Platform (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name=Platform
format=Dramedy
camera=Single camera
runtime=approx. 4–40 minutes
Director=Various
creator=Matthew Flute,J.G.F. Lawless
starring=Matthew Flute
J.G.F. Lawless Greg Buckley
Jose Corpuz
Stephen Gould
country=Flagicon|USA United States
opentheme = "Hangar 18" by Megadeth
picture_format = 480i (SDTV)
first_aired=March 23, 2007
last_aired=September 1, 2007
num_episodes=8 (list of episodes)
website=http://www.myspace.com/platformseries/

"Platform" was an independently produced drama/comedy internet television series. The show dealt with Detective Peter Sachs, and his ongoing struggle to capture Muniz, the man who killed his brother. Although the show was extremely well received among fans, it failed to garner an audience, and was cancelled after only eight episodes. [cite web|url=http://www.tvgenie.com/articles/2007/04/16/getontheplatform/|title=Platform: A new internet show that will have you yelling Muniz!]

Characters

Main characters

upporting characters

Episodes

The first episode, Platform 2: Blood Rising was intended only as a short film. Due to its popularity, Platform was turned into a series. The next two episodes made were The Beginning, and Catch and Release, both of which take place before Blood Rising. The last five episodes were entitled, The Healing, The Awakening, Into The Den of the Dragon, The Road to Redemption, and The Heart of a Hero. While the first five episodes were all under ten minutes, the last three were significantly longer. The Heart of a Hero, the final episode, runs nearly forty minutes.

Episode 101 – The Beginning"Directed By: Storm Johnson"

Detective Peter Sachs awakes one day to find his brother Joey missing, along with a note. Joey has been kidnapped by Muniz, a criminal mastermind out to get back at Peter. Muniz wants five million for Joey, which Peter doesn’t have. Peter attempts to sneak Joey out, but things go wrong, and Joey ends up getting shot by Muniz.

Episode 102 – Catch and Release"Directed By: Storm Johnson"

Peter tracks down Muniz, and invades his house. Muniz manages to escape, and a chase ensues. Through flashbacks, we find out why Muniz wanted to get revenge. Peter manages to trap Muniz on a roof.

Episode 103 – Blood Rising"Directed By: Storm Johnson"

While transporting Muniz on a train, something goes wrong. Muniz manages to escape, and a chase ensues. Muniz leaps off the train at the last minute. Peter eventually catches him in a parking lot, and knocks him out. On his way home, Peter is struck by a car.

Episode 104 – The Healing"Directed By: Storm Johnson"

Three years after Peters near fatal car crash, he is finally ready to be on the force again. His next mission is to capture Muniz, who has escaped to Europe. The chief doesn’t let him go alone, and assigns him a new partner, Mikey Baldwin. Peter and Mikey argue the entire time. When an argument ends up costing them Muniz, Peter goes on a rampage, and ends up shooting Mikey. Peter goes looking for Muniz himself. Eventually he corners him on the top of a cliff, but Muniz pushes him off. Muniz is about to get away when he is shot by Mikey. The episode ends with Peter and Mikey finally getting along.

Episode 105 – The Awakening"Directed By: Zach Slavin"

Peter and Mikey are in Mexico tracking down Pancho Squalino, a dreaded assassin they’ve been hired to capture. Their new found sense of teamwork manages to find them Pancho in no time, and together they take him down. They celebrate back in America, playing pool and drinking. The celebration ends when Peter gets a call from Don Muniz, the brother of the Muniz they recently killed. Don demands they meet him at a Walmart, and Peter agrees. Peter and Mikey arrive at Walmart, but there’s nobody to be found. Out of nowhere, Mikey is shot several times by a gunman. Peter confronts the gunman, who explains he was hired by Don Muniz. Peter is about to kill the man when Don steps into the light. Don shoots the gunman and tells him ‘we need to talk’.

Episode 106 – Into The Den of the Dragon"Directed By: Alfonso Guevero"

Peter tells Don he doesn’t want to talk and rushes to save his dying partner. Peter manages to get Mikey to the nearest hospital, but he slips into a coma. Peter awakes the next morning to someone knocking at his door. It’s a detective wanting to question him about the death of a gunman the night before. His fingerprints were found on a weapon. Peter sneaks out the back and calls Don. The two meet and Don tells him he not only set Peter up, but he’s kidnapped his family as well. Don tells him about the Black Dragon’s, a European terrorist group working out of Brooklyn. He wants Peter to go undercover and acquire Plutonium. Peter reluctantly agrees.

Peter arrives at the Black Dragon headquarters and meets with the leaders, Nikolai and Victor. Nikolai tells him that to be a member, he has to kill someone for them. Nikolai tells Peter to kill their ‘fratboy’ landlord. Peter confronts the landlord, and tells them he’s undercover. The landlord doesn’t believe him and they get in an argument. Peter ends up killing him. Nikolai lets him in the group, and they celebrate by drinking vodka.

Episode 107 – The Road to Redemption"Directed By: Duncan L. James"

Peter and Nikolai travel in a minivan on a mission. Nikolai plans to arrive at a Jewish Picnic site, and plant a bomb. After a series of escapades, they arrive at the campsite and set up the bomb. Peter runs into Don while going to the washroom, and Don tells him to get the plutonium immediately. Nikolai eventually catches on to Peter, and confronts him. Don tries to steal the plutonium, but is caught by Nikolai. All hell breaks loose, as it becomes a race to get the plutonium. Peter and Don confront each other, and Peter hits the remote detonator, blowing up the plutonium, along with Nikolai. Don tells Peter he killed his family, then stabs him. Peter drives back to his house to find it burned to the ground.

Episode 108 - The Heart of a Hero"Directed By: Chuck Flinn"

With his family dead, and his partner in a coma, Peter spirals into depression. He eventually turns to a live of drugs and crime, trying to forget his pain. While dealing drugs one day, he is confronted by his boss Lance, and given Muniz's location. Peter quits on the spot, and tells Lance he's done with chasing Muniz. Eventually, he tries to commit suicide, but receives a call telling him that Mikey is out of his coma, just in time. Peter and Mikey meet up, and decide to go to South America to finally get Muniz. Meanwhile in South America, Muniz has armed himself with a large group of Asian Assassins, and is making them dig for gold.

Peter and Mikey arrive in South America and track down Muniz. They split up and each fight off Asian assassins. Muniz escapes, and Peter chases after him. Peter tracks him down to a bridge, and the two have a final showdown. Peter shoots Muniz, and is about to leave when he's shot by Nikolai. He's shot several more times, and is about to be finished off when Nikolai is shot by Mikey. Peter and Mikey have one last embrace until Peter dies.

Peter wakes up on a deserted beach to find his wounds have healed. He soon spots his brother Joey. The two are about to embrace when Muniz pops out of the water.

[cite web|url=http://www.myspace.com/platformseries|title=How Platform came to be.]

Controversy

The show has been attacked, due to its explicit content. Platform commonly joked about racism, anti-semitism, and homosexuality. The producers of the show stated several times that it wouldn't be fair if only one group of people was mocked, so they mocked them all. [cite web|url=http://www.indietvwatch.com/articles/2007/07/16/|title=Why an internet show you've never heard of is offending.]

Authorship debate

Although Platform contains a long list of crew members for each episode, they are false, making the authorship of the episodes unclear. After the cancellation of the series, the producers let the details slip. The show was shot without a script, with the cast members also acting as crew. [cite web|url=http://www.myspace.com/platformseries/|title=Platform Revealed.]

George P. Fogo

When Platform changed producers midway into it's first season, a new crew was brought one. George P. Fogo, a talented special effects technician was one of them. While filming the final episode, Fogo was rigging a bridge across a river, when he was dragged under. Fogo's dead body was found two miles downstream. Fogo's son, Allan, was brought on to finish the episode. The episode was dedicated to George.

DVD

The complete series was scheduled for an early November 2007 release date, but was cancelled, according to the producer of the dvd. The new release date will be late December 2007. The set will include all eight episodes, delted scenes, bloopers, audio commentaries, featurettes, and the short film, 'sons of violence'.

eason Two/The Movie

While Platform was still being made, there was talk that Platform: The Movie would be made to help sell the second season. When the show was cancelled, talk of a movie died with it. In October 2007, some information was leaked by someone working on the dvd. The information was that a movie was currently being written that took place in the three years between the 4th and 5th episodes.

In late November 2007, rumors of Season Two started springing up. The outline involved Detective Baldwin time travelling back to a before Sachs was shot. Unfortunately, Baldwin went back to early, forgetting about Muniz and Nikolai.

References