Gravedad cero

Very interesting story with a bit of a 2001 feel to it. Space reality, with a touch of otherworldly influence.

I watched this in HD and being a space junkie found it near breath taking. The visuals were so crisp and clear. Things were about as real as they could get. Everything seemed plausible minus the "divine interventions" shall we say.

It also plays heavy with philosophy, debating freewill vs fate. Are we predestined to achieve certain goals, or are we the creators of our future? What is the value of life? Are we just expressed genetics? Where does Biology end and humanity begin?

They've set out on a six year mission to cruise our solar system, will they make it past year one? Let's hope so.

A lot of reviews here have really derided this show for being completely unrealistic, cheesy, and boring, and have basically labeled it "Grey's Anatomy in Space." I highly disagree. I address some of the concerns below:

1) Some reviews make the problem with the show one of being unrealistic. First off, IT'S A SCIENCE FICTION SHOW SET IN THE FUTURE. Who is really worrying about realism? And if you are, how can you worry about what's realistic when we have absolutely no way of knowing what is real IN THE FUTURE? Plus, it's simply TV...if you want realism, watch the discovery channel, or go visit Cape Canaveral in Florida, don't come looking for it on a show on ABC.

2) One previous review comments about the female Hispanic astronaut attempting to teach in space via video communication, and how she switched in and out of Spanish when talking. I kind of got offended at that review, as they said that she was simply making up random, nonsense words in Spanish when talking. I'm a native Spanish speaker, and all of what she was saying made complete sense. Second, why is the concept of multilingual teaching so hard to accept? The show is set 41 years in the future, and at the rate Hispanics are growing in this country, Spanish is fast becoming a critical secondary language in the US. Not to mention, various educational programs via the internet are doing the same thing, so it is far from nonsensical. It's simply a very bigoted view.

3) Before making assumptions about the show, or passing judgment on it, watch the episodes available from start to finish. Many concerns about plot holes are addressed in subtle ways that someone not taking any effort to pay attention to the show, and instead use it as mindless background noise, would definitely miss.

4) Yes, I understand the whole "why is there a music video in the middle of the show" concern. There are a couple of points where the show uses a musical "interlude" during emotional/emotion-evoking scenes. The question is, how else would you like them to show the love between a husband and wife, or the thrill of beginning space exploration? By talking about it? By cheesy dialog between the characters trying to say something of deep meaning, but not succeeding? Please. The show tried to appease individuals looking for that sort of thing by the whole "astronaut video diary" scenes. By the way, the scenes in question are about 6-7 minutes out of a 45 minute show. Get over it.

5) This isn't Star Trek. It isn't Star Wars. It isn't your typical science fiction set really far in the future, where anything and everything is possible. It's a show about what space exploration COULD BE like sometime in the next half century, but that doesn't mean that it's how things WILL be. People who have problems with this seem to think that space travel is either via Space Shuttle, or by the Starship Enterprise, and nothing in between. Keep your mind open.

It's a nice change of pace from medical drama shows, legal/police drama shows, "teen angst" shows, and family comedies. It's something a bit different. Plus, only two episodes have aired (both of which were pretty good when you simply sat back and enjoyed it for what it was worth, rather than trying to nit-pick apart the show for every little thing). There's plenty of the show ahead, so give it some time. Plot lines take time to develop and get better.

Obviously, not everyone likes every show. I know that there are definitely shows that I've despised through the years, and I'm sure everyone has their own shows that they feel that way about. All I'm saying is, watch the show, give it a chance, and allow it to be its own show, not something else that it's not, but that you or someone else would like it to be because you were comfortable with the previous show. Additionally, Ron Livingston is the man, so there's always that.

Okay, so I also agree that it is hard to conceive of how the producers will keep this alive given the trajectory of this program, but is the program really that bad? The sexuality between characters: were men to take horribly long space engagements it is believable that a level of sexuality might be tolerated; it is human nature after all. Suppress it for 6 years, I think not.

I like this show, and am enjoying it. I can't think of anything better to watch on television, really. My greatest fear is that like the X-Files, it will come to a speeding cataclysm of a wreck, with poor writing and insufficient funds. The problem is not in the drama, or the relationships. The problem is in maintaining Nielsen ratings, where more and more outrageous plot twists are added to attract viewers, which can be fun, but never realistically brought to a coherent conclusion.

I think folks should give this one a chance, but given their short attention, I'm fairly certain they will not. Just keepin' it real, monkeys.

Pray ABC keeps this one on board. It's already an interesting drama/sci-fi/mystery and I'm really wanting to know who (I really suspect it's a "what") Beta is: the one that makes major decisions for the human astronauts but has remained in shadow so far...The cast is excellent and well seasoned (I do not mean old!) -- this automatically lends a trusted measure of character to the series. I rarely watch anything on a regular basis - but I have remembered to view "Defying Gravity" every week... and if you want to know the overall 'climate' of my other IMDb comments check the other posts attached to my account - always a good idea around here (O; .

I really enjoyed the pilot and 2 episodes so far. I'm a Sci-Fi nut to start off with and my heads been in the stars since I was a kid, so when they start another space based TV show I'm all in.

Ron Livingston is a great actor and makes a fantastic lead in this futuristic space epic. His character is serious, yet relaxed, which I think makes him more likable. The other characters are slowly developing, but all seem to have their own side stories, which for most people will make the show.

Regarding the ship, they really put thought into the possible future techs that could be reality. The ship is definitely more realistic to what might be our first long term spaceship. Built sort of like the International Space Station, put together by component modules, it's long, cylindrical, and not light-speed. I'm sure we'll learn more about the ship as time goes on, but for now they've not really focused on it much. What we do know is that the ship has mysteries. There is a force that's guiding the ship, its crew and their mission to explore the solar system. Who or what this force is has left us guessing.

Overall, the show is off to a good start. It's got it's drama, suspense, and intrigue. Here's to hoping this one stays on the air for a long time!