From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V9 #25 Reply-To: chakram-refugees@smoe.org Sender: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk chakram-refugees-digest Wednesday, March 17 2010 Volume 09 : Number 025 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [chakram-refugees] The Abyss [cr ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:06:46 +1300 From: cr Subject: [chakram-refugees] The Abyss What I remember from this ep is, chiefly, waterfalls. There was some really dramatic footage of Xena's and Gabs' doubles, in rapids (possibly the rapids at Huka Falls). And a couple of brief genuine shots of the falls themselves, with the camera kept low to frame out the tourists viewing from the bank. There's a couple of scans at http://crnz.info/nx/waterfalls/waterfalls.html As I said, the shots with the doubles in the rapids were really excellent, genuine, thrilling stuff. Unfortunately undercut by the 'waterfall' which was some small fall 'enhanced' with a bit more CGI water, it just looks wrong, water don't splash like that. And a minor continuity glitch, when Xena swims with Gabs into the cave, it's on the right bank; while, seen from inside the cave, the river is going past from right to left - the wrong way round. There were a few other dis-continuities - the river water kept changing from clear, to muddy, from gently flowing to rapid. As for Xena being able to dam up this huge waterfall with a few rocks and trees, that's just too much of a stretch. I couldn't get excited about the cannibals - a sort of down-market Horde. Their costumes looked very like the Satyrs (who were just robbers disguised in animal skins) from the early Herc ep Pride Comes Before a Brawl. That ep, though, was saved by the chemistry between Iolaus and Lydia (the excellent Lisa Chappell). The Abyss had no such charm. It did have Yet Another Campfire Scene (well, substitute a cave for the campfire, y'all know what I mean) which I suppose made the subtexters happy. I hope it did, because I don't think there was much in this ep for anybody else, though. And I found the spectacle of Gabs getting spit-roast rather repugnant. Probably the low point (no pun intended) of early Season 6. ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ End of chakram-refugees-digest V9 #25 *************************************