Five, UK : Must See TV : The Tribe
June 2005 : This press release contains so many errors, you'd think the idiots would have watched the series before writing it! Oh well...
the tribe (1/13)
09.55–10.55
The post-apocalyptic teen drama returns to Five for
a fifth action-packed series. It is set in an anarchic
world where the adult population has been wiped
out by a deadly virus and the children are fending
for themselves. Alliances rise and fall as a group of
kids calling themselves the Mall Rats forge a new
society while attempting to distinguish between
friend and foe, and facing all the usual trials of
adolescence.
As well as featuring old favourites such as Lex,
Ebony, Brady and Bray, the new series introduces a
major new male lead character, Slade – who was
cast by Five in the UK after auditions involving
hundreds of young hopefuls.
The series begins with the Mall Rats celebrating
their victory over hostile rival tribe the Technos, who
are the latest in a series of foes (like the Chosen, the
Mozquitos and the Locos) they have had to fight.
But the celebrations are short-lived after
mysterious sightings of their arch-enemy, Zoot.
Has he come back from the dead, or are his
appearances, which seem to be endangering the
sanity of a spooked Ebony, a result of Mega’s
technological wizardry?
Ram, like the repentant Jay, is now independent
from the Technos. But while good guy Jay is now a
Mall Rat, Ram is intent on revenge and regaining his
own power in the city. Along with his new-found
friend, the mysterious drifter Slade, Ram takes over
a nearby town called Liberty. It is here that he
attempts to reorganise his forces to strike. In his
absence, his conqueror Mega has the opportunity
to seize power for himself.
Meanwhile, will the Technos’ defeat mean a green
future of limited technology and renewable energy,
as former Eco-Tribe leader Pride would like, or will
Citynet and electrification soon be restored? And
are the Chosen really gone forever?
The series starts with many of the characters in a
state of flux. Though married to Siva now, bad boy
and scamming sheriff Lex still carries a torch for Tai-
San, his ex-wife and the Mall Rats’ former spiritual
guru. He’s sure she’s imprisoned in cyberspace,
alongside Ved and Chloe, and is determined to find
her – to Siva’s dismay.
Elsewhere, Amber is pondering whether to stay
in the city and pursue a romance with Bray, or leave
for the countryside with the Eco-Tribe. Her friend
Salene, meanwhile, is torn between her feelings for
new love Pride and long-term crush Bray. Her
indecision is worsened by Pride’s addiction to
Paradise, Ram’s virtual-reality simulation that has
most of the population of Liberty hooked. And Jay
is torn between his new love, superbitch Ebony,
and her eternal enemy Amber, who shares his
dream of building a New World. Ellie, Alice and Bray,
on the other hand, begin the series as prisoners.
As the first episode begins, the Mall Rats are
triumphant at their defeat of the Technos. Mega
has jumped ship and betrayed his former leader
Ram, who is now lying supine on a rubbish tip,
entranced by virtual reality and convinced he is in
Paradise. A typically ruthless Lex rounds up his
tribe’s former oppressors, including his wife’s sister
Java, and imprisons them. But Mega visits her at
night and the two plot together. It’s time for Phase
Two of their plan – Mega is prepared to betray all
sides for his own ends and is not to be trusted at
all. Will he destroy the Mall Rats from the inside?
The Mall Rats’ ascendancy doesn’t last long: Lex
has reckoned without mysterious stranger Slade,
who rescues Ram and speeds off to Liberty, where
saloon owner Ruby agrees to look after him until he
recovers. Even unconscious, Ram is causing
trouble: he has engineered a virus that shortcircuits
the city’s electricity supply and plunges it
into darkness. And Technos Wizard and Stats
manage to escape and take Salene hostage,
demanding the release of Ram in return – not
realising that the Mall Rats don’t hold him any more.
Ram’s malign influence is as strong as ever: kids
throughout the city suffer agonising withdrawals
from Paradise as the power-cut continues. As riots
grip the city, the Mall Rats call an emergency
meeting and decide to free some Technos so they
can restore some semblance of order.
And Mega prepares to delete Tai-San with a click
of his mouse…
Producer
Debra Kelleher Smith
Executive Producer/Creator
Raymond Thompson
A Cloud 9 Production
Press Contact
Valerie Taylor