Finishing The Series In Style: VR-5 Volume 7 Goes Out Great!

The Good: Pacing and intrigue, Psychological understanding displayed, Imagery, Acting, Character
The Bad: "" is an obvious unreality. . ..
The Basics: While the Committee begins to illustrate deep cracks in its surface, Sydney and Oliver discover that their intents may be more corrupt than either had believed.


Shows that have a premise and spend the series undermining that premise generally annoy me. You know, shows where a character is supposed to be a genius but every episode ends as a very special lesson that supposed intellectual heavyweight learns at the hands of less brilliant individuals. Then there are the series' where the backstory gets thrown out the window or mixed up for the current plotline of the week. With VR-5, there is a notable exception and because the series has been working toward it the entire time, it ends up making perfect sense and working beautifully to unfold a story that is intriguing, clever and surprisingly powerful. Unfortunately, it also comes at the very end of the series with "VR-5 - Vol. 7 - Parallel Lives / Reunion."

Unfortunately for new viewers, "Volume 7" is an impossible place to jump into the series. Despite the fact that "Reunion" is a perfect hour of television and an amazing season finale (one of the Top Ten of All Time, seriously the only reason it didn't make my list is because I forbade series finales from being considered and ultimately that's what it ended up being!) it is not easily accessible to those who have not been watching VR-5 up until this point. In the same way, "Parallel Lives" is a wash for those who have not been fans and are not able to appreciate the character twists embodied by the piece. In other words, this final set is for fans of the series only, no matter how highly I would recommend it.

And actually, I've tried to write this review well three times now without ruining surprises that would be shocking to those watching the first episode, but here's the thing, from the prior volume (reviewed here!) there is certain knowledge the viewer of the series has that would shock the viewer of the pilot episode. It's impossible to write intelligently about the episode "Reunion" without actually mentioning one of the characters whose fate seemed sealed before this point. Thus, as much as I'd hate to do it, if you're one who is thinking of picking up VR-5 and truly wants the richest experience in terms of surprises, you'll have to stop reading this review now and just go out and pick the seven volumes up (don't read the backs of the videos, either!).

That said, "Volume 7" . . .

"Parallel Lives" finds Duncan waking up to discover that none of his recent memories have occurred. Instead, he is a trendsetting visual artist and whose work is tearing up Los Angeles. Duncan, bewildered by the strange twist of fate, quickly discovers that he has woken up in a reality where Samantha, Sydney's sister, survived the car accident and Sydney drown. Seeing Samantha begin to get into some self-destructive habits, Duncan risks everything to track down Oliver Sampson, Dr. Morgan and the Committee, all the while trying to discover what has become of VR-5,

"Reunion" opens with the titled reunion; Samantha Bloom, thought dead for years pops up and lures Sydney away from Sampson and Duncan. Sampson, with orders to kill Sydney, rejects his Committee orders and flees with Duncan. With both pairs hunted by powerful members of the now-factionalized Committee, Oliver comes to discover just how far on the outs he is with his people and Sydney, Duncan, and Samantha use the VR system to unravel their memories to discover the truth about VR-5, the night of the accident and what truly happened afterward. In the process, they set off a series of events which make them hunted and leaves one in the most dangerous place possible!

So endeth VR-5. And wow, when it goes out, it goes out!

"Parallel Lives" is a bit obvious from the beginning. Anyone with any experience watching science fiction shows will know from the beginning that Duncan's trip through the rabbit hole is not real. In a show about virtual reality, this is - of course - even more obvious and in some ways it's respectable that the series waited so very long before trying an episode like this out. So, the questions on the plot front simply become "What is the mechanism/ is it plausible?" and "What's the point?" "Parallel Lives" actually has the first question pretty much answered by the series title, but the second question is one answered only in the final moments of the episode and it's a strongly satisfying and sensible answer that ties the unreal episode into the series that works very hard to create reality out of the virtual world.

Otherwise, "Parallel Lives" is pretty much a throwback to "alternate universe" episodes in drama/science fiction that stretches back to Star Trek's "Mirror, Mirror" (reviewed here!). "Parallel Lives" has many similar elements, too; though the pacifistic Duncan is the only character to "cross over." The altered incarnations of people like Dr. Morgan have intriguing character differences and similarities that make him work.

"Reunion" is an amazing episode, which pays off the seeds from prior episodes in regard to the disintegration of the Committee. Within the Committee, there are clear factions being exposed and which side Sydney is unwittingly working for remains one of the great mysteries of the program. As a result, Sydney and Oliver become sensibly strained and as they struggle to learn who the Committee is and why they are doing what they're doing, they build a new relationship. The episode works well because it maintains a high level of tension throughout and the ending is one of the slam dunks of science fiction!

Both episodes are decent character studies. Duncan finally gets his day in "Parallel Lives" and he and Samantha have a pretty richly developed story working for them. Moreover, their characters mesh well and there seems to be a genuine sense of chemistry between them. This is enhanced by the acting as Michael Easton and Tracy Needham have pretty wonderful on-screen chemistry.

The strength of the character development comes in the serialization. Without "Parallel Lives" and the results of the character journey there, Duncan's willingness to step up in "Reunion" to be a man of action is utterly unbelievable. After all, Duncan is a pacifist, a philosopher and a guy who pretty much lays about all day. In "Reunion," he moves . . . and fast and it works within the context of his character because of the events in the prior episodes.

Both episodes are written for a savvy audience of science fiction fans. The final resolution to "Reunion" involves a twist and is pretty unpredictable even to seasoned fans. "Parallel Lives" has a twist, but the audience sees it coming well in advance, though it still works wonderfully. It is a rare thing that a show can pull off something that is both sensible to fans, despite its outlandishness, and so enjoyable on a character level and special effects level as to make it a great moment of television. The struggles and character aspects in these episodes manages to do that.

Michael Easton earns his paycheck in this volume by portraying Duncan as a man growing out of his shell and he does it at a pace that is very realistic. Easton maintains his soft-spoken quality and the base of his character while presenting a series of changes to the personality and he makes it seem perfectly fluid and real. In "Parallel Lives," his transformation is much the result of hair and make-up, but with "Reunion," he brings the performance into his body language and it works wonderfully.

Anthony Stewart Head is able to explode the role of Oliver Sampson and in these episodes his facade of ultimate strength is broken as his past is broken open with Sydney's. Head retains a sense of gravity to his character that allows the viewer to see the transformations as completely credible, even as the character goes off in some new directions. It is easy to see from his performance, especially with the complexities of facial expression and vocal emotions that he uses in "Reunion" why he was able to be cast as Giles on Buffy The Vampire Slayer (reviewed here!).

It is Lori Singer as Sydney Bloom upon whom the episodes rest and she brings them home. Singer plays Sydney now as an assertive character who acts proactively instead of reacting to everything around her falling apart. She is intense and clever in the role and it works well for her stand straighter and put more of her body into the role in these episodes. Fans of the entire series will notice the subtle transformations that are occurring in these episodes and those just picking up this tape will likely appreciate how she seems to have a well-rounded character who isn't a whispy wraith.

Visually, these episodes are strong and rely on a great deal of special effects and a sense of visual metaphor that requires the viewer to pay attention and be truly engaged throughout. If anything, the visual audacity in these final episodes makes the outlandish plots seem more sensible and the episodes are likely to leave the audience disappointed only in that the series ends on a wonderful and dark note, making the viewer wish for more. Sadly, that never materialized.

[Sadly, even with VHS being essentially a dead medium, the VR.5 DVD set is out of print and hard to come by. Still, for those interested in it, please check out my overview of the entire series available by clicking here!
Thanks!]

“Parallel Lives” – 7/10
“Reunion” – 10/10
VHS – 7.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page on the subject!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A Plane Downed, A Woman Fractured, It's All Foreshadowing On VR-5 Volume 6!

The Good: Pacing and intrigue, Psychological understanding displayed, Imagery, Acting, Character
The Bad: Some plot/character aspects seem contrived and difficult to believe in.
The Basics: While the Committee begins to illustrate deep cracks in its surface, Sydney and Oliver discover that their intents may be more corrupt than either had believed.


One of the things I absolutely love about serialized television is that when it is done well, it tends to be going somewhere. Having just finished watching the second season of Veronica Mars (reviewed here!), I'm currently rather jazzed about the idea of serialized television and how truly wonderful it can be. This, naturally, led me back to VR-5, a short-lived series I've been rewatching and reviewing and the truth is, one of the things the series did very well as it progressed was progress the main storyline. And by the time a viewer gets to VR-5 - Vol. 6 - Control Freak / The Many Faces Of Alex it is hard to imagine a viewer who would not be hooked.

Unfortunately for new viewers, "Volume 6" is a very awkward place to jump into the series. It does at the same time, however, make it easier for those who are more likely to be upset by repetition. After all, a few episodes back there were visions of plane crashes and with "Control Freak," the viewer is subjected to that again. In the toss up, though between coming ignorant to this volume and being overloaded with a little bit of repetition, I think I'd take the repetition every time in order to truly be able to appreciate the end of "The Many Faces Of Alex." It's worth it.

"Control Freak" has Sydney Bloom assisting hostage negotiators from the FAA when a radio control tower is taken over by Kyle Jarvis, a former air traffic controller who was blamed for a crash years before. Determined to sabotage the primitive network of air traffic control computers, Jarvis appears to be the linchpin in a conspiracy that Sydney uncovers through entering his mind using Virtual Reality. But even as she does, she discovers that there might be a connection between Jarvis, the Committee and someone very close to her!

"The Many Faces Of Alex" has the Committee and Simon using Sydney to investigate a trained handler for the Committee who appears to be in the midst of a breakdown. Unsure who she is, Alex is known by Oliver, who used to be her lover. Alex, as it turns out, has a history which seems to contradict much of what Sydney knows about her past, leading to an epiphany that changes everything for her.

"Control Freak" is a - despite reusing crashing planes as a theme yet again in the series - wonderful episode for establishing the disintegration of the Committee. Within the Committee, there are clear factions being exposed and which side Sydney is unwittingly working for remains one of the great mysteries of the program. As a result, Sydney is able to probe into the minds of Jarvis and those around him to learn who the Committee is influencing and which of their own are targets. The episode works well because it maintains a high level of tension throughout and Kyle Jarvis is nowhere near as crazy as we would like him to be.

Ironically, Jarvis is shouting back in 1995 about the inadequacies in the FAA computer and monitoring systems all sorts of things that came to light in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. VR-5, like The Lone Gunmen (reviewed here!) might well have been ahead of its time.

While "Control Freak" is big and filled with explosions and giant conspiracies, "The Many Faces Of Alex" is a much more character-driven story that challenges the viewers to empathize with a new character who is morally ambiguous. Alex, another character quite ahead of her time, is undercover for various organizations and she struggles to keep her various identities straight. This is a conflict that comes up with Sydney Bristow on Alias many years later. And yes, there are conspiracy theories in this episode, too, but it is tightly character driven.

Both episodes are written for a savvy audience of science fiction fans. The final resolution to each episode involves a twist and is pretty unpredictable even to seasoned fans. This makes them work wonderfully. It is a rare thing that a show can pull off something that is both sensible to fans, despite its outlandishness, and so enjoyable on a character level and special effects level as to make it a great moment of television. The struggles and character aspects in these episodes manages to do that.

"Volume 6" continues the old story of the conflicts we carry with us, fathers and sons, daughters and mothers, through the generations and that resonate in our lives and live within us. "Control Freak" is surprisingly insightful on what it takes to push a person to the edge and "The Many Faces Of Alex" portrays well what happens when one is living well over that edge. Both do what great television ought to; they inform the viewer of bigger picture issues outside the microcosm of the story.

Part of the reason for its success is that the characters all work and are intriguing and easy to empathize with. Kyle Jarvis is intriguing and tortured and makes for an interesting antagonistic protagonist for Sydney Bloom and the audience to explore. Jarvis is a living scapegoat who has been constantly beaten down, unjustly and against his will. In some ways watching him take the control tower is liberating as he strives to expose the nefarious Committee and the viewer is likely to have some real issues empathizing with Oliver or other members of the Committee and wonder how long it will be before Sydney leaves the apparently corrupt and factionalized group.

Similarly, Alex has a genuine and compelling character conflict. The price we pay for human intelligence is rarely depicted on television or in film and that VR-5 both went there and explored the issue with decent sensibilities. Alex is both recognizably intelligent and suffering from a destroyed core identity. This is a wonderfully realistic way to play the character and Alex stands out as one of the more memorable guest characters on this brief series.

Jarvis is played by Markus Flanagan, who has a wonderful ability to emote with his eyes and he does an amazing job of playing the slightly off-balanced part of Jarvis masterfully. Jarvis is empathetic because Flanagan never steps over the line that might make him seem comedically crazy; a parody of mental illness. Similarly, Alex is played by Markie Post in a role that she nails. Without any sense of comic timing, she plays Alex as exhausted and beaten down, yet with all of the kernels of efficiency that make her a credible character.

Anthony Stewart Head is able to explode the role of Oliver Sampson and in these episodes his facade of ultimate strength is broken as his past is broken open with Sydney's. Head retains a sense of gravity to his character that allows the viewer to see the transformations as completely credible, even as the character goes off in some new directions.

It is Lori Singer as Sydney Bloom upon whom the episodes rest and she brings them home. Singer transforms Sydney into a more assertive character who acts proactively instead of reacting to everything around her falling apart. She is intense and clever in the role and it works well for her stand straighter and put more of her body into the role in these episodes. Fans of the entire series will notice the subtle transformations that are occurring in these episodes and those just picking up this tape will likely appreciate how she seems to have a well-rounded character who isn't a whispy wraith.

Visually, these episodes are strong and rely on a great deal of special effects and a sense of visual metaphor that requires the viewer to pay attention and be truly engaged throughout. And while the final line of the episode in this volume might be predictable to those who are fans of the series, it comes as enjoyable nonetheless and it manages to hold up over multiple viewings.

By this point, though, it's hard to recommend the volume to anyone not already into VR-5.

[Sadly, even with VHS being essentially a dead medium, the VR.5 DVD set is out of print and hard to come by. Still, for those interested in it, please check out my overview of the entire series available by clicking here!
Thanks!]

“Control Freak” – 7/10
“The Many Faces Of Alex” – 7/10
VHS – 6.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Weakest Volume Of VR-5, "Dr. Strangechild" & "Sisters" Far Too Obvious For Science Fiction Fan!

The Good: Moments of character insight, Basic principles of plots
The Bad: Predictable plots, Obvious characters, Disappointing acting on many fronts
The Basics: When Sydney Bloom begins working more with the virtual reality system, she becomes intrigued by it, though the viewers become a bit bored by the canned plots and acting.


It is weird to write a review of episodes in a series that utterly failed because the instinct to jump write into a review must be set aside some in order to recap the concept of the series. After all, while pop-culture hits like Buffy The Vampire Slayer (reviewed here!) or The X-Files (reviewed here!) might be virtually self-explanatory or so well known that even a person unfamiliar with the series might pick up enough just by a review that jumps right in, failures require some measure of recap, especially when the series being discussed is serialized.

VR-5 is one of those commercial failures that I am gladly picking up and reviewing. The basic premise is quite simple: protagonist Sydney Bloom has unwittingly stumbled onto a sophisticated virtual reality mechanism known as VR-5 and with it she is able to access the subconscious of those she calls using the special program. Following an intriguing pilot episode, VR-5 quickly tried to explore what Sydney Bloom could do with this skill and her talents were utilized by the mysterious Committee, an organization she knows almost nothing about.

On "Volume 2," VR-5 goes largely episodic with two episodes designed to illustrate more or less standalone adventures involving Sydney and her discovery of what the VR system can be. Unfortunately, "Dr. Strangechild" is just awful and while "Sisters" is not as bad, it is far more obvious. Either way, these become, ultimately, two episodes it is surprisingly easy to pass by when watching the series.

In "Dr. Strangechild," Sydney begins to work for the Committee and Dr. Morgan teams her up with three experts in psychology, numerology, physics and comparative religions to try to find a prodigy who has gone on the run. An expert in military research, the young man developed an incredible weapon and then disappeared. He calls in to make demands and to lead the authorities pursuing him astray, while threatening to kill civilians if he is not let out of the program. Sydney brings him into the virtual reality that is created by his subconscious and while the others piece together the metaphors, she comes to realize she and the boy share a common bond of complete loneliness.

In "Sisters," Sydney goes off on her own and begins to investigate her coworker, Janine Messersmith. Sydney knows that Janine is stealing from Tel Cal and she becomes determined to prove it using what she learns in VR. Instead, she finds herself getting excited off the rush of stealing with Janine in the virtual world and she comes to miss her dead sister even more. As a result, Dr. Morgan begins to become concerned about what the VR system might be doing to Sydney and he appeals for her to get out while she can.

"Dr. Strangechild" and "Sisters" are generally more dramatic works, but they are plagued by a strong sense of camp. While most of the rest of the series overcomes the pretense and silliness that one might expect from a science fiction series operating on a limited budget and telling stories designed to appeal to mid-teens, this volume falls squarely into the category of silly, obvious and unfortunately more hokey than it was intended to be.

"Dr. Strangechild," for example, feels remarkably assembled, like it was put together all special for television. For example, the team that Sydney is brought in to aid feature Team Ethnic Diversity, which I would usually applaud, but there's something about it that just seems very produced in the episode. Sydney and Dr. Morgan are the ignorant white people stepping in to deal with the problem that the diverse intelligencia cannot seem to crack. And there's something patronizing about the team being all men and that because the solution is more emotional than logical, Sydney reaches the conclusions first.

But more than that, the episode is remarkably repetitive. In her VR vision, Sydney comes to realize that the youth is utilizing images corresponding with the iconography of the Tree Of Life, which also has physics and chemistry applications. Once this is realized, the episode degenerates into a repetitive collection of places popping up where the imagery can be used. After a few times, it begins to feel very produced. Of course scripted television is put together, by writers, producers, directors, etc. But the best works do not feel that way.

"Sisters" suffers less from feeling so assembled, but instead it is predictable on the plot front and sadly obvious on the character front. Sydney's endeavor on her own into Janine's mind becomes predictably addictive and raises the necessary question of "how much of this can she handle?" The problem is because those savvy with science fiction are expecting something like that to be asked, the episode lives or dies on how clever it asks the question.

Unfortunately, the answer is less-than-satisfying. Sydney Bloom has a strange addiction; one moment she is powerless and thrilled by the excitement of having a bond with Janine, even if Janine does not remember it outside VR-5. But the next minute, Sydney is just over it. So, it's not like an addiction and the emotional weight Duncan and Dr. Morgan place on the need to not become dependent on the experience ultimately feels cheap and silly.

Janine herself is intriguing, though her story becomes a very cliche "hooker with a heart of gold" type story wherein Janine's reasons for stealing make her empathetic instead of wrong. Or, at least that is what is supposed to happen. Instead, possibly because of the "Bonnie and Clyde" imagery and obvious noir influences on the VR sequences, it just seems obvious. For a change her reasons are less compelling than the viewers desire for an interesting outcome. The viewer gets neither.

Janine herself is well played by guest actress Colleen Flynn who portrays the woman from the script remarkably well. Flynn does what she can and she keeps the VR sequences exciting to watch with a twitchy quality to her eyes, but she is ultimately limited by what is in the script.

Similarly, in "Dr. Strangechild," an appearance by genre regular character actor Eric Avari - recently seen as the senior Dr. Suresh on Heroes - finds him doing what he can, but dealing with an inferior script. Regular performers Michael Easton and Will Patton are underused in these episodes and their performances push their acting nor their characters any further than where they were in the pilot episode.

The episodes rest on the performance of Lori Singer, though, and in "Dr. Strangechild," she just does not land that plane. Instead, she fumbles through the episode with a surprisingly bland affect and a lack of surprise that portrays indifference more than empathy toward the boy's loneliness. In "Sisters," Singer is allowed to be quite a bit more expressive and she rises nicely to the challenge. In that episode, Sydney is watchable at the very least.

While Sydney might be behind others in terms of understanding what is going on in a situation, it is important that her performance never seem like Lori Singer is behind the curve. In "Dr. Strangechild," that is exactly where she appears. Fortunately, in "Sisters" is seems she is growing into the role and more comfortable with what that represents. Her performance is better there.

It's still not at all exciting, though and these episodes are more than likely to disappoint fans of science fiction and offer little to nothing for fans of drama in general. While "Sisters" explores the psychological metaphor nature of the VR system, the other episode fails utterly and this volume is one that can be avoided with no real loss to the series.

[Sadly, even with VHS being essentially a dead medium, the VR.5 DVD set is out of print and hard to come by. Still, for those interested in it, please check out my overview of the entire series available by clicking here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Eric Avari, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Charlie Wilson's War
Heroes - Season 1
Daredevil
"Unification, Part 1"

"Dr. Strangechild" - 2.5/10
"Sisters" - 5/10
VHS - 3.5/10

For other television show reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Intrigue Long Before The Matrix When VR.5 Debuts Its "Pilot"

The Good: Intriguing concept, Interesting characters, Tone
The Bad: Clunky acting, Feels like a pilot, Effects seem a little primitive now
The Basics: When Sydney Bloom inadvertently taps into a sophisticated virtual reality system well beyond the limits of modern technology, she finds herself in a dangerous place.


The problem with having a hit television show - and it's a real "woe is me" difficulty! - is what to do with the rest of the night. Networks are always trying to find shows to pair up with their most successful series'. When Fox had the unlikely hit with The X-Files (reviewed here!) on Friday nights, the network scrambled to develop another show to put with it to keep the traditional loser night dominated by Fox. One of the attempts was the ambitious, generally serialized VR.5.

VR.5 was pretty much doomed from its beginning; the episodes were serialized and they were not aired in order and some of the episodes were not even aired on television, making for a somewhat fractured story that was hard to follow. Fortunately, when Rhino released it on home video, they solved the problem of the out-of-order and unaired episodes and put the volumes in the intended order. It all begins with the "Pilot."

Having witnessed the death of her father and sister at a young age in a car accident in which they drown, Sydney Bloom develops into a painfully shy woman who is socially awkward. She works for a California telephone company and taps into the lines to listen to chatter in her off time and she plays on her computer with the most primitive form of virtual reality available in 1995. Unable to stand up to her crabby neighbor in reality, Sydney isolates herself in her loft apartment where she is infrequently visited from her childhood friend, Duncan.

In an unlikely turn of events, Sydney is called by her angry neighbor and in the process of hanging up on him, accidentally sets the telephone into an alternate cradle and the two enter a virtual landscape. The next day, Kravitz has moved his car and Sydney is convinced the virtual experience they shared was in some way real. She and Duncan attempt to go in together and she seeks out Dr. Frank Morgan, an expert in the field of virtual reality, for advice. Morgan advises her to avoid the virtual reality system and when Sydney ignores him by trying to use the virtual reality system she has discovered to vet a potential date, the results turn deadly.

VR.5 sounds like a pretty straightforward science fiction show exploring the nature of virtual reality, but the nice thing about the series was that beginning here in the "Pilot," there is a sense that the show is going somewhere and there is something deeper going on. So, by the end of the "Pilot," the attentive viewer will easily realize what Sydney is not able to articulate: that the VR system takes the user into their subconscious and the revelations one finds there are psychologically valid, even if they are laced in visual metaphors and mysteries that need to be unraveled.

This creates a wonderful alternate reality that allows the viewer to revisit the episodes and pick out meanings in many of the visuals. In the "Pilot," the first virtual reality experience, which puts Kravitz and Sydney on a creepy bus together, reveals quite a bit about both people and it's a freaky experience for the viewer, Sydney and Kravitz. But the whole concept of the virtual world being constructed by the subconscious of the user becomes profoundly revelatory; Sydney's inability to process and understand images when she takes Scott - her coworker who she has a crush on - leads her into the danger that nearly kills her.

The "Pilot" actually has a pretty wonderful sense of tension once it gets going, no doubt a credit to the musical accompaniment which builds the mood quite efficiently. In fact, with the low sophistication of the visual effects - the creepy bus ride, for example, is mostly radical color alterations to represent the virtual world - the quality of the soundtrack helps pull the episode up into likable territory.

So, too, do the characters. Sydney is, admittedly, difficult to watch, especially in the pilot. Everything that happens to her is bigger than life and she freaks out. Sydney is very realistic in the "Pilot" and she is anything but heroic. Instead, she is real and between falling down the rabbit hole into virtual reality and being attacked by a serial killer, Sydney is actually a delight to watch once the episode gets going because she reacts anything but heroically, which is usually far more reasonable!

But surrounding Sydney are Duncan and the reluctant Dr. Morgan and they are instantly engaging. Duncan is a philosophically inclined, if generically good-looking guy who has a clear unstated affection for Sydney and their backstory is only grazed upon in the "Pilot," giving the viewer the sense that there is plenty of material there to mine in future episodes. Well before Michael Easton ended up as a daytime soap opera fixture, he illuminated the world of VR.5 as the cerebral Duncan.

But the one who steals the scenes is Dr. Morgan. Morgan is a fairly young curmudgeon and his opening lines on the nature of virtual experiences make him an amusing and clever character that the viewer wants to see more of. He is sardonic and while it is unclear how much he knows up until the final frames of the "Pilot," Morgan has a disaffected quality and his warnings carry an unsettling amount of weight.

Dr. Frank Morgan is played by Will Patton and he is quite good in the role. Patton impressed me with his chauvinistic and drawling performance in The Spitfire Grill (reviewed here!) and his role as Morgan is entirely different. Patton illustrates a versatility that is carried through his voice, body language and the ability to evoke a subtle menace with his eyes.

The show is carried by actress Lori Singer, a Hollywood-beautiful blonde who one would have thought would have sold the series alone for at least five years. Alias, er, Alas, such was not the case and Singer's role of Sydney Bloom ends up far more brief. And, unfortunately, the "Pilot" may reveal some of the seeds of that. Singer is portraying Sydney as a very realistic character. As a result, she often comes across as stiff, shy in a way that is not at all coy or entertaining and ignorant of exactly what she has gotten into. The problem might be that Singer is too good at the role and her spacy stares and freak-outs are less entertaining or engaging than the producers intended.

The result is that VR.5 feels very much like a pilot episode and Singer seems a little uncomfortable in the role, combining with the lack of technical sophistication in the special effects and the level of technobabble, this becomes a hard sell for those unwilling to commit to the full series. "Pilot" raises the questions from the opening frames with the accident that cost her father and sister their lives, but it does not wrap up neatly by the end of the episode (of course!). As a result, those looking for a straightforward drama are unlikely to enjoy the episode, despite the fact that the show delves smartly into imagery from the subconscious.

As an aside, Robert Picardo of Star Trek: Voyager fame makes an uncredited cameo as a scientist working on VR systems. The irony here is something only a Star Trek fan is likely to be in a position to truly appreciate; Picardo played a virtual character on Star Trek: Voyager and here he is developing the technology!

On its own, though, "Pilot" has many of the essential clues needed to truly understand the story that is being told with the series and it is, at worst, entertaining. And anyone who likes smart science fiction is likely to find something enjoyable here, even if it didn't endure on Fox!

[Sadly, even with VHS being essentially a dead medium, the VR.5 DVD set is out of print and hard to come by. Still, for those interested in it, please check out my overview of the entire series available by clicking here!
Thanks!]

For other reality-bending works, please visit my reviews of:
The Matrix
Inception
Sucker Punch

6.5/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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