Get on the Global Frequency

When network television stations refused to air Saving Private Ryan in certain markets, I remember thinking that it wasn't because of profanity; it was because, in today's cultural climate, The Powers That Be didn't really want to remind people that sometimes, the country can ask too much of one family. And in WWII, the government was willing to do something about it. As opposed to now. When a very small segment of Americans is being asked to carry the major burden of war...and everyone else is being encouraged to shop.

Which brings me to:

Global Frequency.

Warren Ellis' Global Frequency put a fun spin on the idea of a small, concetrated group of elite warriors fighting the invisible war.

I have not seen the pilot episode for Global Frequency. And, dubious legalities of pirated internet copies aside, I should be able to see it. On television. Or DVD. But, I won't. At least, I highly doubt that a show of this nature would ever make it out of development hell alive, onto the small screen.

Why the pessimism? Well, as Kevin points out:

Think about what this show could have represented in an era where Bush's "ownership society" is helping create the idea that selfishness is good. Think about what this show could have taught impressionable young people about how it can be cool to help others. This was going to be a show about cellphone-wielding techninjas, sure, but at the same time it was going to be about people rising to the challenge each every week for the sake of all of us.

We need to believe in the common man as hero now more than ever, and this show could have gotten us all a little closer to that - all of the viewers would be on the Global Frequency.

That's exactly why this show is doomed to noble failure. In a time when fewer and fewer people are being called upon to make sacrifices for the greater good, the idea that ANYONE can get involved, make a difference, and put the needs of others before their own needs is antithetical to the pervasive selfishness of the current social climate. Especially when it comes to network television. Individual sacrifice is fine for others...as long as it doesn't impact our ability to buy bling'd out hummers and guzzle gas at alarming rates. Individual sacrifice is fine for others...as long as it's someone else's responsibility to clean up the mess we've made. Individual sacrifice is fine for others...as long as you shop at the Gap. Individual sacrifice is fine...for someone else's kids.

Why has 24 succeeded where Global Frequency died in birth? Because at its heart, 24 is about the inherent goodness of the government and its ability to protect us. The average tv viewer can sleep soundly at night knowing that Jack Bauer is out there to protect us from the bad guys...and all we have to do is stay out of his way and let him do his job. We're being asked to do nothing.

But, isn't that also the theme of Global Frequency, where a small group of highly trained individuals protects us from the big, bad, super threats we should never know about? Not quite.

Without even getting into the fact that no one in power wants to us to remember that the government can fail - and has failed - to protect us from large threats, the key element of the GF is that any one of us can suddenly find ourselves on the frequency. And then the question becomes, what are you going to do?

Mssr. Rogers elaborates:

One quick story: There's a sequence in the show, when Aleph gets everyone on the Frequency, and they figure out what the problem is. All these citizen-experts, pitching in to save strangers' lives. To get a good feel for the timing, all the actors were kind enough to show up on that shoot night (Aimee shot separately) at 3 am and do their parts LIVE. So it played out, just like on the show -- the call went out, people responded, voices chiming in, all in one, long flawless take ... like it was actually happening.

It was incredible, one of those alchemical moments were it stopped being television, stopped being a performance, and actually took us to another world.

Nelson calls "cut". I step into the set, basically this glorified warehouse, and realize that there's a weird silence. Cast and crew are spooked. Some people are tearing up, I actually hear a little sniffling. I turn to one of the show staff and say "Hey, you okay? What's wrong?"

And she bursts into tears. "I was just ... what if it were real? Wouldn't it be beautiful if people could really ..." And she fades out, wipes her eyes. Whispers: "It would just be so amazing if it were real."

I loved the comic book mini-series. I thought it was clever, insightful, and at times, even poignant. It also packed a nice adrenaline-powered punch and made with the kick / 'splode very nicely. It would make an unbelievably addictive tv show. And with John Rogers at the helm, high quality would be assured.

And actual, thought-provoking television that encourages invidual responsibility and explores the complex, blurred lines of morality is exactly the kind of thing that WON'T make it to network tv any time soon.

But that's okay. Because information wants to be free. And the GF pilot is out there already. On the net. In the hands of fans. As Rogers has noted on his blog, a fanbase exists. The stage has been set, the seeds have been planted, the genie is out of the bottle. Miranda Zero lives. The call has gone out. And somewhere, an unmarked cell phone is buzzing to life, lit up in neon blue and ringing a tone you've never heard before. The question is, who will answer the call?

You didn't even know it, but you're already on the Global Frequency.