Decent SciFi Show from NBC

After so many post-apocalyptic movies, we really needed something different for audiences of this genre to enjoy, but is this good enough to satisfy? To an extent, I would say yes but it needs things like science better explained. I don’t necessarily mean a a long-winded explanation but something to explain how such a thing is even possible. EMP’s (electromagnetic pulse) might be a cause to some extent, but that would only cover electronics, but something better than what we did get at the beginning of the pilot.

Ben Mathison (Tim Guinee) rushes home to his young family, clearly distressed about something. He pulls out his laptop, and starts to quickly download information to a memory chip. While Ben does that, he speaks to his brother Miles on the phone, and gives him a vague warning of something bad about to happen. He is suddenly cut off, as all the machines all over the world switch off. Ben puts the filled chip into a triangular pendant and you just know it holds all manner of secrets for us to discover in season 3. He and his family watch planes drop from the sky as the whole world goes dark, and now the story begins.

Charlie Mathison (Tracy Spiridakos) was a little girl when the “blackout” happened, and now fifteen years later, she and her brother poke about the old trucks surrounding her village. Her mother is now dead, and now thanks to militia leader Major Tom Neville (Giancarlo Esposito) his father has just been killed, and her brother has been kidnapped. Before dying, Ben makes Charlie promise to seek out her uncle Miles (Billy Burke), who can help find her asthmatic brother, so off she goes with her fathers girlfriend, and the teacher from the village, who Ben gave the triangular pendant to hold. The adventure begins.

This show looks good on the surface, as does the story and the event causing all the problems, but how long will this maintain it’s interesting premise before it starts to go flat? It’s anybodies guess, but this isn’t a show with a big budget, as witnessed by some of the sets and some performances, but even so, it starts well enough. I will be watching anyway, as I think Billy Burke and co may just be what you’ve been looking for.

Grade: B

by Ed Blackadder