Robert Frost wrote, “Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice
…” but I don’t this that this is the case. The end of the world will be less grandiose; the world will be ended by nothing more than a microbe. Science fiction has predicted the end of the world many ways from zombies to alien invasions but it will be a microscopic particle that finally will bring us down. This is why Syfy’s newest show, Helix scares the hell out of me.
Set at a privately run research facility in Antarctica, Helix follows the outbreak of an unknown disease. The disease however is not the only concern at Arctic Biosystems, there is also the fact that everyone on the base seems to have a secret. The facility enlists the assistance of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) to help control the outbreak. The person leading the team is Alan Farragut (Billy Campbell), the brother of one of the first infected. Though Alan had been estranged from his brother Peter (Neil Napier) for several years, upon hearing of his brother’s condition he assembles a team and heads to the frozen north. Once there, Alan and his team find that this virus is like nothing they have encountered before.
The head of the facility, Hiroshi Hatake (Hiroyuki Sanada), and his staff are not forthcoming with information and even with the threat of an epidemic he is keeping his secrets. The people at Artic Biosystems are hiding aspects of the events that led to Peter’s infection. It is the tenacity of the CDC team that helps to uncover the hidden facts.
Helix was created by Cameron Porsandeh and is produced by Ronald Moore, who is known for his previous forays into science 
fiction with Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. The season spans only 13 episodes with each episode representing one day in elapsed time. The show has the main staple of many successful classic sci-fi/horror movie with a small group of people fighting against unknown forces. This worked for Ridley Scott in Alien and John Carpenter in The Thing. Even though the story takes place in a very large facility (the sets span 2 locations) there is a very tight claustrophobic feel to the setting. This adds to the creep factor of the show.
What makes Helix scary is the fact that a disease spreading slowly amongst a small group of people is a real possibility. This happens every day all over the world; in offices, in classrooms and other public areas. We are living on hand sanitizer to combat the germs but we are only making the diseases stronger. We exist in a world where there are drug resistant bugs that are killing people so something like this is a real possibility. Pretty scary, eh?
Everything that I had seen about Helix prior to actually watching the first episode (the sets, the props, meeting the cast) had me excited and intrigued about the show. (Check out photos here)Now that I have seen the first three episodes I can say I am infected. I really enjoyed what I have seen and the mysteries are going to keep me coming back.
Syfy has a new hit on their hands and it is called Helix. Be sure to tune in and remember to avoid the air vents. Helix airs Friday nights at 10pm…only on Syfy!
