dien I'm currently on a trip to watch older TV shows I find interesting (sci-fi, horror, mystery, etc.) which I couldn't watch back in the day. I came across VR.5 and found the premise interesting. The whole "entering someone's unconscious by the means of telephone and virtual reality" got my interest peaked.Pretty much every 90s cliché you can think of is presented here - the main character has a mysterious past where the relatives may or may not be dead. The memories may or may not be fake. The main character lives in a loft. She has a childhood friend/neighbour who is all-alternative, reads books, knows the wisdom of many wise men, doesn't work but can still afford an apartment and a car. There is a shadowy organisation that may or may not be the enemy, but who the main character works for. She has a "keeper", who brings her new assignments but who also has a tragic/troubled past of his own. You name it, it's there.The acting is, well, mediocre at best. Lori Singer is sleepwalking through the show and is hardly someone you will care for. Michael Easton mumbles some barely audible words (I wonder if his character was written this way or if he is always like this), Anthony Head, Louise Fletcher and David McCallum are utterly wasted in this.For me the worst part is the writing. You see, in the mid-90s many people didn't even know what Internet (called Cyberspace then) is, and here's a show throwing terms and ideas at an audience not prepared for it. The technology needed a bit more explaining to make it more convincing or at least help to suspend the disbelief. A couple of rewrites from more competent writers could have saved the show.There was a good show here with some good ideas buried under pretentious and cliché-filled writing and un-engaging characters. Still, I am glad I watched it and if it ever comes out on a DVD, I would grab a copy just as a time capsule of 90s sci-fi VR show.

stormy_daze This show was a fantastic show, but it''s biggest flaw is that it was just too intelligent for the average Desperate Housewives watcher. It's not a reality show, it's not even really an action show. It's a thinking show-- they mention one thing very briefly in one episode and if you weren't paying attention the next four episodes don't make sense.As one user alluded to, this is not a show about virtual reality or technology, it's more about how this woman discovers her own past through that technology. Sydney Bloom is not who she believes she is-- her past is riddled with lies, deceits, and just plain blank spots. Though this virtual reality device, she begins uncovering who she really is, and subsequently her own family's past as well.Some of it is the Matrix BEFORE the Matrix: in this virtual world, Sydney can do anything: she need only learn how to control it. As I saw this programme first, I always felt that the Matrix stole quite a bit of some of the theory. But no matter.If this programme ever comes on DVD, it's worth whatever price they fix. The cast is brilliant (I always loved Duncan) and my poor ten year old tapes just don't hold up anymore!! They've started breaking from overuse.This show is not your run of the mill sci-fi junkie stupid predictable programme. It's weird-- too weird for most people, which was why it was cancelled. It's intelligent-- like the New Battle Star Galactica, they do not hand feed you with over-explanation. It is subtle and you have to pay attention. This is both it's biggest strength and it's biggest weakness.It's a fantastic show, and if you ever get the opportunity to see it, it's utterly brilliant.maddy

gharbeia A few episodes of this show were displayed in the VERY late section of Egyptian Channel 2 TV (3:00 AM). And I've been looking for it everywhere since then! I find these series much better than many other popular science fiction ones. They had a special 'atmosphere' to them that cannot be found in mainstream science fiction series. This and the 80's 'Twilight Zone' are my most favourite. Too bad it was discontinued

Oryx-3 VR.5 is an excellent show which went unnoticed by general public and network executives who feel that the show was too 'unconventional' for their taste. The show stars Lori Singer ("Short Cuts"), Michael Easton, Will Patton ("Armageddon", "Entrapment"), Anthony Head ("Buffy The Vampire Slayer"), Tracey Needham ("JAG"), and occasional guest appearances by Louise Fletcher ("Deep Space Nine"), and David McCallum ("The Man from UNCLE").The show is actually more about exploration of subconscious mind and human's brain and DNA rather than the virtual reality technology which becomes the title of the show. However, virtual reality is the tool that the main character uses to explore the different subconscious mind of other people. It also cleverly mixed in the conspiracy angle of an unknown organisation who wishes to utilise the newfound technology for their own purposes. Unfortunately, after its first season, the show was canceled (even though it is now repeated on the Science-Fiction Channel) and the actors have moved into other projects, most notably Anthony Head in Buffy Tv Series and Will Patton in Armageddon and the soon to be released, Entrapment.Rep Detec