Tyranny Ep.12 “Losing It” | A Webseries Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Web Series

4 Swirlies

“Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve?”

A frenetic, intense episode that really puts you inside the emotional state of a guy coming apart at the seams.

There’s a cool montage in the middle, some found footage (at least it feels that way) and some original material, all mashed together as Daniel’s thoughts spiral out of control.

I really enjoyed the clash of source images through out - grainy video, sharp film looking shots, some somewhere in between.

And then a moment of normalcy, a phone call, makes it all seem like a weird fantasy. Is Daniel really losing his mind? Or is Isabella calling a lifeline that he’s clinging to for a lucid moment? And what happens New Years Eve?

With some shows, you feel like they’re coming to the end of their run or their season and the writer or creators are like, “Oh yeah, I need to get the plot going.” And instead of focusing on the characters that have lead you to stick around, they throw in plot twists that feel artificial. And you end up feeling like the end just sucked all the life and fun from the series. I’m not feeling that with Tyranny. There’s only three episodes after this one, so yes, granted we’re not at the end yet, but I feel like each episode is keeping the focus on Daniel but still ramping up the tension.

From YouTube Description:

Episode 12 of Tyranny the Web Series:
“Losing it”
After having been called into the FBI, Daniel McCarthy turns the camera on himself, as he documents his now heightened paranoia in a video journal.

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Space Hospital S02E06 “As The Worm Turns” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Comedy Web Series

4 Swirlies

“It’s good to meet a fellow super sentient mollusk. We should hang out some time.”

Awesome. This episode ties up one big plot line from this season and brings another one front and center to set up for the next episode – the last of season 2!

Epic jokes to watch out for: Scanner reference, big fake, prop rocks meta humour, Omacron suggesting a “five way.”

From YouTube Description:

Re: Robot Love, Deep Space Cuisine on a Budget…

As Space Hospital is threatened with absorption into the digestive tract of a giant space mollusk, a slightly less sinister threat still stalks the shadowy halls of the ship, making hapless nurses its victim. Can the newly revived Doctor Omacron cheat fate and save the crew?

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Radiance Ep.6 | A Webseries Review on The Watch List

A Science Fiction Drama Web Series

4 Swirlies

“What about a government conspiracy type thing?”

The fall out from last episode, and the deaths in the basement. Now that they are past the initial crisis, the reality is starting to set in that there are no easy answers. Will the household survive?

Another short, punchy episode in this webseries about surviving a mysterious event. This is one of what I think of as a bridge episode, moving the plot forward after a big event, but itself largely expository.

From YouTube Description:

Ten friends in Los Angeles experience an unusual event together- and try to survive.
Starring:
Brian Gattas
Jade Gordon
Tom Lenk
Chad Lindsey
Alisa Mcronald
Sam Pancake
Jack Plotnick
Christos Prevezanos
Chris Shea
Doug Stockstill
and
Rachel Stolte

Written and directed by Jim Hansen

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Aidan5 Ep.6 “Off The Tracks” | A Webseries Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Web Series

4 Swirlies

“Be advised: Suspect is clone of Detective James Aidan”

This episode of webseries Aidan5 is both supremely awesome and little cheesy at the same time.

This is supremely ambitious - shoot outs, flying scenes, a train racing through a city scape, giant crashes and explosions… in a Hollywood feature, this scene along would cost a million bucks and take months to make. There’s plenty to admire about the execution of this in such a small webseries - and what I’m assuming is a labour of love more than a lucrative venture for the creators.

But I found myself thrilling to the action and wincing at the same time. Some of the dialogue and action are standard action movie moments and cliches that feel like they’re here more because that’s what happens in action movies rather than being natural or believable to the story and characters. And there’s an odd moment at the end where Aidan, after risking the lives of dozens if not hundreds of people by firing at a train in the middle of a big city, lets the bad guy go because he runs out of bullets (he doesn’t try to chase him down or go after him, nor does he radio in that the suspect is getting away) and then he tends to his partner who was just in a horrific crash. It might seem like I’m a fanboy nitpicking how I would have done it - there’s nothing easier than going on the internet and spouting off on how you would have it different or better, without knowing any of the reasons or complications that lead to the creator’s decisions - but I don’t think that’s where I’m coming from. I feel like the writing here has taken a back seat to the cool, actiony, plot-twisty stuff in this episode.

Like I said, there’s a lot in this episode that they did right. I don’t know how they manage to make this episode every month. The animation may just be in a pencil sketch style, but the angles and camera moves are extremely well thought out and executed. Some of the greenscreen work is a little rough, but some of it is actually quite amazing - like the shots from “outside” the flying police car in which we partially see through the pencil sketch window. I can’t imagine that something like this is easy to pull off, but in watching the episode is so well pulled off that you don’t even notice it - you just accept it. And, for its flaws, the episode is incredibly cool.

And very watchable. I hope that my discussion of those flaws dissuades you from watching it, because it is easily one of the best science fiction webseries out there.

From YouTube Description:

Episode 6: After killing Hicks and stealing the Infinity database, Matthew escapes the police station with Aidan and Riley hot on his trail.

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Tyranny Ep.11 “Aversion” | A Webseries Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Web Series

5 Swirlies

“Do you have an aversion to the government?”

Chilling.

There’s so many things to like about this new episode of the webseries, Tyranny. The tension is intense. The acting is top notch. I love the art design of the FBI offices - all boxes and paperwork. They could have done so many other things for the look of the offices, but this busy, slightly claustrophobic approach complimented the intent of the scene perfectly.

While the story didn’t really move forward, this scene gives us a sharp insight into Daniel’s increasing paranoia and emotional trauma. We could have seen him ranting or crying or writing cryptic messages on the walls, but this is a taut, honest, subtle way to get across just how frayed Daniel is becoming.

It also sets up a lot questions. Is Daniel being followed? Was he called in to speak to the FBI for some other reason than he’s being told? Is he paranoid? As much as we totally identify with Daniel, and feel what he’s feeling… I think we can’t help but question his mental state when he’s up against the complete assured calmness of the FBi agent, another testament to the strength of the acting in this series.

I like this series because it makes choices, bold choices. It doesn’t just say, we need an FBI office and this is what FBI offices on TV look like, cause I don’t think they would ended up with the set that they did. And I don’t know for certain all this - maybe this messy room was the only location they could get and so they made it work. But I don’t think so. Everything about this show is deliberate, so well thought out, that I don’t think it happened by chance.

And the character of the FBI agent? So creepy, all the more so because of the banality of much of his dialogue. Is he really just asking about the loft cause he wants to live in one? Or is he probing Daniel for some reason all together?

4 episodes left…

From YouTube Description:

Episode 11 of Tyranny the Web Series:
Aversion”
Daniel McCarthy gets called in for questioning by the FBI.

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Space Hospital S02E05 “The Return of Omacron” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Comedy Web Series

4 Swirlies

“Is Nurse Barbara a nurse again or is just hanging around?”

What a great episode of Space Hospital, even though it more of a bridge episode with a cliffhanger (actually two of them) than a self contained story.

It’s a long one, but a lot happens. And it’s awesome slash hilarious stuff – from the Space Hospital running afoul of a nebula monster, to the whole break room scene that leads to Omicron’s Return, this episode lives up to the wackiness that has been series two of Space Hospital – and some great retro-y special effects.

From YouTube Description:

Re: Proper conduct in the breakroom…

Youtube Summary: Hot Nurse with Alien Fetish punks Nerdy Coworker

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Tyranny Ep.10 “Deja Vu” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Web Series

5 Swirlies

“Nothing is random.”

Cool!

Each episode, I am more impressed by the look of it. Midway through the episode there’s some amazing shots of San Francisco, with split focus and a super long lens that makes it look like we’re seeing the city in miniature. So much cooler and interesting than, say, random shots outside a car window. And not only that, but those first shots of Daniel welding are really nice.

This episode starts with Daniel getting back to his life, but ends with some really cool, tense moments that make it clear that the mysterious happenings aren’t over. Either that or he has severe brain trauma.

There’s five episodes to go in this run of Tyranny. I’m dying to know what happens next.

From YouTube Description:

Episode 10 of Tyranny the Web Series:
“Deja Vu”
Daniel begins construction on a sensory deprivation tank in his studio - but his work is interrupted by a surprise phone call from Isabelle.

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Space Hospital S02E04 “Zombies of Morgue Zero” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Comedy Web Series

4 Swirlies

“The Centrality does not negotiate with zombies! Or patients, for that matter.”

Another hilarious but somewhat rough episode of Space Hospital. In one scene, you can clearly see the boom mic at the bottom of the frame. I mean, it is not peeking in or “pushing” the edge of the frame, as boom ops say. It is full on in the shot and waving around… twice!

But for all its rough edges, Space Hospital is constantly funny. While it might not be for people who don’t already love science fiction, it is just so out and out enjoyable that I kinda don’t care about things like the occasional boom in the shot. Of course, the whole retro sci-fi look and feel makes it easier to accept production slips.

This episode has some of the funniest one liners of the series, and it pays off a bunch of set-ups from previous episodes, including the guns. The zombies are a lot of fun, too. I like the opening teaser that includes an ad for “Zombie Hospital” featuring free de-braining. Just before the zombie fight breaks out, Dr. Larry dramatically orders the computer to engage the fight music. Not the very best episode from Space Hospital, maybe, but one of the funniest.

From YouTube Description:

Re: Transacting with Space Zombies, Pros and Cons of…

Veem Aknar rejoins the Space Hospital crew to lend a skillful hand, as shaky un-dead relations culminate in a zombie showdown with explosive consequences.

Youtube summary: Sexy Retro Space Vixen Blasts Zombies with Atomic Raygun (Ray Gun)

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Tyranny Ep.9 “The Man From Atlantis” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Web Series

4 Swirlies

“HAARP. Mind Control. Beaming images from Alaska. Bouncing them off the ionosphere into our brains. Using microwaves.”

A nice, tense little episode that delivers a fair bit of exposition without feeling like it does.

This episode really highlights the beautiful rich art direction and cinematography. The sound and music is expertly done, too. What really sells this episode is the mood - everything works together to create a mood that both ominous and fun.

I really like the secondary characters in this series. Quite often in a web series, even if your main guys are strong performers, the day player type actors are noticeably less experienced. Here every actor and actress feels both well cast and talented (and charismatic) enough to carry their own series. Even this bookstore guy - his mostly expository lines are delivered with just the right blend of jaded passion; exactly like so many of people I know from that sort of world.

Let’s go back to the lighting and camera for a moment. After you’ve watched this episode (you are watching, aren’t you?) click on any frame at random while Daniel is in that bookstore - each frame would make a remarkable photograph. It is just lit and shot beautifully. Some D.P.’s are afraid to let things go too bright or too dark, but this image uses the whole range, and the shooter, Silas Funk, is willing to let a face go dark, as long as it looks natural and aesthetically pleasing.

From YouTube Description:

Episode 9 of Tyranny the Web Series:
“Man from Atlantis”
Taking his friend Kurt’s advice, Daniel ventures to Atlantis Books in downtown San Francisco, where he meets an unusual book store owner who decides to educate Daniel on various conspiracies.

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Space Hospital S02E03 “Nebulous!” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Comedy Web Series

4 Swirlies

“Turning dead patients into new patients could be a big boost in profits to Space Hospital if we could just figure out who to bill.”

There’s a whole heck of a lot going on in this episode - Space Hospital always could pack in the story - but man is it funny!

It feels like their pieces missing, a couple of times the plot jumps around and I’m not sure what the character’s are talking about, exactly. I’m also not 100% sure who the zombie guy at the end is supposed to be. Am I supposed to recognize him? Is it supposed to be a mystery? I’m really not sure.

There’s a lot of great bits. The gun having a communicator function. Nurse Radknee’s reaction to Draco’s transformation. Sneed trying to interrupt the zombie from snitching on him. All hilarious.

From YouTube Description:

Re: Intergalactic Battle Fatigue, Effects of…

Re: Unauthorized Early Retirement of Nurses, Policy Regarding…

Youtube Summary: Futuristic Jekyll and Hyde Lizard Monster seduces Hot Nurse.

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