Thinking Too Much: Cleopatra 2525 and the Future of Television
Due to the miracle of Hulu and long laundry cycles I had the opportunity this weekend to check one of the classics of the science fiction genre, a cautionary tale warning us about the dangers of plastic surgery, evil robots, and random guys in clown outfits, a story that celebrates the spirit of human freedom and resilience. I am speaking, as most of you have already guessed, about Cleopatra 2525.
This series is the answer to the question we’ve were all asking around the year 2001: What would happen if the same Raimi/Tapert crew that produced Xena and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys brought that same level of ultra-high production values and award-winning drama to the post-apocalyptic science fiction genre? It features Jennifer Sky in the role of Cleopatra, a stripper from the present day who, due to complications during a boob job, is cryogenically frozen. She wakes up in the year 2525, when humans have been driven underground by giant murderous robots and there are, like, dudes with snake heads and stuff. She joins up with two other equally scantily-clad women, one of whom is Gina Torres from Firefly, to form a resistance to the evil robots. Note: That is the actual plot of the series.
What follows is a daring exploration of important themes, such as the nature of trust and the dangers of programming robots to have sex with you. There are also many, many gunfights featuring large weapons and lots of sparks flying everywhere while people do flips and stuff. One thing I noticed is that the others often turn to Cleo for wisdom, as she has a vast treasure trove of modern popular culture to fall back on. This is an important point: Watching TV and movies naturally equip us with leadership skills that would be useful in a world ruled by evil robots.
The main villain fought by the trio is this guy in a clown outfit, who is sort of like the Joker only he is not the Joker at all. He killed Gina Torres’ family, so this time it’s personal! Yeah! He also has this flying shooty-laser thing that he throws up every once in a while that kind of reminded me of the awesome robot bird from the Doctor Who serial “The Pirate Planet”. This character follows in a long tradition of evil cinematic clowns. Why do we so many of us fear clowns as we do? Perhaps we know that no one could be that happy at all times without hiding an inner psychosis.
One recurring aspect of the series is that Gina Torres’ character follows instructions from a mysterious Voice (which sounds like a British lady) that she hears through an implant in her skull. This Voice coordinates many other cells worldwide that we’re told are just like our heroes. In this way, Cleopatra 2525 explores the set-up of a modern guerrilla organization, by positing a future version where this structure is followed to the Nth degree. Another reading could view the series as a commentary on our modern relationship to the news media, where the media actively participates in shaping opinions. Is Fox News the “Voice” of the Tea Party movement? And was the series prescient for predicting these political developments as early as 2001?
Structurally, Cleopatra 2525 was also definitely ahead of its time. For one thing, even though the series would be considered a “drama” by broadcast standards, its run time for the majority of its two seasons was only 30 minutes with commercials. The syndicated series was sold as part of a one-hour package with the Bruce Campbell vehicle Jack of All Trades, which would occupy the other half-hour. In the age of the internet, attention spans are ever-shrinking. A big part of my decision to check out the first episode Cleopatra 2525 was the fact that it was only a 22 minute commitment. The two-hour Terra Nova pilot made me want to put “TLDR” in the comments section, and I still haven’t made time to watch it. It’s sad, but true. How long will it be before TV brings back the idea of the half-hour drama? Think of all the extra time you could fill with cheap reality shows! And next time they won’t make the mistake of giving the half-hour show such as a highbrow concept as “cryogenically frozen stripper fights robots and/or clowns in the future.”
But any fan of the series will probably tell you that the piece de resistance of the whole package is the epic theme song, a version of “In the Year 2525″ sung by Gina Torres herself! So watch the all-timer of a credits sequence and ponder the great moment in television that was Cleopatra 2525:
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