I felt the episode itself was awfully paced, constantly throwing information at the viewer at breakneck speed. I understand the urgency in trying to set up a plot as tightly knotted as this into approximately 45 minutes (not to mention the network pressure to attain viewers and ratings), but I felt I had almost no time to absorb one thing before moving on to the next. I repeatedly had to shake my head and process information as more was thrown at me...and not in a good way. I don't mind working for my entertainment. I prefer taking a bite out of a smart, challenging program. But if that bite is underripe, it takes you out of the moment. It leaves a sour taste in your mouth. And you are going to question whether it is worth continuing or not.
That being said, I find myself admiring this pilot episode. Its felt as if the writers had so many ideas that they couldn't contain themselves. The ambition and set-up is enough to get a viewer excited. You understand the stakes and how they not only affect the main characters, but also the entire world in which the show exists. That is awfully hard to do well in under an hour. The attempt alone is admirable and exhilarating.
In terms of a general impression, I couldn't help but compare the show to Battlestar Galactica. For anyone who has seen BSG, this is a natural comparison to make. Genre aside, the two shows are cut from the same cloth. However, BSG did it with so much more confidence, grace, and restraint that Last Resort's effort seems cheap in comparison. But as the episode continued, I also found myself thinking of shows like Lost, Alias, 24, and even Homeland. And any pilot that can do THAT is definitely worth my time. I don't care if I have a sour taste in my mouth because I'm pretty sure I've tasted something like this before. And I'm pretty sure it has traces of awesome in it.
Ideally, I would have liked the episode to be longer only so we could have built more tension and suspense throughout. Because the potential here deserved a much more confident and nuanced coming-out. I'd hate to see it dumbed down (which is a very real, unfortunate, and likely possibility for a network program). I just hope they take a moment to breathe and gather themselves before trekking forward. I'd love to see this show do well. I'd love to see where it leads. And I'd also love to see them lose the cheesy action-staple cliches...because this could be a legitimate smart show about militarism, politics, strategy, and humanity.
Its probably the best new drama pilot I've seen on network television in quite some time (since Lone Star at least). For what its worth, I'm personally giving it another shot. And I'm looking forward to it.
It was created by Shawn Ryan who was the man behind Terroirs a few years ago on FX. Im willing to give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to pacing. Terroirs was slow and steady but had some good pay offs and great, deeply drawn characters. Hopefully ABC this won't turn this into the shock a minute Lost ape-fest that NBC has been pushing the last few years and they can build it up slowly. And kill that worthless NATO women.
ReplyDeleteYeah Shawn Ryan's previous work is another reason why I'm giving the show a chance. I just think the pilot was throwing a lot of premise at you so it would all be in place for them to play with later on. Which is totally fine. But a lot for the causal viewer to absorb.
DeleteI'm also hoping they let things play out rather then try to shock us with random plot-points and cliff hangers à la Flashfoward. And characters are already well drawn. Just from the first episode alone I'm not sure if Capt. Chaplin is actually crazy or following his own Reagan advice from the beginning of the episode. Its a fine line. There's already a lot of depth and intrigue there.