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Project Blue Book Review 21

‘Project Blue Book’

Review: History’s UFO

Drama Is ‘The X-Files’

Dulled by Time and Its

Lack of Skepticism

by Ben Travers

The truth is right there, in front of Aidan Gillen's
face, but his History series doesn't go out of its
way to help anyone believe.
Early in the “Project Blue Book” pilot,
astrophysicist Dr. J. Allen Hynek (Aidan Gillen)
is telling his wife Mimi (Laura Mennell) why
he’s accepted a job debunking UFO sightings for
the government. Sure, it’s an extra paycheck for
their family of three, and no, he doesn’t have to
give up his professorship at the Ohio State
University. But the real reason he’s going to
travel all over America, explaining away a
different alien sighting every week, is because
he wants to be recognized for disproving the
existence of flying saucers.
Viewers know he failed. “Project Blue polite to the point of nausea, yet the narrative as much as the energy between
Book” is set in the 1950s and inspired by true unacknowledged as such. When his son shows platonic partners. Here, the partners are both
events, and people are still prattling on about up shouting for his father and bragging about his skeptics, and they only clash when the doctor
UFO sightings, so… well, you do the math. accomplishments, he’s the kind of caricature wants more answers than the military officer.
People may know Dr. Hynek’s name (though not Hollywood films created in the ’50s before That’s not that interesting, and when it’s two
on the level of his heroes, Galileo Galilei and audiences realized they were a figment of the white men leading the way — one who’s poorly
Johannes Kepler), but it’s clear he never faux-perfect imagination. (Note: If little Billy or developed, and the other with a less-than-
achieved his goal and this show isn’t worth whatever his name is turns out to be an alien, I”ll consistent accent — there’s even less friction to
studying to understand why. It’s too dull and, eat my hat.) create drama. (There’s one good arc in “Project
ultimately, too unconvincing. Oh, and hats play an important role here. Blue Book,” meaning one arc sans a predictable
Based on Hynek’s investigations into the While Hynek and Captain Quinn bop around endpoint, and it belongs to Ksenia Solo’s Susie
existence of UFOs, the new History series looking for UFOs — some investigations offer Miller. But she’s relegated to second or fifth
bounces to a new case each week, while building reasonable answers for the events teased in each fiddle far too often, and saying any more would
a government cover-up plot to boot. The introductory scene, and some don’t, thus be a spoiler.)
premiere opens with two fighter pilots cruising representing the 700 unsolved cases Hynek left “Project Blue Book” asks us to invest in
through a routine evening in the sky when one is behind — a larger governmental conspiracy Dr. Hynek’s doomed quest without giving us
accosted by a blurry, quickly moving green plays out in the background. Multiple episodes good reason to invest in the man himself, and
light. The pilot makes chase, even opening fire end with an ominous shot of something the what good is a tragedy without resonance?
on the unidentified flying object, before his American government is hiding or with officers Moreover, what fun is a fact-based story about
aircraft is sucked upward into a beam of light hinting at something they shouldn’t be talking aliens if it’s well-trodden territory told in less
and then sent spinning out of control to Earth. about. Hell, the first episode shows a bunch of thrilling fashion? Creator David O’Leary’s
Captured in foggy blue and green lighting with military men gathering and agreeing not to tell History series tries to coast by recreating the
great sound mixing and admirable energy, this is the public what they know. facts and exploring how a skeptic might come to
the high point of the pilot episode and the series But these mysterious figures, who lurk believe, but the doc’s journey is sorely lacking
thus far: a rush of excitement that piques around watching Hynek during his in ingenuity. Whether it’s real or written doesn’t
curiosity, yet one that cannot really be replicated investigations, come to be known as “the men in matter when overly familiar plots are acted out
or satisfied. hats.” This is an odd way to distinguish them, by cookie cutter characters. “Project Blue Book”
Enter Neil McDonough as General given every single male character in “Project feels like “X-Files” Lite, only with a whole lot
James Harding, the man in charge of Project Blue Book” wears a hat. Hynek wears a hat. of indistinguishable men — and all the women
Blue Book: a clandestine operation meant to Captain Quinn wears hats. Even General are stuck on the sideline.[]
provide reasonable explanations for seemingly Harding probably has a hat in his closet, given
inexplicable phenomena. He recruits an up-and- he’s the most suspicious figure of all. It’s this
coming Air Force officer, Captain Michael kind of goofy misstep — call them anything
Quinn (Michael Malarkey), to shepherd a non- else; were the writers afraid of copyright
governmental expert around the country to infringement by saying “men in black”? — that
various problem sites as a means to stem makes “Project Blue Book” feel made up even
national “mass hysteria” over UFOs. The two when it’s based in truth. And since the cases
are meant to quickly close cases and quell have all been explored with more gore, more
concerns that some things are out of our glamour, and more gusto in plenty of sci-fi
government’s control. stories already, it’s not easy to get swept away in
That expert is the aforementioned this familiar story.
Hynek, a “real genius” who worked on The most notable comparison is “The X-
governmental projects during the war, but who Files.” Each week, Mulder (David Duchovny)
can be a tad eccentric, even off-putting, with and Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigated
close collaborators. Everything exciting about various paranormal activity on behalf of the
that opening comes crashing down during government, but their yin-and-yang dynamic —
Hynek’s home life. Conversations are stilted — he’s a believer, she’s a skeptic — helped drive