Tin Man, Syfy Miniseries, 2007

I almost forgot about this adaption until research turned it up. Amazing how it keeps on coming! I guess part of my reason for liking this story of the Tin Man was his name, Cain. This name I grew up with and which I too have some history. Aside from that, the “OZ, Outer Zone” was a place I felt familiar with. Having been “outside my body”, our reality often feels foreign and the other realm more like “home.” The Mystic Man is like a spiritual guide. Raw is the “viewer” or empath who hides from his gift and needs a purpose and courage. And poor Glitch has had his brain washed. DG, Dorothy Gale, has “awoken” with visions of “the dream,” and sets off into a “time storm” with her parents close behind to find where she has come from.

How did you like “Tin Man?” What wisdoms did you glean from it?

 Tin Man, is a 6-hour, 2007 TV mini-series that was co-produced by RHI Entertainment and SciFi Channel Original Pictures, and was broadcast on the United States’ SciFi channel, late 2007. The miniseries contains 3 “episodes” and stars Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming, Neal McDonough, Raoul Trujillo, Kathleen Robertson and Richard Dreyfuss.

The series is a reimagining of L. Frank Baum‘s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and it truly puts a modern twist to the original Oz. It contains numerous characters which can be related to characters from the story, including DG (Dorothy Gale), Glitch (the Scarecrow), Cain (the Tin Woodman, although Cain’s profession is that of an officer of the law, or “Tin Man”), and Raw (the Cowardly Lion). As the series’ plot unfolds, it is revealed that the setting is in the distant future of the Land of Oz.

In Tin Man, the story revolves around a young woman called DG (which we later find out stands for “Dorothy Gale”), who lives in Kansas. DG lives at home with her mother and father, but she begins to feel that she does not belong there for some reason, so she seeks a way to “get away from it all” and plans to go on a trip. However, DG (Deschanel) keeps having these strange dreams, and being a drawer, she sketches everything to show her father. When her father sees the sketches, he tells his wife that DG is having “the dream”.

Meanwhile, in a world far away from the world DG knows, the O.Z. is being run by the tyrannical ruler Azkadelia (Robertson), who sends her longcoat soldiers through a “travel storm” to find and kill DG. However, the longcoats do not succeed in their mission, as DG escapes through the time storm, with her parents jumping in after her just before the longcoats start shooting into the ‘tornado’.

DG wakes up the next morning to find herself in a strange land with 2 suns. The O.Z. suddenly does not seem overly welcoming when she is captured by a couple of midgets that chuck her in a cage. Over the next few episodes, the show tells DG’s journey as she meets up with friends Glitch (Cumming), an ex-servant to the Queen; Cain (McDonough), an ex-Tin Man; and Raw (Trujillo), a lion-like creature known as a “viewer”.

In the end, it turns out that the evil Azkadelia is in fact possessed by an evil witch who planned to overthrow the O.Z. DG is reunited with her real family as her parents from Kansas turn out to be robots. Azkadelia becomes her normal self again, and reunites with her mother, father and sister (DG). Light, peace and prosperity is then restored to the O.Z.

Characters

• Zooey Deschanel as G.– A young woman who grew up on a farm in Kansas. DG turns out to be a princess of the O.Z. DG is the main protagonist in the story, and the character is based widely on the character of Dorothy Gale from the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
• Alan Cumming as Glitch– A man who was captured by Azkadelia while he was advisor to the Queen of the O.Z. Glitch, who’s real name is actually Ambrose had his brain removed by Azkadelia’s hench men.
• Neal McDonough as Wyatt Cain– Wyatt Cain was once a Tin Man that worked in Central City. Cain was suddenly taken from his home, along with his wife and child, and forced to live in a tin suit for many, many years. Cain’s main objective is to find his wife and son, but does not find his wife alive, only finding his son still alive.
• Raoul Trujillo as Raw– Raw is a strange form of being that is known as a “viewer”. Viewers are capable of reading people’s fellings, hearts, and minds. Azkadelia keeps Raw in a cage, along with other viewers she has captured, and uses them to help her find the Emerald of the Eclipse. Raw greatly resembles the original “Cowardly Lion” from The Wizard of Oz.
• Kathleen Robertson as Azkadellia– Azkadellia is the main antagonist of the story. She is DG’s elder sister, a princess and heir of the O.Z. She was possessed by an evil witch (the true main antagonist) and as a result she usurped her mother and took over the O.Z. Her character is loosely based on the Wicked Witch of the West. She returns to being her normal self when the evil witch loses her power and possession of her.
• Richard Dreyfuss as The Mystic Man – The Mystic Man is one of several people who help DG on the road to recover her memories and find the Emerald of the Eclipse before Azkadellia. The Mystic Man is located in Central City, but has been under Azkadellia’s Vapors in order to keep him from gaining control in Central City once more. The Mystic Man resembles The Wizard of OZ from The Wonderful Wizard of OZ.