Article first published as THE MESSENGERS Review on Seat42F.
It’s
never a good sign when The CW holds a show until mid-April before
airing it, even bumping it back one more week as the premiere date
approaches. Having just viewed the first episode of THE MESSENGERS,
titled “Awakening,” I can see why this drama is being held until
cast-off time, rather than getting a chance during the regular
television broadcast season. It’s not the worst show the network has
ever made, but it’s near the top of that list.
THE MESSENGERS begins with five
strangers. Vera (Shantel VanSanten, One Tree Hill) is a scientist who
sees something streak across the sky. Erin (Sofia Black-D’Elia, Gossip
Girl) is a divorced mother with a little girl. Joshua (Jon Fletcher,
Between the Black) is a preacher’s son at a mega church, sharing the
gift of persuasion with his father. Raul (JD Pardo, Revolution) is
involved with some bad dudes, though it’s unclear exactly what their
deal is. Peter (Joel Courtney, Super 8) is an uncool high school student
being picked on by a bully.
Then, one day, all of their lives change and intersect.
There is also a character called The Man
(Diogo Morgado, The Bible). His intentions are hidden, and while his
presence makes one uneasy, especially the way he is introduced, there
really isn’t much to him yet, nor is the actor so menacing that viewers
are likely to fear him.
The premise of THE MESSENGERS is far
from original, but that doesn’t mean no television shows should do the
strangers-drawn-together concept. It just means that there is a lot to
compare it to, so if one is going to use the same format, one needs to
make sure the product is high quality and can hold up to comparison.
Usually, this is accomplished by casting very good, but often not super
well-known, performers and crafting an intriguing, complex mystery. THE
MESSENGERS lacks both of those elements (as well as subtext), the cast
being OK, but nothing special, and the story confusing in such a way
that it’s hard to care about.
A lot of THE MESSENGERS hinges on the
mystery. “Awakening” shows us how the five get their powers, sort of,
but doesn’t explain what those powers are and why they’ve been granted
them. Press materials for the show reveal (SPOILER) that they are angels
tasked with saving the world. I do not get that from “Awakening,” and
even knowing what their mission is, it doesn’t matter. This pilot does
almost nothing to make you care about these characters and their secrets
are not laid out in a tantalizing way.
I do feel slightly sorry for a couple of
them. Circumstance has dealt them a bad hand, or blindness to what’s
going on around them has allowed them to become victims. But their
situations seem too ridiculous to be believable, and should be put
behind them quickly. An ex-husband threatens to lie in a police report
and say you were drinking prior to the car wreck? You’re in a hospital,
for goodness sake! Have medical professionals test you and provide
evidence for your case. Your family is so sleazy it makes your skin
crawl? Leave them far behind and have nothing to do with them ever
again. Two problems with very easy solutions.
Could THE MESSENGERS improve enough to be
good? Anything is possible, but I doubt it. The concept is just far too
poorly executed at the start to recover. The show needs new actors, new
writers, and basically a reset of the premise to even begin to show
promise, and once the pilot has been released, it’s too late for that. I
don’t hold out any hope for this one.
THE MESSENGERS premieres April 17th on The CW.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.