Beacon 23

As an ardent admirer of Lena Headey's work, I embarked on the journey of watching this new show with a heart full of anticipation and high expectations. Lena's previous performances had set a benchmark, and I was eager to see her magic unfold once again on the screen. However, after dedicating my time to three full episodes, I find myself in a state of confusion and disappointment.

The plot seems to be wandering aimlessly, with no clear direction or purpose. It's like being lost in a maze with no exit in sight. The storyline, which should ideally be a roadmap guiding the viewers, appears to be a tangled web with no discernible path. I am left questioning the ultimate goal of the narrative and the message it intends to convey.

The crux of the problem, I believe, lies in the emotional disconnect I am experiencing with the storyline. A truly engaging narrative has the power to draw in its audience, making them feel a part of the unfolding drama. It should be able to evoke a spectrum of emotions, from joy and excitement to suspense and intrigue. This emotional investment acts as the glue that binds the viewers to the characters and their journey.

Unfortunately, this show seems to lack that vital hook. The storyline fails to captivate, leaving me as a viewer feeling detached and uninterested. The narrative lacks the compelling factor that makes one eagerly await the next episode. It's like reading a book where the characters fail to come alive, and the plot fails to stir any emotion.

In conclusion, while I started watching the show as a fan of Lena Headey, the lack of a captivating narrative and emotional engagement has left me quite disappointed. I hope the forthcoming episodes bring about a positive change and manage to reignite the spark that seems to be missing currently.

Never witnessed such horrible pacing. Visceral anger rages in me because on one hand the story appears intriguing, but the nonsense just stupefies me. Plot holes the size of Texas, sheer incontinuity, half of what one sees leads literally nowhere. Good acting, great production values, great aesthetics, slightly above brain dead scripting. What a combination. I want to like it I really do. At this point I am no longer convinced there is any story at all, just spectacle, psuedo-depth, and great cgi. Heres a thought script writers: try thinking just one thought coherently from beginning to end, just one. Bombarding the audience with a litany of half-thought thoughts is akin to mental torture, do you really have such disdain for your own ideas? Or rather the audience?

Greetings from the other side. I managed to get through all 8 episodes of season one, proving my superior will power.

After 8 episodes we still know nothing about the rocks (artifacts). They tease you hear and there, and even whisper the secret from one person to another, but they won't tell us.

Seriously, if all you have is one secret, how can you stretch that out into an entire season? You can't, not successfully anyways. Yet now they have a second season? Wow. Count me out.

They have some decent actors but man is it slow moving. They even have a couple prequel episodes so we can learn about previous beacon keepers, and they tell us nothing as well.

I cannot recommend this show.

In the 23rd century, humanity has colonized the galaxy. Beacons are space lighthouses warning the presence of dangerous dark matter. Beacon 23 is malfunctioning and a passing spaceship is destroyed. Aster Calyx (Lena Headey) is the sole surivor and Harmony (Natasha Mumba) is her personal AI. She finds a lone lighthouse keeper, but he's actually military soldier Halan (Stephan James) with lots of issues. Nobody is who they claim to be.

It's a lighthouse in space. That's the concept. It has the spooky atmosphere of an old horror with a lot of techno babble. The characters get a bit too mysterious and too complicated. The show keeps piling on layers upon layers. It's a big problem when the show loses its biggest name going into the second season. Lena Headey can put an entire show on her shoulders. Without her, the seams start to fall apart. All the convoluted history and politics become too much to overcome. The show ends after two seasons.

I don't get the bad reviews. This show has a great story that unfolds a bit more every episode. The acting is very well done and the two leads are excellent. The dialogue is sometimes simplistic in that it's there to move the story, not hit you in the feels or expand your mind but it's there to give you information so that things that have or will happen make some sort of sense. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of great dialogue, it's just used where it's needed, not to add flourishes to something that doesn't require it.

The script that everyone is dunking on manages to make you feel the vast space of the universe they're building. From the disparate types of people, languages and motivations to the thoroughly believable advanced tech.

Visually, they've done a great job. When appropriate, the CGI is well done and not overly flashy. Just solid and believable. Overall production design, sets and wardrobe are all great as well. Nothing about the show feels cheap or skimped over.

I feel like people are just mad because the writers aren't handing you scenes that show whether a person is good or bad. There's a lot of ambiguity going on but the show manages, if you give it a chance, to answer many of the questions that arise. That said, I also feel like the show has a lot more to say about a lot of things. Things like where AI is leading us and how we might interact with it. Whether some knowledge or "progress" is too expensive or dangerous. If humanity forcibly evolves itself are they still human? And of course, what's going on with the weird rocks?

They've obviously left room for more answers in a (thankfully) renewed second season and I look forward to more thought provoking, enjoyable and sometimes beautiful episodes.

If you're looking for non-stop action or nail biting suspense, this ain't it. If you're looking for good, solid, moderately hard sci-fi with some decent but infrequent action sequences and a bit of philosophy thrown in, this might just work for you.