Utopia (Channel 4) [** Spoilers **]

Tigger

was Philip brainwashed?
why did he shoot at Jessica

Daroxtar

Davarus Walrus wrote: »

Very weak episode so far. Apart from the lovely Twin Peak references, there really hasn't been much to keep someone watching. Too many spurious and uninteresting characters looking at each other with a sense of foreboding.

You watching Twilight again ?

Best episode since the season opener imho. No big surprise with the choice of race reveal. I'm going to be really p!ssed off if

Arby dies. He's a great character

Birneybau

Daroxtar wrote: »

You watching Twilight again ?

Best episode since the season opener imho. No big surprise with the choice of race reveal. I'm going to be really p!ssed off if

Arby dies. He's a great character

No big surprise but is the writer making a wry political comment? I thought he was. Great show, endlessly inventive.

wonderboysam

young Milner was the sexiest vixen!! rarrrrrrr !

pixelburp

I commented back in series 1 that when you sat down and thought about it, The Network's plan wasn't all that evil, not entirely. Given how overpopulated the planet is becoming - 7 billion and still growing! - and how relatively 'painless' the initial plan seemed to be, being a quiet and subtle plan to reduce birthrates, I won't deny it, I was a little slow to condemn Milner & co.

So sometimes it seems jarring just how violent and callous its members are scripted, as it feels like the writers are overcompensating in places, in an attempt to offset the already morally-ambiguous plan. After all, if they didn't go around shooting up schools and families in cold blood, the protagonists might come across like the're fighting against a broadly altruistic goal.

Anyway, I thought last night's episode was pretty strong, and quite sad with its various reunions, though I miss Mark Munden's direction. Sam Donovan is directing the back three episodes and while he continued the broadly surreal visual styling, it seemed a little more muted and less imaginative than Munden's direction; felt like there weren't quite as many of those gorgeous compositions Munden arranged.

Birneybau

wonderboysam wrote: »

young Milner was the sexiest vixen!! rarrrrrrr !

You know nothing wonderboysam







(She's Igritte in Game of Thrones)

Chimaera

It's only occurred to me today to go looking around boards for a discussion on this show!! Been hooked since day 1.

I'm a little skeptical that

Milner and Arby are dead after the last episode. Both of them got shot in one side of the chest. Arby's was highish on the left, nothing there except a lung. Milner's was a little lower on the right hand side, so it could have done some liver damage too. Both are serious injuries, but they're not going to be immediately life-threatening.

Also, who's giggling at the thought of Jessica finding out she's pregnant?

AnonoBoy

Harry Palmr wrote: »

The look is sensational, normally I don't like programmes where it looks like the colourist has gone mad in the editing suit but here its so well judged and of course in keeping with the parallel world vibe of the drama. Director Marc Murden has a big future ahead of him.

The colouring and the framing always remind me of a stylish graphic novel.

Which is apt I suppose considering how the whole conspiracy is discovered in the first place.

ricero

only have to watching all the episodes of this over the past 3 days. sensational television. anyone know if there will be a third series ?

K-9

Daroxtar wrote: »

Arby dies. He's a great character

Thought it was clever that

Phillip didn't consciously think it was Arby he killed, he went past the young lad who he thinks is his son.

Daroxtar

Last season after the finale I didn't know if I wanted a season 2 as I was afraid they might ruin it by coming back with a weaker show and if it ended the way it did then so be it.
Shouldn't have worried.
Now I'm left wondering, could they wrap it at that? Has the story been completed , to a point?
TBH I can't wait for season 3. Don't have a clue what direction it will take but I'm sure Dennis Kelly has a proper story arc worked out.
Best show on TV for the past few years IMHO.

ricero

Who would of thought that wilson could steep so low. His descent into darkness was fantastically well written

Basq

Don't know about anyone else but I was gutted to see

Lee killed off. His character was fantastically creepy!

It was a very short 6 episodes but can't wait for more... just stunning TV!

pixelburp

Wilson's downwards spiral has certainly been the most compelling part of series 2, no question. I guess as a man already believing in conspiracy and fringe science, it made him more likely to fall into The Network's line of thinking. And while I suspected he would eventually

have his revenge upon Lee

, I didn't think it would act as a punctuation to his final descent into darkness. Chilling stuff.

Hard to think where a series 3 might go though, they couldn't do yet another 'oh no, Janus is to be released!' without the law of diminishing returns really kicking in. Still, if it was as well executed as the first two series, I'll still be tuning in; fantastic TV.

Will I Amnt

Basq wrote: »

Don't know about anyone else but I was gutted to see

Lee killed off. His character was fantastically creepy!

It was a very short 6 episodes but can't wait for more... just stunning TV!

Yeah, great charachter, somehow manages to be sort of likeable and add a bit of humour all the while being by far the most outwardly sinister and psychopathic of them all.

I was full sure

Becky was a goner and would have been more disappointed over her.

That Welsh accent makes her scathing comments all the funnier, I proper lolled when she had a go at Wilson for calling them "The Three"

Daroxtar

Will I Amnt wrote: »

Yeah, great charachter, somehow manages to be sort of likeable and add a bit of humour all the while being by far the most outwardly sinister and psychopathic of them all.

I was full sure

Becky was a goner and would have been more disappointed over her.

That Welsh accent makes her scathing comments all the funnier, I proper lolled when she had a go at Wilson for calling them "The Three"

"Facking Space Goblin" :D:D

Chimaera

There's a very real difference in personality between season 1 and season 2, more so now that S2 is finished.

S1 was all about figuring out what Janus was, what the Network was, realising what was happening and who was pulling the strings.

S2 was much more about the characters coming to terms with themselves and what they have had to do as a result of what's happened. The small handful of new main characters (really just Carvell and Gorsand) that were introduced in this season just served to bolster that.

Wilson's psychological unwinding is perhaps the most stark and unsettling. Arby has started out trying to redeem himself, but will his true nature undermine that? Jessica wants to finally fit in to the world as an adult, now that she thinks it's all over and she's found her family. Ian wasn't able to handle this stuff well in S1, and that's continued in S2; he's being dragged along for the ride whether he likes it or not - he'd really prefer if everyone could be nice to each other and Janus wasn't needed after all. Grant's trying to establish his own identity as any teenager does, and picks quite possibly the worst role model in history (Arby); the irony is that he does this as Arby is coming to terms with himself and his dark nature and realising it's all wrong.

I'm feeling sorry for Dugdale now. In S1 he came across as a miserable puppet, but he found himself in S2 just in time for Wilson to crush him. I really like Jennifer though: do not get between a mother and her family I'm still trying to straighten out my thoughts on Becky.

Prediction for S3: Carvell is forced to fix Janus or help in doing so; with Becky, Ian and Jessica held hostage against this. Dugdale continues in his role at Corvadt, but trying to figure out how to undermine Mr. Rabbit. Arby escapes and plots to free Jessica and co. Grant's up to something but it's impossible to tell what: he's a loose cannon at this point. Wilson goes ahead with the controlled release of the flu but it goes wrong and much of his season will be engaging in damage control with Leah.

DuckStab

Just a stellar show, can't say much more than that. Wilson's descent (ascent?) reminded me of the "bad ending" in Streets of Rage

But I have to say I'm irate that what is (in my opinion) one of the all time best looking and sounding shows - filmed in HD, broadcast in HD - is not getting a HD release! I have S1 on Blu-ray and it looks tremendous. Having a DVD only release is simply mind boggling.
C4 are shooting themselves in the foot, a lot of people will just keep the 4HD broadcasts rather than shelling out for an inferior version, which may have a knock-on effect when it comes to commissioning S3. Can't understand the reluctance to get rid of DVD as a format, BD's been around for 8 years now. I mean how many VHS only releases can you remember from 2007? There's a petition in case anyone wants to sign it, probably won't do any good but still.

Looking forward to the S2 soundtrack at least, provided of course it doesn't get a cassette only release :rolleyes:

Will I Amnt

This ad has been wrecking my head every time I see it, the voice is so familiar and I couldn't put my finger on it, still not 100% but it sounds very like a certain Jessica Hyde...

Sanchez83

I spotted that the 2nd or 3rd time I heard the ad.Has to be her.

Sugar Free

When she says 'gutters' at 9 seconds...has to be her unless someone else is carrying around that strange mix of Galwegian/English accent.

Birneybau

100℅ her.

ibarelycare

Yeah it clicked with me the first time I heard it She has a very distinctive voice.

DerekDGoldfish

Apparently there is a follow up add with Arby/Peiter chasing down mortgage defaulters.

Birneybau

And another one with Arby wherein he's a television license inspector and the other people in the house he calls to say Jessica Hyde bought it but now they don't know where she is. He goes asking about for her...

Basq

Well, this is absolute bollocks!

It’s official: Dennis Kelly’s innovative, stylish drama series Utopia will not be back for a third series on Channel 4…

Sad news, this. After two exhilarating, bold, and eerily beautiful series, it's been confirmed that Channel 4’s Utopia will not be returning for a third run.

Utopia, from writer Dennis Kelly (Pulling, Matilda: The Musical), who had plans for a third and possibly fourth series of the drama, concluded its second series earlier this year.

The second run was another twisted tale of global conspiracy and dysfunctional family love that opened with an audacious flashback episode directed by Marc Munden that’s sure to top more than a few 'TV episodes of the year' lists come December.

Quality and audacity don’t often go hand in hand with massive ratings, sadly, and with a slate of new dramas arriving on Channel 4 in the coming year (including much-anticipated sci-fi Humans, and more), the decision was taken to lay Utopia to rest.

A Channel 4 spokesperson told Den of Geek, "Utopia is truly channel-defining: strikingly original, powered by Dennis Kelly's extraordinary voice and brought to life in all its technicolor glory through Marc Munden's undeniable creative flair and vision, the team at Kudos delivered a series which has achieved fervent cult status over two brilliantly warped and nail-biting series. It also has the honour of ensuring audiences will never look at a spoon in the same way again. It’s always painful to say goodbye to shows we love, but it’s a necessary part of being able to commission new drama, a raft of which are launching on the channel throughout 2015.”

A US remake of Kelly's series, directed by David Fincher, is due to arrive on HBO in 2015.

Source

ibarelycare

:(:(:(


Very disappointing. It did seem to have only a cult following though. The vast majority of people I ever mentioned it to had never heard of it.

ricero

Basq wrote: »

Well, this is absolute bollocks!


Source

Ridiculous decision and season 3 had so much potential especially with the way things ended in series 2

Chimaera

That's really disappointing. I can see their point about wanting to bring forward new stuff, but really I don't see how anything this original is likely to emerge for a long time.

ixoy

I bet most of the new stuff this is being sacrificed for will be just more cookie cutter detective or hospital dramas without a tenth of Utopia's originality or flair. Nor will they look half as good.

At least we've a HBO version. They're a strong channel and David Fincher is directing the entire first season. He's a strong visual director which is what's needed.

Mardy Bum

By far the best original British drama I've seen. It's amazing what can happen in the TV industry.

pixelburp

Very disappointing news, although if I play Devil's Advocate for a moment, perhaps it's better for the show to go out now, on a slightly ambiguous if downbeat note, than totter along for another couple of seasons with the law of diminishing returns in full effect; I wasn't sure where the show could go from the season 2 climax, beyond yet another attempt by The Network to sterilise humanity.

I'll be curious to know where Marc Munden goes from here though, his work on the show was gorgeous to watch, really breathtaking stuff. Fincher will bring a different set of skills to the US remake, but I'd be sceptical any American version will be able to capture the macabre, surreal atmosphere that British dystopias tends to do very well.

reni10

That is pure nonsense from channel 4!

This was the best British TV by far of the last few years and they cut it!

Here is Netflix's chance to pick this up and do it justice...

How Soon Is Now

Hope someone else picks this up what a load of bollox to cancel it in favour of id imagine some watered down crap.

I mean look at some of the **** Channel 4 show they get rid of one of the best tv shows to come out of the Uk makes no sense.

Basq

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

I mean look at some of the **** Channel 4 show..

To be fair, Channel 4's drama and comedy output over the last few years has been far from poor.

Fresh Meat, Friday Night Dinner, The Inbetweeners, Peep Show, The IT Crowd, Black Mirror, The Last Leg, Top Boy, Derek, Glue, Misfits, My Mad Fat Diary, Skins... OK, the last four were shown on E4 technically but still.. plenty of quality programming tbh.

But don't get me wrong, this was a horrible HORRIBLE decision!

How Soon Is Now

Basq wrote: »

To be fair, Channel 4's drama and comedy output over the last few years has been far from poor.

Fresh Meat, Friday Night Dinner, The Inbetweeners, Peep Show, The IT Crowd, Black Mirror, The Last Leg, Top Boy, Derek, Glue, Misfits, My Mad Fat Diary, Skins... OK, the last four were shown on E4 technically but still.. plenty of quality programming tbh.

But don't get me wrong, this was a horrible HORRIBLE decision!

Ah I'm aware theres been plenty good from there over last few years but makes no sense get rid one there strongest shows most original shows.

ixoy

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

Ah I'm aware theres been plenty good from there over last few years but makes no sense get rid one there strongest shows most original to.

Blame the viewing public to an extent here. The unwashed masses would prefer reality shows where people invite strangers over for dinner than highly original drama. Channel 4, to an extent, is responding to the fact few people watched it even if they're fools for not doing so.

How Soon Is Now

ixoy wrote: »

Blame the viewing public to an extent here. The unwashed masses would prefer reality shows where people invite strangers over for dinner than highly original drama. Channel 4, to an extent, is responding to the fact few people watched it even if they're fools for not doing so.

Fully agree its a shame because the show could be marketed towards any group of people really its not as if they tried to be high brow or go over anyones head. It always had a very dark yet trendy edge to it something i feel could only be done on a Channel 4 style station. The American version will be very different id imagine.

Im really gonna miss it one of my favorite shows i loved everything about it from the storyline the dark humour great soundtrack and was looking forward to seeing where they would go in the 3rd season.

Really hope someone picks it up but keeps it on the same road something tells me wont happen though.

Just a shame the same bull**** is what people will watch mostly and what brings in the views.

Will I Amnt

Could they not just stick it on E4?

How Soon Is Now

Will I Amnt wrote: »

Could they not just stick it on E4?

Even just give it one more season to finish the story then move on.

EITS

Gutted

DerekDGoldfish

It looked like it cost more to make than your average C4 show, i'd say that played a part. A pity because it was a very interesting show, but although I would have liked to see future series I think it achieved most of what it set out to do already.

Harry Palmr

I'm not that surprised - its not a cheap production as one look tells you, its very niche 10 PM drama on a channel that quietly shedding viewers. The best bet is that they do a "Ripper Street" and it gets picked up by a third party with deep pockets - then C4 can buy it as a "second run" market for half the cost.

That said I'd have wrapped it after the first series.

How Soon Is Now

Harry Palmr wrote: »

I'm not that surprised - its not a cheap production as one look tells you, its very niche 10 PM drama on a channel that quietly shedding viewers. The best bet is that they do a "Ripper Street" and it gets picked up by a third party with deep pockets - then C4 can buy it as a "second run" market for half the cost.

That said I'd have wrapped it after the first series.

It did at the time seem the kinda show that could of been done after one season but because i enjoyed it so much i was glad it continued and the second season was great!.

If the budget was been broke enough by it why finish the second season the way they did?

Harry Palmr

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

It did at the time seem the kinda show that could of been done after one season but because i enjoyed it so much i was glad it continued and the second season was great!.

If the budget was been broke enough by it why finish the second season the way they did?

Well the ending was clearly designed to be both open enough to continue but also closed enough to be an end. There was never any guarantee that C4 would commission the 2nd series never mind a third. That's the risk on UK telly esp on ITV/C4.

How Soon Is Now

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Well the ending was clearly designed to be both open enough to continue but also closed enough to be an end. There was never any guarantee that C4 would commission the 2nd series never mind a third. That's the risk on UK telly esp on ITV/C4.

It was open but at the same time they started fresh over almost at the end. If they had any feelings from Channel 4 about there not being a 3rd season why not just wrap it up.

DesperateDan

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

It always had a very dark yet trendy edge to it

That's a nice way to describe Utopia. I couldn't put my finger on it but those words kind of sum it up.

Some more nice words over on Den Of Geek if they haven't been posted already, including:

Exhilarating, bold, and eerily beautiful

Sad to see a show like that go. Maybe we can all convince Netflix to pick it up?

K-9

ixoy wrote: »

I bet most of the new stuff this is being sacrificed for will be just more cookie cutter detective or hospital dramas without a tenth of Utopia's originality or flair. Nor will they look half as good.

At least we've a HBO version. They're a strong channel and David Fincher is directing the entire first season. He's a strong visual director which is what's needed.

Same writer and director as Gone Girl which is promising.

ixoy

K-9 wrote: »

Same writer and director as Gone Girl which is promising.

Also did Se7en, Zodiac, The Social Network and Fight Club among others so he's a very strong choice in my opinion.

pickarooney

So it's been pulled in favour of the likes of Humans, a remake of an excellent Swedish Sci-fi series which didn't make it past season 2 due to low ratings, but now Utopia is being remade in the US...