Bonekickers, BBC1, Tuesdays

[Perpetual Man]

I agree really, I'm not sure it was fantasy eaither, but it might have been...

 

[Ursa major]

Perhaps we can all agree, though, that it wasn't fantastic.

 

[Perpetual Man]

You will have no arguement whatsoever from me there. (And the biggest tragedy is that I think given a bit of time and effort it could have been)

 

[Dave]

The excavation of 14th century medieval soldiers alongside Saracen coinage in Somerset leads to the hunt for the True Cross.

Brilliant archaeologist Dr Gillian Magwilde has a passion for history and a hunger for the truth. She’s aided by her loyal team, forensic expert Dr Ben Ergha, eager new intern Viv Davis and the erudite but disreputable Professor Gregory Parton.

It actually started out okay, a sort of mixture of Time Team, Da Vinci Code, Indiana Jones, CSI and Scooby Doo. It tried very hard (but failed) to make Archaeology cool and sexy.

Leaving aside their very precise and accurate C14 results, letting people walk in the trench and excavating bones with metal tools, I began to drift off when I realised how formulaic it was - new young recruit has to be told how to behave when entering dig, yet has a relevant Masters degree; eldest member been around, wears Indiana Jones hat; feisty and brusque female heroine has mother with secret past; secondary hot hunky man hero.

This first episode had a fundamental Christian sect beheading Muslims. There was brainwashing of orphans, right wing fringe politicians, ancient documents that are bound and siting on library shelves (libraries that you can walk into with broadswords and then run out of without security checks!)

Need I go on - like when they started all the aerial acrobatics and then they deliberately set fire to all the ancient crosses. First, would a scientist do that. Second, if they weren't damp from being down the well, then how had they survived anyway?

And after Mr Right White Wing died, everything was okay again. Hello... just because you get rid of the leader there is always a bunch of other loonies to take over - what happened to all the brainwashed orphans?

Sorry, was I talking the plot too seriously? I guess I was.

At least it was better than Big Brother.

I read someone say that the only thing in the whole episode that was anything like realistic, was the archaeologists going to the pub at the end.

 

[HardScienceFan]

brilliant 'analysis',Dave.
i wish someone had the guts to come up with a series that shies away from the stereotypes

and stereotyped plots

 

[Dave]

I'm wondering what branch of science, or what trade or profession they could 'sex up' and make into a drama series next?

Once you just had the simple amateur detective series; then came the police profilers and forensics; then came chefs and gardeners and antique dealers. What next?

The window cleaner, the postman? They solve the crimes they see through windows and letterboxes.

Dan Brown has already done the High Energy Physicist! Neal Stephenson has done the Envrionmental Scientist.

 

[chopper]

I'm wondering what branch of science, or what trade or profession they could 'sex up' and make into a drama series next?

who needs Bonekickers when you have....

Shelfstackers!

Each and every week the cynical, world-weary Supervisor and his team (plucky new Xmas Temp; potty-mouthed DVD specialist; windswept and rugged girl-magnet from the back counter; token part-time totty) uncover a dastardly plot to deprive the world of Coldplay CDs, and must foil the plot and recover the stock before their local rivals (three doors down...). much violence, swearing, and plenty of opportunity for well-placed sound-beds of angsty indie rock.....

this one could run and run.

 

[Ursa major]

I was going to suggest Quantity Surveyors but thought that, even after sexing up, they wouldn't measure up.

 

[chopper]

fortune tellers?

at least they'd know in advance that they wouldn't be getting picked up for a second season.......

 

[HardScienceFan]

my bet was on Central Heating Man

imagine the possibilities

the pressure buildup

 

[jezelf]

Oh I'm so glad my thoughts have been echoed. It was pretty bad.




(the rest of this is just a rant...)



I guess it's not aimed at people who could see the plot holes, but that no excuse. I had high expectations, though my inner voice was saying "no chance - it's a BBC drama particularly with an adventurous feel, in a prime time family spot. Its not going to take itself seriously "

I laughed when they tried to say Saracen fellows had to be there because of a few coins - didn't the idea that the crusaders returning from the Holy Land could have had some of the local cash on them cross the mind? Not many academics jump to knee jerk conclusions so that took away any believability I had offered the characters for a start.

Cringed at the trench cut in the shape of a cross and half a dozen camera angles to show it - "hey - look! it's a cross -see what we did there? eh?" Not to mention having the situations where they all explain things they should all know, to each other for the sake of informing the viewer. Or spewing information to authenticate that they are really professionals at their jobs and highly intelligent. Then taking ages to work out who brought the land.

Sighed at the lead female character's mother demise (that there was a tragic back story for a start ( how original) and the reporter asking about her it hitting the 'human' nerve of the tough boss and a fight about to break out. Hey viewer, there's more depth to the character, its a tragic story but I don't want to tell you about it - oh go on then. But I'll let you know over the whole series.

Oh look! A secret cupboard with her search for Excalibur - lets keep the mum's quest alive at least to prove her suicide was for nothing - and probably to discover it was a murder because she was onto something and her mum can't die an undignified death - not the hero's mum. I hope she doesn't find links on either side of her cupboards' walls or it'll be like a spider web in there with that red string.

' The house of my Father there are many Mansions ' . O. K. This is just a personal view, but I interpret that as many religions. Was it meant to ironic? Seemed a poor choice of verse for his cause to me.

And at the end, typical really - a secret chamber lying undisturbed for centuries sudden has a everyone going for a last minute dash and destroyed in the process. People die, but least not bother about telling the Police - who cares when we can all go down the pub and move on to another scene and forget about them?

I'm sure the Time Team are cringing too. Especially when that girl yanked out the wood from the dig site - they must have spat out their beer! It felt like it more in common with LoveJoy but with bad scripts, minimal research and over acting. I guess if I was in my early teens I may have liked it.

My Wife enjoyed it though - she's no where near the grumpy analytical cynic that I can be sometimes. It would be nice to see something with more substance and authenticity that doesn't try too hard.


I'll give it another go if it's on and I catch it – see if my first impressions are unfounded and them the benefit of the doubt. I always give a second chance....better lower my expectations in the process.

"...and.....reelaaax."

 

[Dave]

I'm laughing out loud with your ideas for new BBC drama programmes

jezlef - you are spot on.

I'll give it another go if it's on and I catch it – see if my first impressions are unfounded and them the benefit of the doubt. I always give a second chance....better lower my expectations in the process.

I'm not sure I will give it a second chance. I'll have to be very bored indeed, though I did begin to watch Torchwood just to see how much worse it could get.

 

[Perpetual Man]

So here we are, Wednesday morning and last night saw the second episode of the BBC's new series Bonekickers.

Last week the venrable members of the Chrons gave the show a really good welcome so here is the second installment. Was it any better than the first? Be warned some people might consider what follws slightly spoiler-ish!



The episode was called Warriors and dealt withe discovery of what appeared to be the bones of slaves in the Bristol Channel.

I have to admit to being a bit zonked last night, so quite a lot of detail might have slipped by, but it was once again, for me and Mrs Perp enjoyable hokum. (There seemed to be a little bit more supernatural overtones - or was it just drugs?)

And a lot more daft statements. My favourite being about no sword being able to cut through a human wrist in one clean slice - have they never seen a scimitar or katana at work?

And the fact that one of the team seem to be a fountain of knowledge on any given subject matter was a little irksome. There were other little things, but being in a still somewhat dozy state I'll see what everyone else has to say...

 

[Dave]

I have a confession to make: I watched the latter half of this. My wife and son actually think it is good drama

I had to leave the room before the end though:

I saw they are continuing to steal documents from Libraries without any security, but the History professor "My father wanted me to be an... actor" suddenly turning into John J Rambo was the final straw for me.

Where exactly are they meant to be anyway? Bristol or Bath? Or some fictional place like Holby City?

 

[Overread]

I think if I have my brain removed I might be able to watch this -- watch it that is!

Its bad - poor over acting. The only actor who seems to carry any weight is that guy with the hat. The rest appear to be acting too hard.
Also as I know something about archeaology I find it so hard to accept when they get basic stuff wrong (also you find a bit of wood at a battlesite and suddently its part of the Cross??? erm battle = blood!) And don't get me started on the dendrochronology!

One can use it as a background, but its not got enough in it for me to watch. Just another poor attempt at some soap/scifi hybrid I think (come on you just know that there will be magic in at least one episode - and I think they are leaving that door open just in case they want to go full magical in season 2 (if they get it!))

 

[Pyan]

And a lot more daft statements. My favourite being about no sword being able to cut through a human wrist in one clean slice - have they never seen a scimitar or katana at work?

And we saw one decapitate someone just last week...

 

[Perpetual Man]

And we saw one decapitate someone just last week...

Go lord Pyan, I completely forgot that! (Heads even foggier than I thought)

 

[Overread]

naw its not your head - its just hard to remember stuff when its so bad

 

[jezelf]

I missed it. Not that I was actually going to watch it or even remembered about it until now. So sounds like it was a good thing that I did.

I find it so hard to accept when they get basic stuff wrong

It's pretty poor for a drama that is based ( loosely - or I guess 'inspired' ) on fact - or taking an academic subject to a drama - if the characters blab out information that is more as a plot device than factual. It might be a 'bending of the truth' but it could be interpreted as a bit of 'edutainment' for the layperson viewer.

So instead of learning some history and intresting facts that you might only get on Discovery, UK History channel or Time Team, there's the potential there to fold it into the drama. But if it's wrong, then it's a bad teacher.

It justs give those writers to try harder, and research more a bad name.

I have a passing interest in archeaology, so liked the idea of being entertained and learning stuff, but now I wouldn't trust it. I guess I expected too much.

 

[Perpetual Man]

My memory suddenly kicked in and reminded me: At the end of last nights show, the good old Beeb announcer said that you could visit the official Bonekickers website to study the history and science behind the episode...

Need I say more?