DauntlessMedia.net’s Web Series and Media Index

Web Series and Web Media (otherwise known as New Media) represent one of the fastest growing and most innovative means of storytelling today.  As part of DauntlessMedia.net’s mission to explore the archetypes within modern mythos, I am reviewing and analyzing a select group of web-based shows.  These shows are chosen based on my particular interests, as well as the potential for providing an insight into how our modern mythos informs the values, fears and hopes of our society.  The shows listed below are in varying degrees of completion.  This is a project that will continue to be the main focus of the site through 2009 when, necessarily, my efforts will shift toward giving essays and articles that will explore the interconnectedness of these stories a higher priority.

After Judgment

After Judgment is a cutting edge webseries based on a post-apocalyptic earth in which the sun never sets, people never die, and the children have all vanished along with most of the rest of the population.  It’s the story of how Steven, a former priest, has a vision of a child running through the streets.  He leads an eclectic mix of characters on a quest to find the boy, evading the mysterious and dangerous “Trainers” which patrol the streets.

Dauntlessmedia.net has reviewed all sixteen episodes of the first season and will shortly begin reviewing the “Before Judgment” character sketches.

Afterworld

Afterworld is, simply, one of the best stories I’ve ever seen, read or experienced.  Produced by the innovative team at Electric Farm Entertainment, this is “an immersive, multi-platform sci-fi series” about The Fall of humanity and how one survivor, Russell Shoemaker, decides to Trek from New York City to Seattle to reunite with his family — if they survived the Fall.  Modeled loosely on Star Trek’s premise of encountering “new civilizations,” Afterworld follows Russell as he discovers how humanity is rebuilding societies after 99% of the population has vanished and after the destruction of all A/C electrical systems.  Each of season one’s 130 episodes is a world onto itself, creating thematic and character arcs that are profound, meaningful — and a lot of fun to watch.  Highly recommended.

Dauntlessmedia.net has reviewed all 130 episodes of Afterworld’s first season.  If and when there is any news of a season two, which is said to be in the development phase, we’ll report it and, of course, review any new episodes that are produced.

The Resistance & Face of The Enemy

Everyone knows how popular and successful the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series was during its heyday.  Without question, it certainly pushed the boundaries of sci-fi storytelling and characterizations.  In an effort to delve a little further into minor plots and characters, and to fill time before new episodes aired, BSG produced a few webisodes.  The webisodes share the same production quality as the weekly series, but the stories themselves were hardly groundbreaking or innovative.  These webisodes, however, are a good example of the series as a whole — flawed, but often praised.

Central Division

Asking the question, “Where did all the gritty cop shows go?” Central Division is, according to its official site, ” a hard hitting police thriller web-series. It’s made by, and for, people who love tough, brutal, and complex cop shows. Set in the downtown precinct of the LAPD (known as Central Division), the show follows a group of detectives and criminals struggling to survive corruption and betrayal.”  The series is clearly is an homage to shows like The Shield, Homicide, NYPD Blue, and The Wire.  The first season was completed on a budget of under $600.

Gemini Division

Starring Rosario Dawson as undercover NYPD detective Anna Diaz, Gemini Division is Electric Farm Entertainment’s followup to its groundbreaking Afterworld webseries.  This is the story of how Anna joins a top secret agency, called Gemini Division, to investigate the murder of her fiancé who, she discovers, was actually a SIM — a simulated human being.  The series starts off a bit shakily, but finds its footing soon enough and slowly evolves into a true sci-fi classic.  Told mostly through a video phone interface, there are a lot of monologues from Anna.  It’s fortunate for the series that Rosario Dawson does such a compelling job expressing the thoughts, worries and emotions of Anna Diaz.  She really does carry the series  — which was a good thing because without her, the engaging and meaningful story of Gemini Division would have no plausible vehicle for its telling.

Dauntlessmedia.net has reviews all 50 episodes of Gemini Division’s first season.  When news of G-D’s second season is available, we’ll report it and, of course, review any new episodes that are produced.

The Third Age

According to the official website, ” The Third Age is a magical realist webseries, a psychedelic remix of classic mythology, telling the story of ordinary people caught up in an eternal war between gods waged on the streets of New York City.”