Jump to content

Colony (TV series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by DocWatson42 (talk | contribs) at 06:50, 15 November 2016 (Corrected a misspelling.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the 2016 American TV series. For other uses, see Colony (disambiguation).
Colony
File:Colony (TV series).jpg
Genre
Created by
Starring
ComposerClinton Shorter
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locationLos Angeles, California
Cinematography
  • Checco Varese
  • Jeffery Jur
EditorsRick Shane
Russell Denove
Sarah Boyd
Christopher Nelson
Running time50 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkUSA Network
ReleaseJanuary 14, 2016 (2016-01-14) –
present

Colony is an American science-fiction drama television series created by Carlton Cuse and Ryan J. Condal, starring Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies.[1] A 10-episode first season premiered with an online preview release of the first episode on USA Network's website on December 15, 2015, following the launch of a game-like website[2] to promote the show. The series had its broadcast premiere on USA Network on January 14, 2016.[3] Taglines for the series used in promotional materials include "Behind the Wall" and "Life Under Occupation".[2][4] On February 4, 2016, Colony was renewed for a second season by USA Network[5] to return in 2017.[6]

Plot

In a dystopian, near-future Los Angeles, a couple, Katie (Callies) and Will (Holloway) Bowman, live with two of their three children, under a regime of military occupation by an organization known as the Colony Transitional Authority. They are part of a larger invading force, of extraterrestrial origin, who are referred to as the "Hosts", and as the "Raps", apparently a reference to raptors (the logo of their human forces features a stylized bird of prey). It is said of them that "no one ever sees them". The Hosts have built an enormous wall, around 20–30 stories tall and many meters thick, that surrounds the central part of Los Angeles, and similar walls around other major cities (now called "Blocs"), while various buildings still display severe damage from the armed conflict during the invasion, known as the "Arrival". The geographical extent of the alien invasion is unclear, but it is presumably worldwide. The occupying forces shown to the viewers are all human, speak American English, and consist of black-and-red-uniformed militarized police with automatic firearms and armored personnel carriers. They are nicknamed the "Redhats", and more properly called, along with a privileged class of elites, the "Proxies", also denigrated as the "Collaborators", suggesting that they were all drawn by the Hosts from the local population. It is unclear how the Redhats were initially organized or equipped. They may be staffed by members of what was Homeland Security, and are still often referred to as such. The Redhats do recruit from the local population, though such recruits are sometimes shown to be thuggish or wannabe types. These forces maintain control by separation of loved ones, shoot-on-sight curfews, forced disappearances, random checkpoints and frequent electronic identity checks, limitation of motor vehicle usage to official transport by special permit only (most citizens must walk or ride bicycles), pervasive visual propaganda, slave labor in a facility called the "Factory" for any transgressors (and their families) who are not executed, and electronic surveillance with Host-provided drone aircraft that launch from the wall. Some medical problems, such as diabetes, have been "deemed unworthy for treatment" by the Hosts, to cull the population with a crude form of eugenics. An active resistance movement is referred to as both the "Resistance" and the "Insurgency" (without universal support among the population, even among non-Collaborators), alongside a black market, though both are subject to ruthless suppression. A resistance cell based in Los Angeles includes at least one former U.S. military/intelligence operative named Broussard. Most basic resources are rationed by the Transitional Authority, while limited trade is conducted between citizens, bartering home-produced, used, and sometimes stolen items. The apparent leader of the resistance is known by the codename "Geronimo", after the Apache leader.

The series begins less than a year after the beginning of the Occupation. The Bowmans seek their middle child (younger son), Charlie, who was separated from them during the Arrival, while they try to survive with meager resources in a changed world that is constantly dangerous despite its urban veneer of order. Will is forced to work for the Redhats to hunt down the Resistance, or his family will be sent to the Factory. Katie, who is (unbeknownst to Will) a member of the Resistance, now has an inside source in Will.

Cast and characters

The cast at Camp Conival presentaion for Colony offsite at Petco Park during San Diego Comic-Con 2016. From left: Adrian Pasdar, Tory Kittles, Sarah Wayne-Callies, Ryan Condal, Peter Jacobson, Amanda Righetti and Josh Holloway

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Juan José CampanellaStory by : Carlton Cuse & Ryan J. Condal
Teleplay by : Ryan J. Condal		January 14, 2016 (2016-01-14)[a]1.36[23]
Will Bowman goes looking for his missing son and attempts to smuggle himself to Santa Monica (another walled "Colony Bloc") inside a tractor-trailer truck with the help of a shady character called Spider (Charles Baker). At a Rap checkpoint at the Los Angeles Bloc wall, the Resistance detonates a truck bomb in a nearby vehicle. Surviving the blast (as perhaps Spider did not), Will is arrested from the wreckage and kept in a holding pen with various prisoners, including the Collaborator-hating David (Jason Butler Harner). Meanwhile, Katie seeks insulin (now a rare commodity) for her sister Maddie's son, Hudson, from a black-market home chemist and escapes a deal gone bad by pulling a pistol, possession of which is punishable by death. Further risking execution, she violates curfew to contact Will's co-worker Carlos (Jacob Vargas), tries the hospital where the truck-bombing victims are being treated (from where she steals insulin), and finally learns from Resistance contact Broussard that Will has been captured. Proxy Capt. Lagarza has identified Will and taken him to L.A. Governor Snyder, who, above a sumptuous Collaborator cocktail party observing the launch of a Host spacecraft, makes Will an offer he may not be able to refuse and with which Katie may not go along. Snyder shows up at the Bowman residence with armed men to coerce cooperation, but Will demands help in finding their missing son. Katie meets with the leaders of the L.A. resistance.
2"A Brave New World"Juan José CampanellaWes TookeJanuary 21, 2016 (2016-01-21)1.26[24]
Will begins his work as an unwilling Transitional Authority agent, working under L.A. Homeland Security's callous bureaucrat Phyllis, whom he pegs as a former CIA officer. He and his assigned partner, Beau, look for Andy (Craig Henningsen), the man who planted the truck bomb that went off the week before, and arrest him outside the apartment of his girlfriend, Teresa (Andrea Sixtos). Katie is given permission to reopen her bar, the Yonk, and Broussard meets her there, seeking information on Will's investigations. In the meantime, Carlos has been arrested and his co-worker killed for their roles in helping Will in his earlier attempt to leave the city. Katie and Will help Carlos's wife, Lucia (Doris Morgado), and son find shelter and new identities. Maddie, working in catering services for the Collaborators, meets an old acquaintance, George (Brian J. White), who is now doing well as a Collaborator. He invites her to his home for a fling, but afterward only wants to see her again "discreetly" because she does not live in the Collaborators' "Green Zone". Feeling used, she refuses this arrangement and leaves. Katie feeds intelligence about Will's anti-insurrectionist work to Quayle and Broussard. Quayle says that Geronimo and the Resistance are close to a breakthrough that could damage the Hosts' position and help bring about the end of the Occupation, but he also warns that the arrest and interrogation of more members of the rogue cell who pulled off the truck bombing could dash these hopes because they know too much. He enlists Katie to redouble her efforts to use Will to get information. Will is unable to save Carlos from the Factory and is ashamed of his collaboration, even if it is protecting his own family. Carlos and other Factory-bound prisoners are put through a decontamination regimen and their fate is uncertain. Katie overhears where Will is headed to apprehend the rest of the bombing cell and informs Broussard. Will and Beau arrive at the cell's hideout only to find them executed by the Resistance, who have left "Geronimo" graffiti. Will concludes there is a security leak within Homeland Security. Katie is as yet unaware that her double-agent work has gotten people killed.
3"98 Seconds"Juan José CampanellaDaniel C. ConnollyJanuary 28, 2016 (2016-01-28)1.21[25]
A Resistance mobile radio operator (Felix Solis), listened to secretly by many of the people under the Transitional Authority occupation, tells the story of the injustice that led to the Santa Monica gate truck-bombing, aimed at a military convoy, and urges people to join the Resistance: "I am Geronimo, you are Geronimo, we are Geronimo." Red Hats scramble to triangulate his position and converge on it, but find that he is long gone. Katie joins more resistance members to hijack a supply truck in a stopwatch-timed maneuver. A civilian distraction gets a Resistance member, Justin Kim (Jay Lee), shot and Katie renders first aid. After the Red Hats are killed, including those already subdued, Broussard – to Katie's horror – kills the wounded Justin because there's no time to move him. The Resistance learns – at the cost of 17 civilian truck-looter lives – that Host drones respond to the gunfire in 98 seconds. Katie hides her post-combat panic attack, and questions it would arouse, by sexually distracting Will and blaming her anxiety on their missing son. At school, Bram meets after class with teacher Mr Carson (Adam Busch) with whom he has been collaborating to record the "Geronimo" broadcasts and study the Hosts' spacecraft launches. Will and Beau investigate the hijack scene and figure out that Justin was a Resistance member, not a looter. Will and Jennifer search Justin's home and find a Resistance cipher, but the discovery gets the entire Kim family sent to the Factory. At home, the Bowmans have a new government-provided tutor, Lindsey, for Gracie. Will has more doubts about his collaboration. Later, Katie expresses similar doubts to a Resistance contact. Fellow student Pia (Libe Barer) leads Bram to a secret way under the Wall. Will and Beau discover the L.A. Resistance's underground armory and shooting range, costing the operation half of its weapons. Life gets more perilous for the Bowmans: If the intelligence that Katie can glean from Will doesn't outweigh the damage Will's investigations are doing, they will eliminate him. Snyder makes a pompous appearance at the Yonk. Will learns that the Raps keep detailed information on all citizens in a database that Homeland nicknames "the Rolodex," but that most of the data is from before the Arrival. He tells Katie he plans to use it to help find their missing son Charlie, and hints at a further anti-Host plan. Katie uses knowledge of this database as a bargaining chip with Broussard to protect Will. Pia tells Bram that, outside the walled Blocs, structures and supplies remain, but everyone is simply gone.
4"Blind Spot"Nelson McCormickDre Alvarez & Anna FishkoFebruary 4, 2016 (2016-02-04)1.15[26]
Broussard is shown to have infiltrated a Homeland Security team. The Bowman's home is hit with a small firebomb so Katie can surveil the post office while being questioned. Maddie gets a work assignment with Charlotte Burgess, and offers help locating prominent artworks in exchange for insulin. Bram's pirate radio tapes are found but Phyllis destroys them to protect Will's family. Will is able to find and capture the pirate broadcaster, Luis Ortega, but finds he is reading scripts delivered from the green zone. Phyllis reveals a picture of Katie at the truck ambush, coercing Katie into working for her. However, when Phyllis returns home, Broussard is waiting and executes Phyllis and her bedridden husband.
5"Geronimo"Scott PetersCarlton CuseFebruary 11, 2016 (2016-02-11)1.07[27]
Will and Beau follow a lead on the Geronimo posters to a home in the green zone with a concealed print shop, capturing an advertising executive who invented the folk hero but has no connection to the insurgency. However, Snyder makes an announcement that Geronimo was captured and puts Ortega on a week-long televised show-trial, after which he is publicly hanged. Jennifer suggests Katie could be the leak, leading Will to search their home and the Yonk. Bram ventures outside the wall with Pia, and helps her loot a warehouse. Quayle has his people, including Katie, gear-up for a big operation, while Snyder pulls Will into his SUV as his motorcade leaves the courthouse.
6"Yoknapatawpha"Nelson McCormickRyan J. CondalFebruary 18, 2016 (2016-02-18)0.95[28]
The L.A. Colony administration plots against Snyder, waiting for a mistake to undermine his appointment. In the lead vehicle of Snyder's motorcade, Broussard kills his team, halting the convoy at an insurgent ambush. Will holds them off and retreats, and the insurgents abort as drones approach. However, Snyder refuses to radio for help, fearing a coup or infiltration by the insurgents, and they end up sheltering at The Yonk. Katie quietly informs the insurgents, and Quayle orders lethal force against Will. Katie kills a member of her cell to protect Will and has a brief standoff with Broussard, who leaves as Snyder appears to have fled. However, Will lied about Snyder's hiding spot and he emerges when Homeland Security arrive. Will informs Katie that folk hero Geronimo doesn't exist but was used by fanatics for violence. Quayle sends the surviving members of the cell into hiding, concluding that Katie is a double-agent.
7"Broussard"Roxann DawsonSal CallerosFebruary 25, 2016 (2016-02-25)1.00[29]
Will and Beau hunt for Broussard, who tries to fake his own death. Katie meets a conflicted Broussard and realizes she's been disavowed. To keep Broussard on her side, she tips Will to his location then tips Broussard so he can escape. However, Will notices a paperback used for a book code and realizes Katie is connected to Broussard. Also, Lindsey is shown to be a youth leader for a religious sect anticipating The Greatest Day, seeing the Hosts as the Second Coming, and secretly begins indoctrinating Gracie. And Maddie has involved herself in a love triangle with Charlotte and Nolan Burgess, but Nolan becomes more demanding and Charlotte asserts dominance by threatening to stop providing insulin.
8"In from the Cold"Tim SouthamWes TookeMarch 3, 2016 (2016-03-03)0.97[30]
Quayle contacts Will and offers to give up Broussard and the rest of his cell for a travel pass and supplies to leave the colony; Will takes the deal to Snyder but also informs Katie, hoping the insurgents will turn on each other. A man named Eckhart approaches Broussard for tactical support on an operation. Quayle tries to hand over his cell at a meet with Eckhart, letting Homeland Security ambush them all in an open food market, but Katie spots troops on a rooftop and sounds an alarm. Broussard and Eckhart are able to flee but Rachel is killed along with a number of civilians. Will kills Quayle in a safehouse, blaming it on Broussard. Also, Bram and Mr Carson use a makeshift telescope to view a Host facility on the moon; it's the factory.
9"Zero Day"Roxann DawsonRyan J. CondalMarch 10, 2016 (2016-03-10)1.09[31]
On the anniversary of the arrival, violence breaks out between Homeland Security and many mourners, protestors and looters breaking curfew. Will and Beau convince Snyder that insurgents are being delivered supplies from outside the colony, and from the top floor of a downtown skyscraper look over the wall to try and plan their escape. Broussard brings Katie to meet with Eckhart's cell, who need tactical support abducting a regional VIP they believe is coming into the colony by subway. Snyder's people discover the utility tunnel under the wall, and Will realizes it is the perfect way out, urging Katie to leave with Beau and their children while he gets Charlie. He confides knowing that she's been spying on him for hardened killers, but she chooses the cause over her family. Will invites Beau to escape while he can. Katie and the insurgents blow up the train and discover the VIP is in a high-tech full-body suit with four-digit gloves. Also, Maddie offers Charlotte a private art collection, allowing Charlotte to be caught with the unlogged artworks in a Homeland Security raid. Nolan provides Snyder with the administration's plans for the bloc.
10"Gateway"Nelson McCormickCarlton Cuse & Ryan J. Condal & Wes TookeMarch 17, 2016 (2016-03-17)1.19[32]
Charlie and other street urchins violently rob a homeless man. Homeland Security is mobilized to find the Host attacked in their bloc, which stands to be destroyed in retaliation. The Host is taken to Eckhart's hideout where the technologists try to learn from it, even while the bloc is attacked from above. Maddie takes the children to the Green Zone and safety at the Burgess home, but Bram sneaks away and brings Mr Carson to the tunnel. Jennifer identifies Eckhart and gives Will a head-start to save Katie. He warns them that Homeland is coming and Broussard allows them five minutes to learn what they can, but Katie removes shielding so a signal from the Host's suit gets out, forcing them to flee as drones descend. Snyder tries to make a deal with Nolan to save the bloc and get himself a modest job in the Transitional Authority. The Host is carried out in a shroud, and Snyder gives Will the transit pass his daughter had refused, urging him to use it quickly. As Will heads into Santa Monica, Snyder is detained by Lagarza, Bram and Carson are captured under the wall, and Katie returns to an empty house.

Specials

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Behind the Wall"Tim GrayTed Averi and Tim GrayDecember 21, 2015 (2015-12-21)0.86[33]

Notes

  1. ^ The Pilot episode was released online on December 15, 2015.[22]

Reception

The show has received generally positive reviews. On Metacritic it holds a score of 69/100, based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[34] On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a score of 79%, based on 24 reviews with an average rating of 6.4/10. The critics' consensus reads: "Colony offers an engaging enough narrative, a few scares, and an overall good time, even if none of it is particularly original."[35]

Stephen King praised the series saying: "In a year of remarkable TV, Colony is really something special: smart, suspenseful, subversive... thought-provoking."[36]

References

  1. ^ a b c Abrams, Natalie (February 3, 2015). "USA orders Carlton Cuse drama Colony to Series". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Welcome to the Colony". USA Network. NBCUniversal. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  3. ^ Friedlander, Whitney (August 12, 2015). "USA Sets Premiere Dates for 'Colony,' Donny Deutsch Comedy". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  4. ^ "Colony". USA Network. NBCUniversal. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  5. ^ "'Colony' Renewed For Season 2 By USA". Deadline. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  6. ^ http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/colony/253885/colony-creator-carlton-cuse-hints-at-new-themes-for-season-2
  7. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 3, 2015). "USA Network's 'Colony', Starring Josh Holloway, Ordered to Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (October 24, 2014). "Peter Jacobson, Alex Neustaedter & Gonzalo Menendez Join USA Pilot 'Colony'". Deadline.com. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 22, 2014). "Amanda Righetti Joins Carlton Cuse's USA Pilot 'Colony'". Deadline.com. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  10. ^ The Deadline Team (October 30, 2014). "Tory Kittles Moves To 'The Colony'; Kevin Rahm In 'Bates Motel'". Deadline.com. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  11. ^ Bowman, Katie (10 March 2016). "Zero Day". Colony. Episode 9. 33 minutes in. What are you reading? Grace Kathryn. Let me see. (spelling Kathryn per closed captions)
  12. ^ a b episode "In From The Cold"
  13. ^ a b c d D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 10, 2015). "'Colony' At Comic-Con: Carlton Cuse Reveals String Of Guest Stars". Deadline.com. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  14. ^ "'Colony's' Carlton Cuse on 'Lost' Easter Eggs, WWII Inspiration and What's Next". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
  15. ^ episode "98 Seconds
  16. ^ "'Colony': Ally Walker to Recur Season One". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
  17. ^ episode "Broussard"
  18. ^ a b "USA's 'Colony' Casts Adrian Pasdar and Kathryn Morris for Recurring Roles (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  19. ^ Ausiello, Michael (August 31, 2016). "Colony Recast: Bethany Joy Lenz In, Thora Birch Out in Season 2". TVLine.
  20. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 18, 2015). "Thora Birch Joins USA's Alien Drama Series Colony". Deadline.com. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  21. ^ Friedlander, Whitney (September 18, 2014). "Thora Birch Joins Colony from Carlton Cuse, Starring Josh Holloway". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  22. ^ Friedlander, Whitney (December 21, 2015). "USA's Colony, Fox's Second Chance Receive Early Premieres Online". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  23. ^ Porter, Rick (January 15, 2016). "Thursday cable ratings: Republican debate numbers fall, plus Lip Sync Battle, WWE Smackdown". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  24. ^ Welch, Alex (January 22, 2016). "Thursday cable ratings: Lip Sync Battle falls, WWE Smackdown rises". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  25. ^ Welch, Alex (January 29, 2016). "Thursday cable ratings: Republican presidential debate wins the night, WWE Smackdown remains strong". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  26. ^ Welch, Alex (February 5, 2016). "Thursday cable ratings: WWE Smackdown falls, Lip Sync Battle holds". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  27. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 12, 2016). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.11.2016". Showbuzzdaily. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  28. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 19, 2016). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.18.2016". Showbuzzdaily. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  29. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 26, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.25.2016". Showbuzzdaily. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  30. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 4, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.3.2016". Showbuzzdaily. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  31. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 11, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.10.2016". Showbuzzdaily. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  32. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 18, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.17.2016". Showbuzzdaily. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  33. ^ Porter, Rick (December 22, 2015). "Monday cable ratings: Monday Night Football dips but remains on top". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  34. ^ Colony at Metacritic
  35. ^ Colony at Rotten Tomatoes
  36. ^ "Stephen King on Twitter: In a year of remarkable TV, COLONY is really something special: smart, suspenseful, subversive...thought-provoking." Retrieved on March 10, 2016.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colony_(TV_series)&oldid=749605931"