Article first published as TV Review: THE PURGE on Seat42F.
THE PURGE is a movie series that is now
being continued on the small screen, currently airing on USA. The
premise involves a radical group called the New Founding Fathers of
America taking over the government and instituting a holiday that shares
a name with the series. Once a year for twelve hours, all crime
(including murder and rape) is made legal, with emergency service
workers going off duty. The rich huddle in their protected homes, while
the poor are often the participants and the victims.
In
this framework, viewers of the TV program meet a number of characters.
Miguel (Gabriel Chavarria, East Los High) is a United States Marine who
has come home looking for his sister on Purse Night. Said sister,
Penelope (Jessica Garza, Six), has joined a cult that sacrifices
themselves to those celebrating the event. Jenna (Hannah Emily Anderson,
Jigsaw) and Rick (Colin Woodell, The Originals) consider themselves
good people, but find themselves rubbing elbows with the morally
questionable, especially Albert Stanton (Reed Diamond, Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D.), as they seek funding for their business venture. Jane
(Amanda Warren, The Leftovers) usually plays by the rules, but decides
to take on her boss (William Baldwin, Dirty Sexy Money) when she has the
chance. And there are others, but these are the primary players in the
first three episodes, those made available to critics for screening.
None
of these characters are in the movies, but some of the organizations
and concepts are. Unfortunately, if you haven’t seen the films, as I
have not, the series doesn’t take the time to make the rules clear. Yes,
it’s easy to understand that people are very violent and are allowed to
get away with it for a night. But there are lots of details left out
that apparently one would need to have seen the movies to understand.
This
does detract from the enjoyment of THE PURGE. As a concept, I find it
very interesting. Many have touched on such a thing before, including an
episode of the original Star Trek back in the 1960s (which Ben
Stiller’s production company is named after). And the show does seem
like it will explore some of the concepts in the way (I assume) the
movies didn’t have time to do. Morality plays that make you question
your values and realign your viewpoints in the face of a much-changed
world are in vogue; just look at The Walking Dead.
To
its detriment, THE PURGE doesn’t embrace this as fully as it should.
Instead, it seems like much more screen time is given to the senseless
violence and quick thrills. While these are absolutely necessary to
properly tell the story, it’s the balance that feels off, holding the
show back from being as good as it could be.
That
being said, it is still enjoyable popcorn television. It does touch on
some of the things that should be explored further, and hopefully if it
gets multiple seasons, they will be. It doesn’t feel too limited by the
constraints of basic cable, which generally don’t allow shows to get too
gory or intense (AMC and FX historically taking a lot more liberties
than this network, USA). It finds a way to skirt that line, keeping it
relatively tame while not feeling like it is.
If
you like the movies, you’ll probably like the television show. If you
don’t like the movies, I’m guessing you should stay away. But if you
haven’t seen them, check this out and make up your own mind. Is it worth
getting through the brutality to get to the scenes where the characters
really dig in? I think it probably is, especially if this world is
allowed plenty of time to develop, and you may agree.
THE PURGE premiered last week and airs Tuesdays at 10ET on USA.
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