First review of Unvanquished, more DVD clips & some new spoilers

The first review of the mid-season premiere comes from York Dispatch and is pretty positive on the whole, with the exception of one particular storyline. Here is a snippet (spoilers):

You'll learn exactly what happened to Amanda, Zoe and Sister Clarice, who narrowly avoided a car-bombing orchestrated by a rival terror cell, and you'll see how Daniel plans to take his company back. As narrative momentum goes, there's just enough red meat here.

The episode is also a visual showcase, proving conclusively that you don't need to set your science-fiction series in outer space to conjure some striking images. The dazzling neons and art-deco skyscrapers of Caprica City (capital of the planet Caprica) are as impressive as they've ever been, but "Unvanquished" also takes us to the planet Gemenon, the spiritual hub of this particular universe. Though its computer-generated cathedrals and moonscapes are glaringly artificial, they're no less pretty for it. (...)

Even with its blemishes, "Caprica" is bold, uncompromising storytelling, and it's the only show of its kind on TV. If you're a devoted fan counting down the hours to Tuesday's premiere, you'll be sated. If you've never seen an episode, don't start here. -- York Dispatch

If you need to catch up, Syfy will air the first nine episodes on Tuesday, starting with the pilot at 10 am. "Unvanquished" airs at 10 pm, after a Stargate Universe block.

Note: Stargate didn't do very well in the ratings this week. It held the 18-49 demo from the season one finale (0.5), but hit a series low in total viewers (1.175 million). To compare the numbers to those pulled in by Warehouse 13 in the same slot last week, go to the Mediaweek forums.

Back to Caprica. Three new clips from the season 1.0 DVD surfaced today. One is an interview with Ron Moore and VFX supervisor Gary Hutzel about the effects that went into the creation of the first Cylon. The clip is at io9.com.

The second clip is at IGN.com. In it, Ron Moore talks about the STO, Zoe's original plan for the avatar, and what we can expect to see in the second half of the season.

The third clip is about the cast and how they landed their roles on the show. You can watch it at TV.com. The clip has interviews with David Eick, Eric Stoltz, Paula Malcomson, Polly Walker, Alessandra Torresani, Sasha Roiz, Esai Morales, Jane Espenson and Ron Moore.

TV Guide has a short synopsis of the next episode:

Clarice visits Gemenon to pitch a terrorist attack to the STO leadership, while Daniel has a meeting with the Ha'La'Tha, where he seeks support for creating a virtual afterlife.

And last but not least, The Caprican has a new article about Graystone that sheds some light on his situation in episode 1x10. Which is now only four days away.

Caprica Season 1.0 DVD preview (bonus features)

NBC Universal has posted several clips from the Caprica Season 1.0 DVD to YouTube today. Most of them are from the episodes themselves, but there are three clips that include some behind the scenes footage and short interviews with Jane Espenson, Ron Moore, David Eick, Magda Apanowicz, Sasha Roiz, Alessandra Torresani, Eric Stoltz, Paula Malcomson, Polly Walker, Esai Morales and Brian Markinson.

As a sidenote, NBC has also been posting clips from the Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy (out on October 26), so if anyone wants to keep an eye out for that Eric Stoltz footage (or, yeah, just see some more Caprica clips), go to NBC's YouTube channel.

The clips are embedded below. The region 1 DVD is out on October 5. You can pre-order it on Amazon or get it with Bob Harris' Beyond Caprica guide from the NBC Universal Store.

Here is the list of the bonus features:

• Season 1.5 Sneak Peek: An all-new sneak peek at upcoming episodes featuring Ronald D. Moore and the Caprica cast.
• 13 Video Blogs: A look behind-the-scenes and from the set of Caprica.
• Podcasts with co-creator/executive producer, Ronald D. Moore, executive producer David Eick, co-executive producer Jonas Pate and the Caprica cast and crew.
• Feature Commentaries with co-creator/executive producer Ronald D. Moore, executive producers Jane Espenson and David Eick along with director Jeffrey Reiner.
• Unaired and Extended Pilot Episode: with commentary from director Jeffrey Reiner, executive producer/writer Ronald D. Moore and executive producer David Eick.
• The Caprica Dynasty: Viewers will learn how Caprica came about and discover from the cast exactly what it was that appealed to them about the project and their experiences making it.
• The Look of Caprica: With its unique take on futuristic style, Caprica redefines the Sci-Fi genre with a mix of film noir and classic 1940s fashion. Fans will discover the influences for this distinctive look and learn how it was achieved.
• Creating a World: Visual Effects supervisor, Gary Hutzel and his team lift the lid on the virtual sets, CGI Cylons and matte backgrounds that makes up the futuristic world of Caprica.
• 48 Deleted Scenes

"58 Years" Bonus Feature Clip:




"Interacting With Cylons" Bonus Feature Clip:



Another clip:

New clip from Unvanquished, Cylon news, and Caprica screening alert

Jane Espenson posted this on her blog earlier today:

Return of the Cylons: The Caprica Season 1.5 Premiere Fan Event!

Join CAPRICA stars Esai Morales, Alessandra Torresani, Sasha Roiz, and executive producers Ronald D. Moore, David Eick, Jane Espenson and Kevin Murphy for the Caprica season 1.5 premiere!

500 dedicated fans will have an exclusive opportunity to be the very first to see CAPRICA's return at a free private screening with the cast and producers on Sunday, October 3 at the Globe Theatre at Universal Studios Hollywood! Gates open at 6:30 PM and the cast and producers will kick off and close the event.

To get your ticket for this exciting celebration of CAPRICA'S return, please send your name, e-mail address, & # of tickets (max of 6 per person) to frak@nbcuni.com.

A few TV reminders:

• Teryl Rothery and Ryan Kennedy guest star on Hellcats tonight at 9 pm on the CW network
• Sasha Roiz, who is still filming an episode of House, will appear on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation tomorrow at 10 pm (CBS)
• You can also catch Hiro Kanagawa on Fringe tomorrow at 10 pm (Fox)
• Keep an eye on Aleks Paunovic - he's been tweeting pictures from the set of Supernatural

Ausiello over at Entertainment Weekly has some interesting new tidbits from David Eick about Cylon activity in season 1.5. You can read the article at EW.com. Spoilers below.

“Daniel Graystone’s creation—the early-model Cylon known as the U-87—emerges as a critical story point,” reveals Eick. “Due to the bad PR Daniel has endured since his prized creation, the Holoban, [was blamed for] the emergence of terrorist cells on Caprica, Daniel shifts his company’s focus to the perfection of artificial intelligence and its proliferation throughout the culture as the ultimate “helper”: Never gets tired. Never asks for a raise. Never quits on the job.
“Meanwhile,” Eick continues, “Joseph Adama and his brother Sam—using their organized crime muscle to seize control of Daniel’s company—see an altogether different purpose for the U-87′s: to sell to the highest bidder, no matter how violent their agenda might be.”

And Syfy has posted a new clip from episode 1x10, "Unvanquished," with James Marsters, Magda Apanowicz and Liam Sproule. "Unvanquished" airs next Tuesday at 10.

10 days to go until Caprica returns - a new round of updates

With only 10 days left before Caprica returns, different news bits are coming in from different places and hopefully there will be more of them in the next couple of weeks. Syfy has sent out screeners for episodes 1x10, "Unvanquished," and 1x11, "Retribution," to a bunch of TV bloggers and journalists, so we'll probably be seeing some reviews soon enough. Until then, here is another quick round of updates:

Michael Hinman (Airlock Alpha) has tweeted the writing and directing credits for the next two episodes. "Unvanquished" was written by Ryan Mottesheard and directed by Eric Stoltz, and "Retribution" was written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman (who had previously written the episode that introduced Vergis, "Know Thy Enemy") and directed by Jonas Pate.

Doug Drexler (CGI supervisor) has posted the Caprica 2010 Emmy Presentation Book over at Drex Files.

Some cast updates:

• Sasha Roiz tweeted that he is currently filming an episode of House. No details yet, but in the meantime, you can catch him on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation next Thursday.
• Alessandra Torresani has wrapped filming Playback.
• Leah Gibson is doing a new indie film, Camera Shy, and she also mentioned working with Tom Welling (possibly on Smallville?)
• Hiro Kanagawa, who guest stars on Fringe next week, is currently doing a production of Tear the Curtain! in Vancouver. If you're in the area, you can find the details and see the trailer here.
• Peter Wingfield tweeted that he will appear in an upcoming episode of Sanctuary.
• TV Guide visited the set of Glee, where they caught up with Eric Stoltz among others. The report is here.
• SpoilerTV has posted the synopsis for Smallville 10x04, "Homecoming," with James Marsters guest starring

SFX magazine has opened voting for the SFX Sci-Fi Awards 2010. Caprica isn't nominated in all the categories, but it's easy enough to write it in. A couple of acting categories could definitely use our attention. You can vote here.

Caprica City has some more stills from the mid-season premiere here.

Two really interesting interviews showed up in recent days. They aren't really related to Caprica, but you might wanna check them out anyway.

Bear McCreary talked to TV Overmind about his work on Human Target. The soundtrack is out in October. You can read the interview here.

Fandomania included an audio interview with Edward James Olmos in their Sept. 20 podcast. Among other things, he talks about how he got involved in Battlestar Galactica, the parallels between BSG and Blade Runner, his experience directing The Plan, working on The Green Hornet movie, and reading Ray Kurzweil. EJO will be back on TV in an episode of CSI: NY in October.

Last but not least, Stargate Universe, Caprica's lead-in, is back for a second season on Tuesday, September 28 at 9 PM. Without a major advertising push for Caprica, the ratings will largely depend on how SGU does, so we'll probably get a better idea of where both shows stand with Nielsen viewers this week. Stargate will be up against NCIS: Los Angeles, Dancing with the Stars, Raising Hope and (later also) In Treatment, while Caprica will air against Sons of Anarchy, The Good Wife, Detroit 1-8-7 and Parenthood. To see how those shows, as well as the hiatus-bound Warehouse 13, did this week, go to TVbytheNumbers: broadcast ratings, cable ratings.

And here is the Re-Cap(rica) clip (in case you missed it everywhere else):



Syfy Video still has the recaps episode by episode. You can find them here.

For full episodes (from 1x05, "There Is Another Sky," to 1x09, "End of the Line"), you can go to Syfy Rewind or Hulu.

Cast updates: Eric Stoltz, Teryl Rothery, James Marsters, Hiro Kanagawa, Jorge Montesi

With the new TV season kicking into full gear this week, below is an updated list of cast members and shows to keep an eye on in September and October. You may have caught some of these updates on Twitter earlier this week.

Eric Stoltz has definitely directed an episode of Glee this season. The title, "Duets," has yet to be confirmed, but Glee's Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz told Access Hollywood that it was episode 2x04. The show returns tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 21) and, unless there are any breaks in the schedule, the episode should air on October 12 at 8 PM on Fox.

Teryl Rothery made her first appearance on Hellcats last week and, like Battlestar's Aaron Douglas, will have a recurring role on the show. Other than the showrunner (Kevin Murphy) and another recurring guest star (Ryan Kennedy), Hellcats is also borrowing Caprica's cinematographer, Stephen McNutt, this season. Hellcats airs Wednesdays at 9 on the CW network.  

Hiro Kanagawa will guest star on Fringe, episode 3x02, "The Box," which will air on September 30 at 10 on Fox. Yes, that's directly opposite CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 11x02, "Pool Shark," with Sasha Roiz.

James Marsters will appear in the Hawaii Five-0 series opener (with Grace Park) tonight at 10 on CBS. After that, he'll appear in Caprica 1x10 (still October 5 at 10 PM) and then in Smallville 10x04, "Homecoming," which airs on October 15 on the CW. In the meantime, he is still shooting the pilot for Three Inches which, according to Mark Stern, likely won't be greenlit to series until next year.

Jorge Montesi, who will be back as the Guatrau in a few more episodes this season, will appear in Human Target, episode 2x04, which will air some time in late October or early November. Season two premieres on Friday, October 1, at 8 on Fox. According to the show's official Twitter, Tahmoh Penikett will guest star in the season premiere.

And this just in: Aleks Paunovic will appear in an upcoming episode of Supernatural according to his Facebook page. No word on the exact date yet, so keep an eye on grandpa Adama on Twitter. 

Also worth repeating: Paula Malcomson is a regular on Sons of Anarchy (FX) this season and Scott Porter is a new addition to The Good Wife (CBS), which returns for a second season tomorrow. Both shows air Tuesdays at 10.

First stills from Caprica 1x10, "Unvanquished"

Syfy has released the first promotional stills from episode 1x10, "Unvanquished," which kicks off the second half of the season. Click to enlarge:

Paula Malcomson talks about Sons of Anarchy and Caprica

My Take on TV has uploaded a video interview with Paula Malcomson from the Sons of Anarchy premiere earlier this month. In the clip, she talks about how she landed a role on that show, where her character fits in, and mentions some twists and turns down the line. She also briefly comments on Caprica's hiatus and the cliffhanger in the mid-season finale, and talks about what we can expect to see in the back nine episodes. The interview is completely spoiler-free.

You can catch Paula in Sons of Anarchy (she will appear in eight episodes this season) on Tuesdays at 10 on FX. This of course means that, like The Good Wife (with Scott Porter this season), the show will run directly opposite Caprica starting October 5, so enjoy it live while you can.

Here is the interview: