Helix

I jumped at the chance to watch "Helix," especially because it's not as though we're drowning in great TV sci-fi at the moment. Zombie movies meet "The Andromeda Strain" with a bit of "The Thing" thrown in? Count me in! And for a few episodes, it really did seem as though it might become the diamond in SyFy's rough.

Unfortunately, "Helix" to date has failed to live up to its potential. By the end of the first season, the familiar sci-fi/horror tropes that served as a promising setup have become a stronger prison than its isolated setting. Where tension should be building, the story instead begins to run out of steam, with each new threat and cliffhanger somehow less compelling than the last. Questions are answered, but the answers aren't as interesting as they could be, and most of them fail to produce new questions that might take the story in unexpected directions. And while a few characters may hint at multidimensionality, others do things that they simply would not do -- solely for the sake of manufacturing drama, and with little sign that we might learn something about them later that would justify it.

By the time the final "big bad" of the season (who felt more like a reject from the "Harry Potter" franchise) arrived to walk us through most of the same plot points the previous one did, I was gritting my teeth to make it through the finale. I'm glad for the sake of its more devoted fans that "Helix" was renewed, but I don't see myself sticking around for the second season.

Example- Those in quarantine shut off the CO2 scrubbers threatening the oxygen supply. Really? You're not in outer space, OPEN THE DOOR TO THE OUTSIDE!!

Sure it's cold, but you've already been outside numerous times with no problem breathing. Open the doors, fill the building with oxygen, close the doors and warm up. Repeat as needed.

See? Stupid stuff.

Someone blows up the satellite dish and everyone just shrugs and goes on with life like that sort of thing happens alot.

And no one thought to bring satellite phones to an arctic medical research station just in case the satellite dish blows up or stops working?

See? Stupid stuff.

This show is quite good. It has nice twists and plot cliffhangers.

However, the person who chose the soundtrack should never be allowed to do that ever again!!! It's excruciating!!!!

I watched the first season until the end. I'm definitely not fascinated, it's never going to be my favorite show. Some events are unrealistic, some characters react in a way "real humans" wouldn't (but then again, it is still unclear how much of that is just bad writing and acting and how much will be explained later on). Still, every episode was interesting and fun to watch.

Sure, there are moments when they watch a virus under a microscope or create miracle drugs in days by mixing few flasks of colored liquids, but if you can let go of the expectations of realism for the sake of fun, I recommend this show.

i have been reading several of the reviews for this show & i don't understand why people are so upset with the lack of realism. one person wrote that it is an insult to scientists. its a fictitous show, not a documentary. i'm a viewer being entertained, not a scientist picking out the flaws in this show. the acting is decent, the script is fine & the mystery is above average. some people compared this to the TV show lost saying its not nearly as good. yes, i watched lost & that show made no sense on many occasions & the conclusion was a real disappointment. for syfy channel, this is a decent show. one thing i do agree on is one of the reviewers said the following depicted all the fbi agents as stupid, except for kevin bacon. i agree with that. if you are looking for realism then i suggest watching documentaries, not fantasy, scifi shows. maybe i'm just not that fussy, but this show, in my humble opinion, is entertaining, not thought provoking, which i don't expect from the syfy channel. its great escapism.