But the first episode left me lacking. The characters that were introduced were very one-dimensional and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't connect with them. So I didn't watch the show consistently. Instead, I'd watch it whenever I had time, because let's face it - there are so many amazing shows on currently. I thought the show would be cancelled like Firefly. But then I saw him.
Lucas Taylor. I fell in love with his character.
I read this article (click me!) and agreed with it completely.
Ashley Zukerman plays Lucas perfectly because he could have come off as a very fake, cartoonish character/villain. Instead Lucas comes off as a brilliant genius struggling with his demons. He feels real because some of the viewers can relate to his problems. Every child has had some sort of unresolved issue with their parents. Granted, most children don't want to kill them regardless of what Freud may think. But even then, it seems that a part of Lucas just wants to be accepted by his father. This complexity is believable in part due to Zukerman and in part due to his character's profile ("There is no great genius without a mixture of madness" - Aristotle).
Almost every other character in Terra Nova could be easily replaced by another actor because their characters are that boring. Somewhere along the line, somebody dropped the ball. Either way, Lucas comes off as the most interesting and resonating character in the series.
Frankly, even as creepy as it is, I really enjoy Lucas and Skye together, more then Josh and Skye. Josh and Skye, despite being the obvious cannon pairing, are BORING together. THEY feel more like brother and sister to me personally unlike (ironically) Lucas and Skye. Besides the major UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension) there, Lucas and Skye challenge each other. He threatens her and her loved ones, she lies and shoots him. Their interactions are complex and much more interesting then the adorably sweet but one dimensional couple of Maddy and Mark.
Skye is another good character (though Lucas still tops them all) because of the conflicts she had to face like betraying Terra Nova for her mother. Her character grew better as the episodes came because I remember in the first episode, I was not impressed. In the first episode, her character was very cliche.
If this show gets renewed for a second season, I hope they make their characters and conflicts more interesting and make Ashley Zukerman main cast instead of a recurring characters because I know he's one of the biggest reasons my friends and I watch Terra Nova.
