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I watched the X-Files off and on throughout its run, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. So when I recently found out that there was a DVD release of another short-lived series by X-Files creator, Chris Carter, I was immediately interested in checking it out. This show, Harsh Realm, was very loosely based on a comic book of the same name. Chris Carter took some of the basic ideas from the comic book and created an entirely new story in his own style. He used the ideas of government conspiracy and a virtual alternate reality and turned them into a show that had the potential to churn out years and years of new material. Unfortunately, the show only ran on FOX for three whole episodes in 1999, before it was canceled. The complete series of nine episodes was later run on the FX television network. The series follows the life of Lieutenant Tom Hobbes. He is a young military hero who is preparing to leave the military and start a new life with his fiancé. Before his military stint is over, Hobbes is given a final mission. He is ordered to take part in a virtual reality training simulation called, Harsh Realm. His mission: to assassinate the current “high-scorer” of the simulation, Major Omar Santiago. Upon arriving in Harsh Realm, Hobbes finds that his commanding officers were not completely honest about the situation contained within the game. What he finds is a world in chaos and fear, as Santiago has amassed a great army to help control his position as a dictator who is trying to control the whole digital world. Hobbes is outmatched and outgunned in Harsh Realm, but he finds some friends who are willing to help him on his mission, and to survive the many trials that Harsh Realm provides. Mike Pinocchio is another soldier who has been sent to Harsh Realm; he is a selfish and greedy man, but he is a loyal friend and a great warrior who helps Hobbes to adjust to this new virtual world. Also, a virtual character who has special healing powers, named Florence, becomes Hobbes’ ally. With their help Hobbes travels through Harsh Realm looking for allies, and a weakness in Santiago. The premise of the show really works. Because it is based in a virtual world, anything can happen. Anything that is not real in our world can easily be justified by computer glitches, programming, or any number of other explanations. Due to this, the show could have kept producing new stories and ideas for years to come, but it was cut short by network incompetence. The show was placed at the Friday at 9:00 PM time slot that has killed so many great shows. To be honest, the vast majority of people do not watch TV at this time. Combine that with the ridiculous way that our ratings system has been developed, where an extremely small random sample of the American public is used to develop the Nielson Ratings, and these shows just don’t have a chance. This show failed at around the same time as the television landscape changed. It was the era where sci-fi became less popular, and reality TV became king. A sad time in pop-culture history for sure, and I am ever waiting the reality show backlash that is inevitable and happens with every trend. I really liked this show. It had its share of problems, but that is no different from any show in its first season where it is still developing its format and flow. It was kind of like the Matrix, which came out just slightly before Harsh Realm aired, but instead of artificially intelligent machines running the virtual world; it has the government provide this conspiracy. Also, Hobbes is very similar to Neo in a way. They are both considered to be a messiah and savior to their virtual worlds; they are heroes of legend who deserve an epic and tragic tale. This similarity is striking, but not intentional, as the filming of Harsh Realm began before the release of the Matrix. Harsh Realm is definitely worth checking out, and I think it is important to support shows of quality that have been stepped upon by the networks and ratings systems, by purchasing their DVD releases. I must warn you though, there is no sense of closure to this saga, as the show was canceled well before many of the goals and avenues of the show had been explored. So Chris Carter, if you read this, consider getting the cast back together for a big budget movie to wrap up this story, it really deserves it. If Joss Whedon can save his canceled Firefly project by making a movie, I’m sure this show could do the same. -brant-
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