TV: "Meatspace" Episode 1 Review

- by Kazekun, 4 September 2014

As a writer wanting to eventually write for a living, and perhaps dabble in making/writing films one day, it's very nice to see someone I admire starting to do what they really love in life. William Carlisle, or “MrTARDIS”, or “Trilbee” (as he is known by three different names online) is a YouTube reviewer with quite the fan following. He also released a book not too long ago, and has been working towards becoming a filmmaker for the last few years. Now, he's about to see the release of his inaugural piece of fiction. I got an advance look at it. Does it hold up? Well, let's find out.

Meatspace promo image.

Meatspace focuses on the lives of four friends, two guys and two girls: Jamie, David, Lydia and Megan in their everyday real lives. Or Meatspace, as their real world is called here. So think Friends, or How I met Your Mother, or any other show/serial that focuses on the lives of friends. They're all freshmen in college and just starting out with their lives. Who are these people, what is it they love to do, and what drives them toward their passion? This is what episode 1 focuses on and I'm thankful that it did. It also focuses on introverted people, and if it's morally okay to ask of someone if they should share their private passions with the world or allow them to keep it all to themselves.

Carlisle puts his sights on allowing us, the viewers, to get to know the characters. And while not all get the spotlight, with David getting little overall screen time despite his hilarious opening to the episode, we do get to know something about these characters and what makes them... them. That's important, as these bits of info gave me reasons to care for these characters and make judgments on whether I find them likeable or just serviceable.

Jenga, anyone? David thinks he can win this...

Lydia was the character I hoped to connect with the most, being the writer in the group. I didn't though, and that's probably more to do with her motives behind her goals in life. Without giving anything away, she seems to be pretty spiteful and writes out of petty vengeance. She wasn't a bad character to watch, but it's the other female, Megan, that I ended up liking the more out of the two. Megan has a gift that she doesn't share with others, and acts as the introvert of the episode and the driving force behind this episode's story. I liked her arc in this and how she ends up at the very end. It's heart-warming, and a nice set up with her character for more to come. I can't give too much away, but she was probably my favorite of the four. With Jamie coming in second.

Side note: I did like the interaction between the female characters. This show definitely passes the Bechdel test. It was nice seeing a couple of girls act like, well, girls. And human beings for that matter.

"Serenade me."

Now, speaking of the guys... Jamie comes off as a fun guy, he seems to be just making his way through life with little knowledge of what his dream really is. I'm okay with this, as it makes him feel more like the everyman character. A lot of young people - even as they enter college - have no idea what they really want to do. They may have ideas but nothing truly concrete. David seems to be the obnoxious, least likeable of the bunch. What little we see of him paints him as pretty self-absorbed.

I won't speak of the technical aspects of the episode much, there were some lighting and audio issues, but nothing too awful. Also, what I saw was a rough-cut of episode 1, so some of that is still being ironed out. Which is why I won't speak much of it - when the final product is mass released for the public, I trust these issues will be completely healed.

There is a light soundtrack to this that is very retro video game sounding, very 8 bit, and I liked that a lot. I felt like it fit in well with the episode, and you could tell where there was supposed to be a commercial break by placement of some of the scene transition music. Mr. Carlisle has gone on record to say that this was originally made for TV, whether it will make it there, I'm not entirely sure.

Jamie has a list and he's checking it twice.

The acting was, to be perfectly blunt, pretty weak. It did get better as the episode went, though. You can tell the difference between the first 10 minutes or so of this episode where the actors are still getting a feel for their characters, and the rest of the episode where they've kind of gotten the hang of it all. There is one incredibly funny, and really well-acted scene later on in the episode that involved a stage, a sword, and a very rambunctious audience member. And yes, that does make sense when you've seen it.

However, while the acting does get better, there is still a sense of unnatural movement and line delivery coming from each of the actors. I think, if I'm honest, the acting was the weakest part of the whole episode. That doesn't stop it from being fun, but it does cause some scenes to be unintentionally awkward.

Overall, Meatspace episode 1 does show a lot of promise, and I can see the stories of these characters taking many different paths already. Whether we'll get more of the series, I can't say. But if funded properly and given more time to breathe and find its place, Meatspace could be really good. For now though I have to say that it's just okay. It's difficult for opening episodes to really grab an audience, trust me, I've seen enough anime and shows to know the first episode is usually one of the weakest.

Carlisle and friends do have the chops to create something great. This isn't it, but it's definitely a start.

Final Score: 3 Freshers out of 5


While it's difficult to comment without having seen the episode yet, you can write something in the comments section below, anyway! Or come back once you've seen "Meatspace"!

Tagged: movies & TV, Reviews.

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