So many shows have our lead characters on the run. This provides for nice action stories but as time goes by many writers seem to find it difficult to add the drama in while on the run. It makes sense that this would be because when you are in the Flight mode the unimportant, where most television drama comes from, drops away. When then sacrifice the action for a while so our characters can feel as the hold up in some sort of safe zone for a while. Problem is this is where many a show has lost its way. Falling Skies seems to be a series of encampments that are eventually shed off for the action. Walking dead sacrificed the movement of our survivors in looking for answers for the tranquility of the farm followed by the security of the prison. Battlestar Galactica never seemed to recover from the planetoid that was season three. If you are going to be on the run do not stop until you get where you are going; for the action drama this would be your final episode.

Falling Skies was wonderful in season one. I enjoyed the usage of the school as a base of operations. As a teacher I have told my students many times that a school would be the best bet in the zombie apocalypse. You have security and facilities and with a little bit of work you could have living quarters. This is where we meet our rag tag anti alien army. They are holed up in a school. It provides shelter common area areas and a command center. This is also an area that can be secured to give the kids a place to play and do some learning. Normal would definitely be the key. The show really picks up when they get out of the school and get on the run. This should be a show about a rag tag bunch of rebels fighting off an alien invasion. The drama would come, very simply, from the organic places, like battle fatigue, a need to be more normal, and of course struggles in power. When the show gets bogged down in the politics of Charleston, or some other manufactured drama site, it loses its heart. This show should show the frantic running and gunning, scouting parties and rescue missions. This show is not Grey’s Anatomy with aliens. They are missing the mark with how they are handling this action drama and losing viewers because of it.

Walking Dead came to us from a comic book world, and has traveled beyond the source material in many ways. This show is about a group of survivors struggling for survival and looking for answers. Season one had our team moving almost constantly. They would encounter others on the road as well as heards of walkers. They sought truth. They sought answers. Now it seems they seek a return to normalcy. This has caused a loss of action. Yes last season they were constantly on the road, but did you notice their drive for stability lead to the stagnation of the series. I mean do we really need to care about the Governor’s journey to enlightenment? I know I didn’t care. But there it was an entire quiet episode and a desire for family and commonality. I understand these things would be important but not at the sacrifice of safety. This is how you make bad choices and die. And now look at our team. Neat and broken and trapped like rats. I am sure this season will be good, I still love the show, but how long are we spending with the cannibals, I mean the folks at terminus. Let’s get back out there and find out how or why this has happened. Let’s pull the entire team together and move as a group to a common goal.

Battlestar Galactica really screwed up what was a perfect situation. There absolutely no need for them to ever venture down on to the planet. This was just a desire for change of scenery and new story ideas, but this is what killed the show and added so much nonsense that it became almost unwatchable after that. This show already had a built in home base, the Galactica. This was a home base that was on the run. A perfect set up. You had the motion of the ship and the entire fleet working towards normal life like it used to be. You could almost be lulled into complacency on the ship unless you threw an episode like 33 at us every so often. Why not just stay on the ship. You are trying to out run the Cylons why give them a moment to catch up to you? This was a bad idea. You never stop.

Running is inherently action oriented. You want drama thrown in too I get that, but if your show has a group on the run they should never spend more than two episodes in a safe location. They should follow the words of Sarah Connor “No one is ever safe”. If an action drama stops running and starts sitting the show is over. No if ands or buts about it. Keep your focus. Stay on the run. If you think you have no more ideas for the running then here is a hint, your show is done. End it and walk away gracefully. Just sayin’.