Revolution 1.01: Redux

[tartysuz]

The first episode of Revolution was mostly meh.

The plot was a crazy quilt of ideas from past, mostly failed serial sci-fi mysteries like Lost, Fast Forward, The Event and V (mostly because Elizabeth Mitchell is in both).

None of the characters have the crazy chemistry that Jared and Jensen had from the get-go on Supernatural. With a huge cast, there's room to grow, as long as they're willing to drop the uninteresting characters. So far, I like the woman who harbours a key character, the bad sheriff and the potential for stepmother/stepdaughter bonding best, although I worry because not-Katniss is less expressive than her crossbow.

It lacked the humour of Kripke's work, but that might be due to all the set up the first hur had to do. It was entertaining to spot the Kripke tropes:

- a pair of guys in a muscle car listening to classic rock
- contrasting siblings
- kids tasked with taking care of younger siblings
- dead moms
- central character who dreams of a normal life that was never really there
- overprotective dad, keeper of arcane secrets (like using a modem!)
- and last but not least, nostalgia for toilet paper.

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

Since it was first announced I doubted very much that Kripke would end up getting much crossover from SPN fans. I guess it remains to be seen but it's not looking promising.

[tartysuz]

As an emsemble piece, the dynamics are really different from SPN. The crisis seems very external, too. We don't know the reasons for the power outage, but it can't possibly be personal for all the main characters.

[chibifrieza.livejournal.com]

And don't forget the AC/DC t-shirt under plaid. :P

I basically came away from the first episode largely feeling like it was mostly one of those shows that I'd watch if someone else was watching it in the same room as me, but I wouldn't seek it out... except for the uncle. I already liked him as an actor, and he sort of feels like he got displaced from a Whedon production or something and dumped into Kripke's. I'll be watching mostly for him. I'm also intrigued by the end, though the device she pulled out made me feel like suddenly I was watching a very different show than I'd though I was. I was almost disappointed; it felt like a trick. But I am interested.

[tartysuz.livejournal.com]

it felt like a trick

That's the way with these types of shows, isn't it? The problems come in when they try to trick us every episode. Kripke went on record saying that he still aims to have mysteries solved along the way, rather than stringing viewers along, which is a contrast to most of these shows. We'll have to see how that works.

I hope the second episode is less plotty and that the actors are more comfortable. They're very stiff in the pilot.