TV Pick of the week: Revolution

Will this be the new LOST? At least we know it won’t be the next Undercovers…

Since Lost, there hasn’t been an ‘event’ television show for us TV lovers to obsess about. Last year I had high hopes for Alcatraz, but the show was cancelled in the blink of an eye (at least FOX renewed Fringe so I am going to let that slide). And we know that every time we see the name “JJ Abrams” we are instantly hoping for the next cult hit.

So let’s see how Revolution did. In the first scene we have Elizabeth Mitchell so if you weren’t thinking of Lost before you are now. But let’s stop comparing this show to Lost, they are nothing alike except for the chubby millionaire, the plane that looks just like the Oceanic 815, all the marching in troops and the fact that the world would apparently turn into a tropical island if we didn’t have electricity. In all honestly I am not looking for the next castaway sci-fi thriller. I am only looking for a new show to bring enough depth and complexity to make me want to make up crazy theories in my head week after week.

In summary, Revolution is a post-apocalyptic story that takes place 15 years after an unknown event causes a major and permanent blackout. Now people have to live without electricity! They are organized in self-sustained villages and they are terrorized by the militia. The premise feels like something I have seen many times before, yet I can’t remember where, so I guess if they’ve done it before they didn’t do it very well.

As with all Bad Robot shows, the casting was great. Some of the highlights were Billy Burke, the hero in waiting of the show. I’ve always thought he was great (yes, even in Twiilight) and I am glad to see him in a leading role. I think he will bring this old-school-lone-ranger feel to the character. Another actor worth mentioning is Giancarlo Esposito. He plays the baddie of the show which is perfect because we are already picturing him slashing throats with paper cutters.

The pilot was directed by Jon Favreau and it looked pretty good yet not as grand as I was expecting (I think I unfairly had Iron Man in my head all the time).Maybe I was underwhelmed by the action elements of the episode, however I loved some of the more tender moments, like when they give Charlotte her last pot of ice cream and tell her she can eat the whole thing. I also thought some of the characters and characters’ arcs were underdeveloped. Charlotte’s brother, for instance was so uninteresting that I can’t even remember his name. Also, the whole interaction between Charlotte and Nate that was played out as the beginning of a love interest was nothing of the sort. Maybe they will correct that in future episodes, maybe some scenes fell in the cutting room… I don’t know, but I didn’t get it.

So what is the verdict? I have to say I enjoyed the episode and I thought that it had potential. It didn’t blew my mind, but nor did Lost after the pilot. Yet somehow I remember that Lost had a more epic feel to it from the beginning. Maybe it is just nostalgia speaking. Either way, Revolution premiered to amazing ratings. It was the highest rated drama in three years. Of course it benefited from The Voice’s lead in and a repeat of Hawaii Five-0. I really hope the show can retain most of the audience so it can continue airing long enough to become the cult hit that I think it is capable of becoming.