Activating TREADSTONE

Article first published as TV Review: TREADSTONE on Seat42F.

USA recently premiered a new drama series called TREADSTONE. If that name rings a bell, you are likely a fan of the Bourne films, and this show is set in that universe. Sleeper agents from the Treadstone project are being awoken to carry out assassinations. Can they be stopped, and should they be? Who knows about them, and what will they do with that information? Which random (physically fit) person walking down the street could be the next one activated?

Full disclosure, I didn’t care for the first Bourne movie, and never gave any of the sequels a chance. However, I did like the pilot of TREADSTONE. It is action-packed and full of mystery. It’s easy to get sucked into the situation as it is presented. Part of my issue with Bourne was how hard it was to follow, and the television continuation seems to do a much better job of laying out the myriad of questions while still allowing viewers to keep track of everything they need to know. It’s a hard thing to balance, and it seems to be well done here.

I also like much of the cast. Gabrielle Scharnitzky (Storm of Love) stands out as an older KGB agent named Petra who is protecting some very classified secrets on her farm. Her story is immediately sad, but also a bit humorous, and certainly compelling. Emilia Schule (Berlin Station) is interesting as a young Petra in flashback, and I look forward to seeing how the two will connect their character through the years. Michelle Forbes (The Killing) is always excellent, and her role as Ellen Becker, a CIA veteran trying to manage the fallout of these events, is no exception. Hyo-Joo Han (Dong Yi) is also impressive as one of the first sleepers to wake up, SoYun Pak. Can she continue her dual life, especially as she doesn’t understand half of it?

The male portion of the ensemble is a little less solid, though that may be at least partially due to inferior material to work with. The one who stands out the most from this gender is Brian J. Smith (Sense8) as Doug McKenna. Doug appears completely unaged between flashback and the current day, a confusing fact not explained in the first episode. He rings a little too close to Jason Bourne for my taste, and his plot threatens some of the same avenues I didn’t like about the initial movie. Hopefully, this will be overcome by the strong women’s roles.

As far as the look and direction of the show, it’s spectacular. With an international setting, there is a wide range of places covered and no limits to where the tale may go. Episode one makes full use of this premise, and I would expect the series to continue to expound upon that over time. The tone is consistent and the pacing is fast, but not too fast. From a technical standpoint, I have no complaints.

I’m not sure if I will watch any more of TREADSTONE. I likely won’t purely because I didn’t connect to the source material, and while there are some impressive elements, especially concerning Petra, Becker, and SoYun, the weakness of other characters make the show a maybe-dump. With so many other strong options to watch, it’s hard to argue for even a good series with these initial problem areas. A deciding factor could be the creator, Tim Kring, who wowed with the first season of Heroes before disappointing fans in subsequent years. That, in my opinion, is just enough to tip the balance against this show, though not by much.

TREADSTONE airs Tuesdays on USA.

SENSE8 Insane

Article originally published as SENSE8 Review on Seat42F.

Netflix has a new drama by The Wachowskis (The Matrix) premiering this week. Entitled SENSE8, the story is truly global, following eight individuals in seven countries who are connected to one another somehow, being able to feel what the others feel and experience what they experience. There is a violent act that seems to somehow figure into forging their connection, and presumably there is a villain out there who will endanger them.

If that sounds murky, that is appropriate because SENSE8 is not clear in its intentions right out of the gate. Throughout the first hour, a LOT of characters are introduced, and each have their own plot lines threading the pilot, so there’s much to keep track of. This is not the type of show one can casually watch while cooking dinner; it takes total concentration and engagement to even begin to sort out who everyone is and what the settings are.

The central eight are: Will Gorski (Brian J. Smith, SGU Stargate Universe), a police officer in Chicago; Jamie Clayton (Nomi Marks, Transform Me), a transgender political blogger living in San Francisco with her girlfriend, Amanita (Freema Agyeman, Doctor Who); Riley (Tuppence Middleton, Spies of Warsaw), an Icelandic, drug-enjoying DJ who has immigrated to London; Wolfgang (Max Riemelt, In Face of the Crime), a locksmith-turned-safecracker in Berlin; Lito (Miguel Angel Silvestre, Velvet), a closeted gay actor in Mexico City; Sun (Bae Doona, Cloud Atlas), a businesswoman who has gotten herself into professional trouble in Seoul; Kala (Tina Desai, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), a woman considering marrying a man she doesn’t love in Mumbai; and Capheus (Aml Ameen, Harry’s Law), a failing bus driver in Nairobi.

As you can see, it is quite an international cast, much more so than most “international” ensembles that are at least half American. Each of these individuals very much inhabits a different part of the world and exists within a different culture, which should make their connection even more jarring than it already is. Though, for some reason, the show chooses to use English instead of subtitling, which might make it slightly more accessible, but feels a little weird.

SENSE8 doesn’t try to bring the group together geographically. In fact, the pilot barely brings them together in the story at all, with a few flashes of what will become their new state, but mostly focusing on their lives as they are now. What this means is, SENSE8 is telling many different stories at once, and how they will eventually all be brought into the same orbit remains quite a mystery.

The catalyst for the series involves a woman named Angel (Daryl Hannah, Kill Bill, Steel Magnolias), trapped between her love, Jonas (Naveen Andrews, Lost), and the villainous Mr. Whispers (Terrence Mann, The Dresden Files), but this thread seems just as unconnected as the others at the start, so it’s hard to tell exactly how Angel will play a part in the other eight’s lives, with the end of hour one finally giving us a little info in that regard, but not much.

I can’t say that I enjoyed the first episode of SENSE8 all that much. It took me a good forty-five minutes of confusion and stress to even start to get a handle on what is happening. Generally, that’s not how I like to begin a series. I see that what is going on here is very complicated and I’m not sure there’s an easier way to introduce so much, but at the same time, so few of the characters start out with a compelling narrative that the barrier to entry is great. There are scenes later in the episode, especially for Jamie and Wolfgang, that get one interested and invested. But SENSE8 would work better if it began in that manner and then showed us more of their average lives, providing a more immediate way in.

Because of this, I’m not sure if I’m going to keep watching or not. The production is obviously very high-value, with a variety of interesting places (those with 4K televisions should appreciate this even more), and the acting seems sincere and solid. I certainly would not not recommend it. The question is, will the investment required, much more than your average TV show, be worth the payoff? That, I cannot tell you at this time.

SENSE8’s twelve-episode first season will be available on Netflix this Friday.

"Riding In Town Cars With Boys" a curse for Gossip Girl

     Things come to a head for the CW's Gossip Girl in "Riding In Town Cars With Boys." Nate (Chace Crawford) gets a harsh dose of reality about his grandfather's (James Naughton) machinations, but still considers becoming the new voice of the family, as William asks. Blair (Leighton Meester) hides out at Dan's (Penn Badgley) apartment as she tries to decide between Chuck (Ed Westwick) and Louis (Hugo Becker). Serena (Blake Lively) wants to help Louis make the decision for Blair. Max (Brian J. Smith) refuses to leave town without exposing Ivy (Kaylee DeFer), but no one seems willing to listen. Still, Ivy is nervous enough to sabotage her own party with paparazzi, which has the unintended consequence of overzealous cameramen causing Blair and Chuck's town car to wreck.

     "Riding In Town Cars With Boys" has a lot going for it, except the ending. The scene with the motorcycles chasing the town car, which Nate just accidentally happens to be behind because of a mistake, is contrived and phony. Even worse, Blair and Chuck are "seriously" injured during the low speed chase and a wreck that cannot possibly be all that horrific. Really? It feels like a convenient way for Blair to lose Louis's baby so that she can have a clean slate with Chuck. The development that Chuck is not doing well and might die rings false, as it is very unlikely Gossip Girl will kill off such an interesting, polarizing, important character. As such, suspense is low.

     Backing up, though, Blair and Chuck's reunion is handled with considerable skill. It takes real talent to stretch out such personal drama this long, and still keep the story engaging enough that viewers will care passionately. Louis is everything that Blair always says she wants, making him a perfect diversion. Yet, her connection to Chuck is strong and permanent. Chuck has risen to the occasion of being a better man for Blair, and both have matured to the point where they can finally be together and have a happy ending. "Riding In Town Cars With Boys" is a culmination of a lot of work. Which is another reason that Chuck cannot die.

     In recent episodes, a groundswell of support for a Dan and Blair pairing has been rising, this author among the proponents. In "Riding In Town Cars With Boys," Serena realizes that she cares for Dan, and this spurs her to help Louis win back Blair, removing her main rival for Dan's heart. However, Dan's decision not to confess adoration to Blair has nothing to do with Serena, and everything to do with how well he knows Blair, and cares about her happiness. The women in Gossip Girl can be manipulative and evil, but it features a really noble, kind, heroic trio of guys.

     Nate's dilemma is a complicated one. He works very, very hard to make his new job a success, even though his rise is unrealistically fast. Even with his family connections, Nate becomes the "it" guy way too easily. However, now that he's arrived, he has a decision to make. Should he continue to try to build his own reputation with the tools he has, or start from scratch to avoid being manipulated by Grandpa William? Everything Nate is right now is tainted because of William's influence. But it feels so good to Nate, and he has a platform he can do something with, so why give it up? Even a truly good guy like Nate is in Gossip Girl may find it impossible to turn his back on his life under these circumstances.

     Somehow, Gossip Girl manages, over time, to make the duplicitous Ivy a sympathetic character. Though she comes into the Van Der Woodsen family under false pretenses, her desire to be a part of a warm, loving clan endears her viewers' hearts. Her guilt for her hand in the car crash, and decision to leave New York, only make her look better. It isn't her fault that the paparazzi scum are overly aggressive, and no one will blame Ivy but herself. The question is, will everyone still be so willing to help her financially, since her motives are not malicious?

     Oh, and is Diana (Elizabeth Hurley) Chuck's biological mom? It seems so, as the mid-season finale draws to a close.

     Gossip Girl will return to the CW in January.

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Article first published as TV Review: Gossip Girl - "Riding In Town Cars With Boys" on Blogcritics.