Farewell to Threshold

CBS cancelled Threshold, and I am still mourning its loss. I was hooked to the story lines, which is not a surprise considering my affinity to shows such as The X-Files. Threshold is about the worst case scenario faced by humanity, a hostile invasion by aliens, and how a genius scientist, Dr. Molly Ann Cafferty, played by Carla Gugino, has a plan to stop the alien invasion and keep it a secret from the public in order to prevent widespread panic.

Poor Carla Gugino. Despite her acting chops, it appears that she may be cursed to star in smart TV shows doomed to be cancelled after a few episodes (see Karen Sisco). So when I heard that she was going to star in a CBS sci-fi show called Threshold, I knew that I would not have a long time to enjoy it.

Dr. Cafferty assembled a team of fellow geniuses to secretly stop the invasion. Dr. Cafferty's team includes a strong cast of supporting actors such as Peter Dinklage and Brent Spiner. I was extremely impressed that they showed enough respect for Peter Dinklage to not use the fact that he was a dwarf as a defining character trait. Brent Spiner is best known as the legendary Lt. Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. If that information means nothing to you, then you may have just woken up from a coma and please let me be the first to say welcome back.

Threshold was more challenging and definitely moved faster than its more successful counterparts, Invasion and Surface, because every week, some assumption was blown out of the water. This invasion was deeply sinister and was more like demon possession and global warfare.

The aliens did not have to visit earth. The aliens invaded by transforming DNA through sound signals transmitted by one of their multi-dimensional objects, but once possessed, the human host found other ways to transmit the signal: music, food, computers, bodily fluids. The aliens had been planning and attempting to invade for many years before Dr. Cafferty's discovery.

No character was safe, and anything could happen anywhere in the world. In one episode, in order to prevent a global transmission of the signal through computers, an electromagnetic pulse was delivered in the Miami area. In another episode, Dr. Cafferty's bosses, a high-level congressman, Dr. Cafferty's mentor, and other top government officials were infected, and she was forced to make the decision to shoot their plane down.

The widespread cover-up was impressive, but the devastating impact on each member of the team was phenomenal, especially considering that a few were nearly infected by the signal. Each week, the team faced the disturbing fact that they have more in common with the infected than they would like to believe as they are haunted by dreams of alien ice forests, which may be an oneiric glimpse into where the aliens originate.

There was no end in sight, and the prognosis for humanity seemed dire. Perhaps that is why people did not like the show. The plot of constant possible infection may have seemed repetitive and monotous with no end in sight, but viewers were mistaken. Threshold used the alien invasion as a metaphor for the constant war on terror or even drugs. The scope of the threat was both global and intimate. The face of the alien was primarily human and familiar. The threat was also faced by government officials trying to balance the desire to protect people with violation of their liberties.

I'll miss Threshold and am happy to hear that it is doing well in the UK!