PRIMEVAL ZONKS

The last couple of 'Primeval' episodes (which have no titles - I hate that!) contained a couple of Zonks, in which they referenced TV shows which should be sharing the same TV dimension with 'Primeval'. And it's my job here at Toobworld Central to neutralize these Zonks and ship them back out through a convenient anomaly.

So let's get cracking!

In order to keep tabs on the location of their friend Connor Temple, Tom and Duncan gave him a gift that contained a modified GPS. And they knew Connor couldn't resist the type of gift....

Connor: Hey a Roswell keyring!

Now, as originally written, the Roswell keyring was meant to be a reference to the TV show from the WB about the alien teenagers in New Mexico who were survivors of the 1947 UFO crash. That's how most of the TV audience probably interpreted that. But those kids and Connor should be sharing the same Toobworld.

So here's my splainin: it was a keyring from the actual town of Roswell, where a nice little industry has grown up cashing in on the crash. Even if it had the show's logo (which I couldn't see), that doesn't have to mean it was about the show. It could just be a logo now used in connection to the event.

Connor: You remember Thursday nights, Battlestar Galactica, Blake's 7?

Two Zonks in one! Connor was trying to jog Tom's memory, to bring him back to being the Tom he knew. (Tom had a parasite growing inside him, which was taking control of him.) Connor seems to be your typical young geek scientist who really loves his sci-fi. It looks like he's going to be a major Zonk irritant as the series progresses.

Okay, first up. 'Battlestar Galactica'......

It's been 28 years since the ragtag fleet led by the Galactica came to Earth Prime-Time. In that time (and unseen by us viewing at home because it all took place after the cancellation of 'Galactica 1980'), the Galacticans have integrated themselves into Terran society and were able to destroy the threat of the Cylon armada pursuing them. They've been accepted more than the Tenctonese of 'Alien Nation' ever could because they looked like and were basically just like the native humans of Earth. The Galacticans probably interbred with Earthlings and if there was any genetic differentiation, it's probably manifested itself as special powers like telekinesis or telepathy. (This could be a splainin for mutants in Toobworld. Not sure about in 'Heroes' as I think Tim Kring has some other splainin for that.)

And in that quarter century since the Galacticans' arrival, their story must have been made public. And is the case with even the most mundane yet major event in our own world, eventually their story gets re-told in the movies, on Television, even in comic books.

So their Thursday night ritual of watching 'Battlestar Galactica' would be a show within a show situation, like 'In Focus' on 'Monk' during its 100th episode. The only thing it had in common with the version we know is the title. More than likely it had different actors - or actors playing characters who already looked like them (just in case actual actor names are ever mentioned) - and the plotlines would be based on the original events of their journey to Earth.

This all refers to the original version of 'Battlestar Galactica'. The new and improved version which will soon be wrapping up its run on Sci-Fi takes place in an alternate Toobworld and Connor would have no knowledge of that.

As for 'Blake's 7', that also takes place in an alternate dimension, in the evil mirror universe, in fact (recently revisited in the season finale of 'The Middleman'). This is because Blake and his rebel band were being chased by the evil Federation.

The 'Blake's 7' mentioned by Connor can't have any connection to that show then, unless - as is the case with 'Star Trek' - someone came from that alternate dimension with the information from its future and decided to cash in by creating a TV show about it.

Instead, 'Blake's 7' is just a title shared by the show we know in the real world. Since no other details were given, it could have been about almost anything else. A special ops team working outside the law to help the little guy. A family dramady about a widower raising his half dozen kids (and the family dog). A biographical drama about the late Colonel Henry Blake and the six people who worked with him in Korea: doctors, a nurse, a priest, and a transvestite. (Sorry, Radar!) Or it could have been a game show even!
In the next 'Primeval' episode, Professor Nick Cutter used a small pen flashlight to shine in Claudia Brown's eyes after she had been conked in the head by a pteradon. And Claudia wanted to know what he was doing.....

Nick: I've absolutely no idea, but I've seen them do it on ER, so there must be something in it.

This is an easy one. WE know he's supposedly referring to the (too) long-running medical series on NBC. But 'ER' is such a generic term, it could be a reality show about an emergency room on the Discovery Channel. Since no mention was made of any characters from the 'ER' we know, that's the choice I'm going to declare against this Zonk!

I'll say this for the 'Primeval' writers - they trust their audience to understand the references. I can't stand those joke references that have to bash the audience over the head with details. If you don't think the audience will get the reference just by mentioning the show's name, it wasn't that good of a joke!

Just sayin', is all.

BCnU!
Toby O'B