#vr.5

[fuzzyghost]

[scifipinups]

Lori Singer VR.5 (1995)

[posthumanwanderings]

[51kas81]

Anthony Head in VR.5 - Escape (1995)

[adambaldwindaily]

[vintagetvfan]

VR.5 Episode 8 - “Simon’s Choice”

I started watching VR.5 because David McCallum was in it.  So far I’ve only caught glimpses of his character in the memory or the subconscious of the protagonist.  He plays her probably-not-as-deceased-as-she-thinks-he-is father, Dr Joseph Bloom.

I’m continuing to watch this series because it turned out to be good little science fiction thriller, with a slowly unfolding conspiracy plot.  I suspect we’ll find the (reputedly) late Dr Bloom at the heart of it.  Sadly VR.5 was cancelled after 13 episodes because the special effects were too expensive.  All the “subconscious” scenes were hand-coloured, which is why David McCallam looks a bit weird here!

(Oh, and it’s a very 90s series in parts.  The heroine hacks into peoples’ subconscious minds using a dial-up modem... *g*)

[abriefingwithmichael]

VR.5 # 001

Very simple story, with deliberately under-explained backstory. Great visual flair.

Story: Is Sydney’s new co-worker a serial killer? She likes him, but her new VR abilities/powers give her reason to suspect that he’s murdered some women before. And, sure enough, on their first date, he tries to kill her.

That’s pretty much the bones of the entire episode. And, in fairness, it’s kinda a dumb story. Adam Baldwin does the best he can with the role. But, to be honest, the climax made me chuckle. It’s so silly.

Backstory: Sydney’s father and twin sister appear to have died (maybe) in a car accident, after a strange man visited their house one night. Her father was some kind of computer guy in the 70s, and the unwelcome visitor appears to have been working for a group called the “Committee.”

Oh, and her mother is in some kind of coma state.

The script doesn’t really explain much of any of this. It alludes to things, mostly, rather than spelling them out. It’s enigmatic, but also a bit frustrating. Like telling us about the mother’s state AFTER Sydney met her in VR seems like an odd storytelling choice. Surely, their conversation would have meant more to the audience if we had known before hand that they cannot speak in the real world. Yes, we deduced it pretty quickly, but still...

The same lack of explanation is true of Sydney’s ‘powers’/’abilities’. The show doesn’t really explain what she’s doing.

Most of the screentime is just Sydney at home, or mumbling to people about virtual reality without really saying anything much. She and the Frank Morgan character (in particular) really take themselves very, very seriously. So much so that it can sometimes be unintentionally funny.

The sequences in VR are re-coloured and look beautiful.

The vague premise is certainly very interesting and the final scene hints at some kind shady organisation behind the scenes.

7/10

[funforahermit]

Oliver Sampson (VR.5)

(most caps are from Control Freak and The Many Faces of Alex, one is from Escape)