poorly and are on edge to begin with.

While it may be "acting," I still think the question raised above is a good one. Were I in their position and found a tent with food, would I take that food knowing someone else may die because of it? What if I had suspicians that person was a child? What if I had a strong belief that person had raided my camp? Sitting here in a chair I'm thinking about some of these scenarios and putting serious thought into them. And I realize nobody is really going to die based on my choice.

no i'm not saying you have to be in that situation. just that they tried to play it off on camera like it was 100% serious. not a hypothetical, not like "well we're lucky we can take it but if this was real someone might die cuz of our choice" but "oh well by taking it we're condemning someone else to death"

it just came off as really sort of...hokey.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

no i'm not saying you have to be in that situation. just that they tried to play it off on camera like it was 100% serious. not a hypothetical, not like "well we're lucky we can take it but if this was real someone might die cuz of our choice" but "oh well by taking it we're condemning someone else to death"

it just came off as really sort of...hokey.

I agree with this...especially how early in the process it was. At that point, people must still know it is an experiment that isn't really life threatening. I do think, though, that over time some sort of institutionalization will set in where people are so immersed in this new "reality" that they will have a harder time remembering that this is a 70-day experiment that will end. I'm sure they will always know about the time limit on some level, but the lack of sleep, poor food, and constant stress is going to make that harder and harder to remember. I personally think there is less acting going on than others seem to think.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

no i'm not saying you have to be in that situation. just that they tried to play it off on camera like it was 100% serious. not a hypothetical, not like "well we're lucky we can take it but if this was real someone might die cuz of our choice" but "oh well by taking it we're condemning someone else to death"

it just came off as really sort of...hokey.

It depends... we're not really clear on how they were briefed, if they believe there might be other people out there 'playing the game' then they definitely would have been fucking them over. One thing that has driven me nuts is the lack of detail we (the viewer) have received on what the colony has been told as far as the limits of the scenario.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by BrianD

I personally think there is less acting going on than others seem to think.

Yeah, they may actually just be highly annoying personalities. It's honestly possible.

[cthomer5000]

hah.. please tell me I'm not the only one riding this thing to the bottom? This show is getting borderline embarassing to watch... as it descends to a reality roughly akin to a game of Dungeons & Dragons.

[SnDvls]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

hah.. please tell me I'm not the only one riding this thing to the bottom? This show is getting borderline embarassing to watch... as it descends to a reality roughly akin to a game of Dungeons & Dragons.

nope I'm still clininging on to hope too.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by SnDvls

nope I'm still clininging on to hope too.

I have no hope... but I applaud the general effort at what had the promise to be a cool show. Unfortunately i realize it really just isn't doable. If it were as open-ended as it needs to be, it just wouldn't be a TV-worthy show.

Still, i feel like all of the clearcut 'hand of god' moments are too over-the-top. The directors could have done a better job with the moments where they create some sort of interaction with the 'outside'

[SnDvls]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

I have no hope... but I applaud the general effort at what had the promise to be a cool show. Unfortunately i realize it really just isn't doable. If it were as open-ended as it needs to be, it just wouldn't be a TV-worthy show.

Still, i feel like all of the clearcut 'hand of god' moments are too over-the-top. The directors could have done a better job with the moments where they create some sort of interaction with the 'outside'

I agree the idea and theory of the show is great, but trying to pull it off and make me the viewer believe that everything going on is "real" is too hard to pull off.

[Ksyrup]

Well, they are going to give this another season, so we'll probably tune in to see how it goes.

Discovery to premiere second edition of 'The Colony' on July 27


By Christopher Rocchio, 07/01/2010

Discovery Channel has announced The Colony's second season will premiere on Tuesday, July 27 at 10PM ET/PT.

The Colony's second season will isolate a new group of participants -- including a construction foreman, teacher, carpenter and auto mechanic -- for two months and require them to create a sustainable society.

While last summer's first season was set at an abandoned warehouse on a three-and-a-half acre plot near the Los Angeles River, the upcoming second installment will instead take place on 10 acres of abandoned neighborhood on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana.

The environment had been left decimated by Hurricane Katrina and was slated to be bulldozed and turned into a public park -- and the participants will be challenged in the context of real-world disasters as they work together to build the necessities of survival and society, such as a water filtration system, a battery bank for electricity, a solar cooker, a shower system and a greenhouse.

Discovery Channel renewed The Colony for a second season in April and it is produced by Original Productions.

I think the problem most people had with it (including me) last year was that, unlike most reality shows, this was less about leaving them alone and letting them build what they needed to build (even with help) and more about trying to hit on each of the mental, emotional, and physical challenges that would occur in a real world situation. But to do that, they had to act like it was real and we had to suspend our disbelief.

For instance, there's no doubt that rival gangs or people looking to steal your food/water would be a real challenge, and it's something they wanted to portray on the show, but how do you do that in a controlled environment where the people involved know they aren't truly in danger? I'm just not sure it can ever be as compelling as it could be without adding that "you're not on a TV show" feel to it. I mean, for some things - food and water, for example - they were clearly motivated to go out looking. But a lot of the things they built seemed to be only because that's what the show wanted them to do and gave them the parts and tools to do, and then the constant "danger" of outsiders became too much. That part of it was too much of the show, considering the worst that was going to happen was they steal some of your food and sabotage some things.

[bob]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Well, they are going to give this another season, so we'll probably tune in to see how it goes.




I think the problem most people had with it (including me) last year was that, unlike most reality shows, this was less about leaving them alone and letting them build what they needed to build (even with help) and more about trying to hit on each of the mental, emotional, and physical challenges that would occur in a real world situation. But to do that, they had to act like it was real and we had to suspend our disbelief.

For instance, there's no doubt that rival gangs or people looking to steal your food/water would be a real challenge, and it's something they wanted to portray on the show, but how do you do that in a controlled environment where the people involved know they aren't truly in danger? I'm just not sure it can ever be as compelling as it could be without adding that "you're not on a TV show" feel to it. I mean, for some things - food and water, for example - they were clearly motivated to go out looking. But a lot of the things they built seemed to be only because that's what the show wanted them to do and gave them the parts and tools to do, and then the constant "danger" of outsiders became too much. That part of it was too much of the show, considering the worst that was going to happen was they steal some of your food and sabotage some things.

That's why I liked the Alaska Experience much better. It was real. If they didn't hike far enough, they slept in the elements. Didn't kill enough animals, then they didn't eat. Sure, some stuff was left around here and there for them, but it felt more real.

[Ksyrup]

Just a reminder this starts tonight. With Deadliest Catch ending and our interest in Top Chef waning (we skipped last season, have watched 2 of the Masters eps and none of the DC season), we'll probably give this a shot again.

[sabotai]

Have it set to TiVo the episode. I don't have high hopes for it. I liked the first season enough to keep watching, but was incredibly annoyed at the final episode and the lead up to it. As if things didn't feel "fake" enough, the last episode felt almost entirely scripted.

But, I'll give this one a chance. Maybe it'll be better.

[Ksyrup]

Agreed, the ending was bad. Particularly the part where they are fighting in the dark with the intruders and then bust out of the place with their van and its bright sunshine, edited to appear as if it all happened in real time. Real lame.

[DeToxRox]

Did they ever explain where the Doctor went? He just vanished and I don't recall any closure to that.

This show is campy as fuck and I love it. I'll be watching.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Agreed, the ending was bad. Particularly the part where they are fighting in the dark with the intruders and then bust out of the place with their van and its bright sunshine, edited to appear as if it all happened in real time. Real lame.

Yeah, and you could clearly see several "re-shots", like the flame thrower being shot out the window. Yeah, I'm sure they let them shoot a fricken' flamethrowing at a bunch of actors.

And what was up with that one guy who stayed behind? "It's my city, I ain't leaving. I'm staying." WTF!?

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by sabotai

Yeah, and you could clearly see several "re-shots", like the flame thrower being shot out the window. Yeah, I'm sure they let them shoot a fricken' flamethrowing at a bunch of actors.

And what was up with that one guy who stayed behind? "It's my city, I ain't leaving. I'm staying." WTF!?

I loved that scene. It was so fucking absurd it was great. This is basically Reality TV's equivalent of Sleepaway Camp.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

I loved that scene. It was so fucking absurd it was great. This is basically Reality TV's equivalent of Sleepaway Camp.

I'm sure you're going to love this season then. They've got to top last season's absurdity.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by sabotai

I'm sure you're going to love this season then. They've got to top last season's absurdity.

Can anyone really top Michael getting in that car thing, it going haywire and him crashing?

And damnit I still want to know what happened to the kidnapped Doctor.

[Ksyrup]

So we watched the first ep tonight, and I was kinda surprised that they ratcheted up the violence a good bit. That was the weakest part of the first season, so maybe they realized that in order to make it more believable, these people had to get hurt. Pepper spray to the eyes, knocked down/tackled, some pretty hard shoving/pushing, etc. I saw one guy take a hard elbow to the back of the neck/shoulder while he was on his knees that looked like it hurt.

From the season previews they showed, this season is going to kick it all up a notch.

[cthomer5000]

I'm blown away that they brought this show back, but I will give it another shot. It is a great premise, if they can iron out the really bad kinks of season one it could be well worth watching. Also, I hope they included a few more regular joe types in this year's cast. Give me like a bank teller or office drone with no super specialized skills, and see what they're capable of.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

So we watched the first ep tonight, and I was kinda surprised that they ratcheted up the violence a good bit. That was the weakest part of the first season, so maybe they realized that in order to make it more believable, these people had to get hurt. Pepper spray to the eyes, knocked down/tackled, some pretty hard shoving/pushing, etc. I saw one guy take a hard elbow to the back of the neck/shoulder while he was on his knees that looked like it hurt.

From the season previews they showed, this season is going to kick it all up a notch.

Agreed, couldn't believe they had the colony members blasted with Pepper spray......It was enough ot get another week out of me.

[Scoobz0202]

I liked the first episode. Didn't see any of season one.

When the mob comes to take the medical supplies are they pretty much powerless to stop them? I'd imagine you get booted from the show if you start throwing haymakers, right?

[Ksyrup]

So we're still watching this, and it definitely seems like they've ramped up the realism of the attacks. Last year, to simulate the effects of losing a person, they just had the doctor "disappear" while exploring an old building. This year, they had 3 guys jump the model with a good deal of force, put a bag over her head, and carry her off to be put in isolation for 24 hours. That looked pretty damn real to me.

I don't think the cast is as strong as last year's, and generally speaking, these people don'tseem to have a clue what to do, at least compared to last year. But it's still an interesting show to watch, I think. The previews for next week had some major WTF scenes going on.

Oh, and I like how the canal suddenly turned oily and they spent 3-4 minutes intimating that the Deep Horizon spill (which the cast knew nothing about, I assume - although we don't know when this was filmed, could have been well before or during) might have caused it, and then put a little disclaimer after all the discussion that said the pollution was unrelated to the spill. That would have been amazing if somehow the explosion impacted the show in that way.

[cthomer5000]

Agreed on basically all points with Ksyrup. It's better, but we're now starting to get that "oh, we suddenly need to get out of here" motivation that is clearly whispered into someone's ear.

Still, some really baffling moments on this series. The dude just going to sleep on night watch, and then some people voting for him to be leader? Seriously? I mean, even if you're dead fucking tired, wake someone else up and go to bed at 3AM. They'll be annoyed but it's better than just ignoring your duties entirely.

Also, they should have thought ahead to have a runoff election. I think the idea to pick two people was good, but they probably should have winnowed it down to 2-3 people after that and cast votes again. I know I would vote differently if I knew what the alternatives were. There were 3-4 people I could see backing to run that group. But the voting system they set up could have ended up giving them the most palatable person but maybe not one that most people felt strongly about.

I like the Boston mechanic chick, but she does seem to deal exclusively with Reno. Still, she's probably the clear-cut strongest/best woman to be a part of the two casts. Last year it felt like they stacked it with idiot women.

It's an interesting, if far from perfect, tv show.

[Atocep]

I watched about half of the first season along with the first 3 episodes this season and I still don't know what to think of the show.

At times it looks like an interesting social experiment and other times it looks like really bad LARPing. I actually turned off the episode where they introduced the 2 new members to the group because of my annoyance with them pretending to random travelers and the terrible acting and dialogue between the two groups.

However, seeing how they were able to get electricity and the lengths they were willing to go to make it happen was interesting. As is seeing who the lazy people in the group are. Watching the inventor guy decide he was going to take a nap in the middle of day 2 and tell them to have someone wake him up when the food is ready was gold.

[Raiders Army]

We're watching all of this season...mostly because there's not much else on. Anyhow, Becky the Model is pretty hot. In the episode where they showed how much weight they lost, there was some cameltoe.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

It's better, but we're now starting to get that "oh, we suddenly need to get out of here" motivation that is clearly whispered into someone's ear.

I don't have a problem with that only because I think this show is uniquely structured to attempt to test them/demonstrate to the audience the reaction to a set of circumstances. It seems like they have a laundry list of things they want to do on the show, and they "guide" them in a way to hit all of those topics.

I think pretty much the entire show is structured in that way - I think they are told when to explore, and where, and when to construct things and in what order. I think they are guided to where materials are for those projects. They may even be told before the show films what types of things they'll be asked to make, so they can be ready with a plan (the hog fat-as-fuel thing seems to be more than a coincidence). Perhaps they just ran them across the hogs and people brainstormed the fuel idea, but my guess is that was all set up beforehand.

I think that's how they just happened to run across the picture that the one guy's kids made for him (again, I'd like to think they only told them to go to that building and they found the picture in the course of exploring, but I'm not naive enough to discount the idea that they probably were guided to it). Or how they just happened across the gator in the pool, as they were about to run out of food.

Since I'm able to watch the show within that context, I can enjoy it. If I had any belief that this show was simply dropping 10-12 people into an abandoned area and letting them have at it, I'd have turned it off after episode 1 last year.