by Terri Fisher
Terra Nova was a television show that originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company Network a few years ago and is now on Netflix. We started watching the show hoping it would be family oriented and have amazing special effects and interesting stories. One of the executive producers is Steven Spielberg. I thought that between that and having actors we like, the show would be worthwhile. My family and I were not disappointed.
I have to admit that I have never before visited a website for any type of TV program. This show, however, prompted me to do it. The phrase, “There is no paradise without sacrifice” comes up on the screen when one first pulls up the website (Fox, 2012). The main reason I like this show is because of the sacrifices the family has made for their beliefs.
The premise of the show starts with a family in the future. The future is a bleak and desolate world where air, food, and space are a premium. People have to wear re-breathers just to go outside due to contamination. Procreation is limited to two children per married couple. The space they are assigned to live in is smaller than a studio apartment.
The Shannon family is an intact family with a mother named Elizabeth, a father named Jim, and three children. According to the law, the third child, Zoe, is illegal. The family hides her for the first five years of her life. She is then discovered. The consequence for the family is that either Zoe is taken away or Jim goes to prison for the rest of his life. Jim ends up in prison.
The show then discusses the Terra Nova adventure. Through a lot of physics, mathematics, and other science that is probably more accurate than we think, a fracture in time has been discovered that can transport people back to a period in earth’s history when the dinosaurs ruled the earth. The idea presented is that humanity has a second chance to rebuild civilization and prevent the problems that got the world in its current pitiful and desolate situation. Many people want the opportunity to go to Terra Nova. Unfortunately, not everyone can go. Who goes is controlled by the government, which is corrupt of course, and normal people are only allowed passage if they win a lottery. You can see that most will not be chosen.
Because Elisabeth is a trauma surgeon in addition to being a medical doctor, she is picked to go back. She can take two of her children with her. Jim, obviously, will also not be able to go as he is a felon and in prison. Through an elaborate series of planned and carefully executed events that are highly improbable, similar to a Mission Impossible movie, Jim escapes, Zoe is hidden in a backpack, and they all make it through the portal to Terra Nova.
Upon their arrival at Terra Nova, Elisabeth becomes the main surgeon, Jim becomes one of the leaders, and the children are working, going to school, and generally adding chaos and mayhem to the lives of their parents. I see families operating like this today.
There are several reasons why I like this show. One of them is that even though the two worlds portrayed are vastly different than ours is today, the problems they face and the family lessons they learn apply to us. Another reason I like it is the choices made by the parents in regard to having another child even though the law prohibited it. I also like how the show incorporates the feelings and actions of the children that are a result of the choices of their parents and the sacrifices they made for their family. I have seen many shows where parents are portrayed as inept and stupid people who are lovingly guided by their children to do the right thing. In this show, the parents accept responsibility for their choices even though they may not be the correct ones.
In conclusion, I enjoy watching this show because even though the settings are certainly fantastical, the situations that the family becomes embroiled in are very much like those I see every day. It also opens up dialogue between my family members about interesting and relevant topics we all face. We all have to make sacrifices for our families, and they have consequences. Finally, I have to admit, I love cool special effects and artistry that gives me a different picture of civilization other than what I see every day.
(Terri Fisher is a marriage and family therapist who provides equine-assisted counseling and family counseling in Itasca, Texas.)