"Rated Lexx" and "Nook"
Airdate: January 7, 2000
Instead of airing the mini-series that functions as Lexx's first season, The Sci Fi Channel decided to do a major copy and paste and introduce the U.S. audience to the characters inhabiting this series. Sure it probably made fiscal sense, but adding insult to injury, they decided to air the 11th episode of the second season first.
Prior to watching "Rated Lexx" I wondered why such a stupid decision was made. What would make a bunch of cable network suits play fast and loose with the order of a series? And then "Rated Lexx" made it perfectly clear. Their big selling point is s-e-x. Yup. Not content with smoldering UST between the attractive leads, or dashing heroes and kick ass heroines sizing each other up while they battle the bad guys, they decided that what the average science fiction fan really wanted was an oversexed pinup girl to pout and pose. (They obviously don't know about us, do they?) Then there is the dead member of Flock of Seagulls she wants to get it on with, and the loser she won't give the time of day to, and a horny head of a robot.
Uh. Yeah. Whatever.
Anyway, so the plot of the 11th episode, "The Nook", is that the travelers find a planet whose surface is fully covered by water save for one small, idealistic looking island. This Garden of Eden is populated by the brotherhood of Nook. And that means only brothers. Xev, the pinup girl, is the first woman many of them have seen and despite their inexperience in such matters begin to follow her like a pack of dogs, as expected. There's murder and mayhem and group sex and the planet blows up.
Do our intrepid heroes make it out in time? Duh.
Yeah, I heard that they don't want to make the average science fiction show. They don't want to be Star Trek (unless you count the skimpy costumes on every curvaceous female). They don't want to be Babylon 5. They don't want to be Three's Company. Oh wait. Scratch that last one because I think they do.
That's not to say everything is beyond pathetic. Some of the cgi work is fabulous but they really need to work on their blue screen techniques. It's too bad good science fiction television isn't defined by good cgi because then this show might have a chance. It takes heart and soul and complex stories and fascinating characters to really capture the science fiction audience. From what I've seen of Lexx, it has none of these qualities.
-- Linda M. Najera
Lexx airs at 10pm EST, Fridays on The Sci Fi Channel.
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