I watched the first season of Colony, and I really enjoyed it. The premise is good, they don’t rely on mystery boxes, motivations feel fleshed out. 10 Episode season, i recommend it.
The premise is Aliens have colonized and oppressed earth we only learn enough about them at any time to motivate the actions of our human collaborators.
Season 2 Thoughts
The Hosts as non-organic machines was a interesting twist/hint in the final episode
It’s still not clear why the hosts/machines want the earth, planet, workers at all. In the back of my head I’m speculating that they are a branch of humans and we are needed for biodiversity, but that goes against the factory and its high radiation environment conditions.
I think the final episode could have had more infighting between the different factions of guards, especially the exit scene. The Black guards keeping the red guards in, and the mutual distrust. It was only hinted at in the final loading dock scene, but not at the vehicle exit gate.
The assistant proxy governor double cross felt a little forced, they needed some blackmail on the proxy governor but the evidence of that blackmail was ok to be eliminated? doesn’t really add up to me. The character of the assistant proxy governor had real emotional depth and desperation, not totally sociopathic, just selfish but with hints of wanting redemption (i.e. ensuring the step-child was actually taken care of)
Season 3 Thoughts
With friends like these…
I like the armageddon clock type of doubling down, alluding to a far larger story/universe.
Right now I’m enjoying the idea some Alien organic race made their AI successors and a war broke out, the organic Alien’s are winning, and the AI aliens ran away, but they are being hunted down… and the AI aliens recruit/enslave the humans to fight their organic progenitors. That would explain why the new earth colony is SOOO AUTHORATARIAN… they don’t trust organics at all
the HARD shift in tone once they time skipped into seattle is rough. I’m not a fan of a PTSD character study where people are processing their emotions episode after episode, without resolution of their feelings. Ooph, the last few episodes were like 60% emotional filler. Great way to kill a scifi show, make it all the same angsty emotional journey over and over and over and over and over and over. Which is a pity the actual scifi story bones are really good here.
By the end of the show I was HAPPY the mother died, so i knew i wouldn’t have to see her undermine everyone around her yet again, and double back on her previous decisions.
Wish we could have explored the attacking alien and defending robot situation more.
I feel like season 3 was mostly filler, maybe the budget for scifi content was low, or someone thought the emotional journey was more impactful. Overall I’m glad they made the show, just disappointed it died the way it did.