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June 02, 2005
TV : 4400, Season 2
Back in 2004, USA network aired a mini-series over the summer called "The 4400". This coming Sunday (June 5, 2005) a second season of the show will air, and I plan to watch it.
The 4400 was an interesting and entertaining SciFi series that dealt intelligently with the real-world consequences of its premise. The idea was that over the last century 4400 people had quietly disappeared. Then suddenly an object in space is tracked approaching Earth. The huge glowing sphere lands on a lake in Washington State, and promptly disappears, leaving the 4400 people behind. The US government assigns the Department of Homeland Security to handle the situation. Eventually they are released and allowed to at least try and reintegrate themselves into society.
The problem however is it quickly becomes apparent that "the returnees" (as they are officially called, "the 4400" being their news media nickname) have been changed – each seems to have a unique ability they have gained while they are away, and the government (and society) is at a loss for how to deal with them. What we learn by the end of the first series is that they have been sent by people in the future to fix key events so that a horrible fate can be avoided. Each was chosen an empowered to have a very specific effect to bring about a desirable future.
As an example of why I liked the original series – one character is an African-American who served as a soldier in WWII, before the civil rights movement. He has a real problem adjusting to modern society where he seems to be the only person who cares about his skin color. That changes when the public starts to get nervous around the 4400 and they become a persecuted minority. Suddenly the African-American character is back in a situation he understands.
Of course, the second series could not live up to the original; but I'm definitely going to give it a shot. The original series is available on DVDs for purchase or rental.
Posted by Steven at June 2, 2005 10:27 PM
