Radiance Ep.12 | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Science Fiction Drama Web Series

4 Swirlies

“What if we’re the only ones left?”

These episodes of the horror survival web series Radiance are so short and so good that I find myself with the same thing to say; I’m always surprised by how much tension, story and surprise they pack in in less than two minutes.

This episode has two scenes. In the first, the small band of survivors have a moral dilemma to make, one of the most fundamental decisions a human can make in a survival situation. Should we kill someone else we think is sick or dying to save ourselves?

In the second were lulled into a false sense of calm, before an almost single frame shocker that makes us wonder: is this where it turns to a zombie story?

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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Radiance Ep.11 | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Science Fiction Drama Web Series

4 Swirlies

“I’m going to say this slow. And I’m going to say this once.”

Wow. How much tension can you put in one minute and thirty nine seconds? Clearly a lot.

You can feel the panic spreading as they start to take drastic measures to protect themselves from something they don’t understand.

Radiance is one of those shows that breaks the rules and makes it work. It just goes to show you that everything anyone says to you about how things are supposed to be done is bullshit, even the stuff I say. It is all opinion, and what works for one show may not work for another show.

And then there’s the fact that just a great story - like Radiance - makes everything else null and void.

I saw a thread somewhere the other day where someone was struggling to figure out what sort of web series they wanted to make. Is there a formula? Something that works for the large audience of the internet? There was quite a bit of discussion, but here’s what I think - tell a story, and everything else springs from there. If you’re looking for a formula, or something else to tell you what story to tell, I think what you’re saying is that you’re making a web series for the wrong reasons. You’re making a web series to either make a bunch of money or get famous. Either way, you’ll probably be disappointed. Look at Radiance - a great little web series with a great story, and it is clear that the whole series has been seen by less than 350 people in a year of it being posted. (Part 17 only has 280 some views, at the time we’re going to press on this article.) That’s not great numbers, but it is about average for many, many web series as far as I can tell. And I would say even big web series fans haven’t heard of it. It certainly can’t have made much profit for those who made it. Would you call this show a failure?

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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Radiance Ep.10 | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Science Fiction Drama Web Series

5 Swirlies

“You’re dying, we’re not dying!”

Another suspenseful episode of the creepy “what if” web series, Radiance.

As the body count rises, We are finally left with few enough characters that I can tell who is who while only watching a single minute a week.

You know, I was talking to someone recently about one minute long web series, and I mentioned this one as a great example of what you can do in short episodes. But then I remembered Prom Queen. Remember Prom Queen? It wasn’t a show that we covered, I think it was just before we first started The Watch List many moons and lifetimes ago. Prom Queen was Michael Eisner, of Disney fame. He started a giant company, Vuguru, and this was his attempt to make a big web series splash. A series told in one minute episodes.

I try not to be cruel or reductive when I write these reviews, but in so many words, Prom Queen sucked. It’s been a while since I have seen it, so I won’t get into it’s many shortcomings here, but essentially it didn’t tell stories in one minute intervals, it showed a minute of a scene, and then the next episode was another minute. It wasn’t engaging and it was annoying because everything had the same rhythm, every minute, exactly, the episode ended.

Radiance succeeds where Prom Queen failed, in my opinion, in having most of the episodes feel like they had some sort of narrative arc for them, and by letting each episode find its own length in order to break up the rhythm of the short episodes.

Prom Queen cost a lot to make, maybe even a million or more. Radiance, it would appear, was done for fun. Neither made a profit. But I hope that you would agree with me that Radiance is the better show, and a role model for those looking to make very short episodes.

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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Space Hospital S02E07 “The Egg and I” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Comedy Web Series

4 Swirlies

“Barbara, however, is a patient, and should not be relaxing.”

Trippy.

To be clear - this cliffhanger episode of the science fiction comedy web series Space Hospital is NOT the season finale. I guess it is the mid-season hiatus. More episodes are coming down the pipeline.

I’ve talked a lot about this series, which leaves me with very little to say. I love it - it just makes me happy. Nurse Barbara gets a lot of screen time, which is great. Her reaction to the egg, part connection and part revulsion, is spot on. The android valet looks awesome. The nun’s prayer is hilarious. I love the props and the set dressings. The openning shot, the way they worked in the title, is a lot of fun.

I have to say, the sequence with Lindsey, the half android, was confusing to me - but I don’t really remember the events in the first season that led to her creation in the first place. Maybe I missed an episode? I remember the bionic tennis player…

This is a funny episode, more plotty than gaggy, and it moves pretty fast. It adds some surprising twists to the Space Hospital story - not to missed if you’re a fan of the show!

From YouTube Description:

Re: Giant Easter Egg, minus Easter…

Space Hospital gets religion in the form of a sexy nun and her cyborg valet, just as Nurse Barbara battles depression over her recent maternal disaster. Meanwhile, Yeoman Long ponders the true meaning of her death, resurrection and return to the hospital and the unsettling secrets hidden deep in her own programming.

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Aidan5 Ep.7 “The Life of Riley” | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Sci-Fi Web Series

5 Swirlies

“In the illegal world, we’re born in a sewer.”

This episode of the unique, mixed media science fiction web series Aidan5 takes a break from the high octane action of the previous few and gives us a little backstory into Riley.

One of the things that this series does well is to take a look at cloning from various angles, and how it impacts our society; even if some of the angle they choose to examine are a little obvious. In this one, they tackle a few things, including clone discrimination. My favourite bit - and a very nice, interesting touch, is how vilely Riley’s original reacts to her clone, who then goes to the original’s funeral.

One the parts I liked the least is seeing Aidan as heroic (and thus, presenting him as heroic to the audience) for brutally beating a bad guy unconscious for threatening to hit Riley. Sure, the guy was a bad guy, but Aidan is a cop - we’re supposed to cheer on this behaviour? It is a small beef, more of a pet peeve about how the U.S. cop mythology is handled in general rather than a complain about this episode. Oh, I also cringed a bit when Riley was portrayed as a damsel in distress that needed to be saved by a strong man handing out savage beatings to those he disagreed with. I’m not saying every woman in every novel, TV, web series whatever needs to be portrayed as being as tough if not tougher than a man, it just felt very… thoughtless on the part of the writers, not coming so much from the character and on the cliche side.

I like that they’re willing to take a break and do something a little more introspective. And writing wise, it was interesting that Riley choose not to remind Aidan that they had met before - like she was making a clean break from the past. I also like that they fast forwarded a bit from the end of the previous episode - not that there couldn’t have been some great episodes in that period, but they chose to take a different route. For me, every evidence that the writers and creators are making choices about their story makes me respect them more.

I also really like seeing some new locations - man, I don’t how how the artist doing the backdrops can keep up with this show. They must be drawing all the time. One thing that I don’t think I mentioned before is the trouble they must have in matching the POV between the drawings and the live action material. How do they make sure the perspective isn’t off?

From YouTube Description:

Episode 7: A look back at Riley’s cloning and troubled past.

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Radiance Ep.9 | A Webseries Review on The Watch List

A Science Fiction Drama Web Series

5 Swirlies

“Guys, I saw something.”

Oh no! After the discovery of yet another pair of bodies, the housemates get a clue about what they’re dealing with… and what might happen next.

A nice, tense little episode. The web series Radiance has very short episodes in a serialized format, and it is one of the few series that manages to keep the atmosphere tense in just about every one. There’s a total of 19 parts, which means we’re only at the halfway point.

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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Broken Toy Ep.3 | A Web Series Review on The Watch List

A Thriller Web Series

2 Swirlies

“You are a sweet little monkey. NOW GIVE ME A HUG!”

I don’t know.

The production, especially the special effects, is really strong. Some of the explosions towards the end look CGI-y, but a lot of it is awesome. The fights scenes are pretty well choreographed, and the acting on the part of the main guy is good. But the script… the script…

That first episode was so well written. Now each episode is just a drawn out fight scene and special effects showpiece. Especially since this guy is a psycho superhero that can’t be contained, but he’s the main character… well, we’re kinda just waiting for him to escape. Even when the twists come, such as they are, we don’t care because we’re not invested in anything or genuinely surprised. Nor do they particularly make sense.

A lot of work by a lot of people must have gone into making this web series. It has to be way more than the four people listed on the website under team. (Who did the make-up? And all that blood effects?) I wish that I liked it more. I’m going to keep watching, if only to see what happens now that we’re not in that same building.

From YouTube Description:

Bigger. Badder. Better. Don’t call him Frankenstein.

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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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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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