📺 Harsh Realm, S 01, E 01 Pilot (1999)
The Supercontext podcast mentioned Harsh Realm, another show by The X-Files creator Chris Carter, in one of their episodes, which prompted me to purchase the box set for season one. The series never made it to season two. I don’t think I saw anything after the pilot, but that episode has stayed with me decades later. Like most of Carter’s productions, it was shot in Canada. The score is by Mark Snow, whose work I never cared for—too much synth strings. On the plus side, there’s music by The Prodigy and Rob Zombie. The plot is reminiscent of The Matrix and various Philip K. Dick novels. The lead is Scott Bairstow, whose acting career didn’t last too long after this series. Always a pleasure to see D.B. Sweeney, as is Lance Henriksen and Terry O’Quinn and his pencil-parted mustache. Rachel Hayward and her cheekbones also make an appearance. And a very young Samantha Mathis!
Looking forward to the next episode.
