How is it that science fiction has become generic as of late? Lens flares and chrome industrial complexes seem to be what the modern conception of science fiction television has become. Maybe that is a reflection of our growing cynicism toward the future, or maybe just ironically coincidental creative choices, but it has been a long time since a science-fiction show as eye-poppingly unique aesthetically has graced Television. The most obvious aspect that makes this show's aesthetic stand out initially is the puppetry. Two of the show's series regulars are fully manipulated puppets, and it is a credit to the Jim Henson company that they feel as alive as the human characters. From the two regulars to a rotating door of fascinatingly designed and meticulously controlled creatures, the show reaches from live action to puppetry and back, touching on all the things in between - especially very effective uses of prosthetics. This reliance on practical creatures minimises the use of CGI, so that the show holds up very well visually after so many years (a VFX wide shot here and there may look phony, but the editing sells it for the most part). Also, this is a show that is very unafraid of exploring genre with its editing and direction, very ahead of its time in the science-fiction sphere of Television. Episodes had a ridiculously diverse pool for visual and storytelling inspiration - ranging from Don Quixote and The Twilight Zone. And somehow the show keeps the tone consistent between this genre hopping madness - it helps to have the main cast already be outsiders in their own world, so that departures from normalcy are just more examples of the universe screwing with them.
Self-evidently a man who writes for the Internet, Robert also writes films, plays, teleplays, and short stories when he's not working on a movie set somewhere. He lives somewhere behind the Hollywood sign.
