Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Michael Allen
Writer: Eric Kripke.
Cast: Daniella Alonso, Tim Guinee, Maria Howell, David Lyons, Elizabeth Mitchell, Graham Rogers, Zak Orth, Billy Burke, Tracy Spiridakos, Tracy Spiridakos, C. Thomas Howell and Anna Lise Phillips.
Episode 2, titled "Chained Heat" released for "Revolution" September 24th. Not to be confused with Linda Blair's 1983 sexploitation film of the same name, the showing here is much more tame than the film. This episode focuses on keeping the show smallish by highlighting only a few characters in frame, relying on matte paintings for backgrounds, and including many scenes of time filling dialogue. This show also sees the breakdown of society in a very Disneyland sort of way.
The story thus far is following the remnants of the Matheson family. Ben Matheson (Tim Guinee) lost his life in the pilot and Danny (Graham Rogers), the son, has been captured by a local militia. Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos), the sister, has recruited her Uncle Miles (Billy Burke) to free the brother, but there are a few roadblocks in the way. A milita captain, played by Giancarlo Esposito is holding Danny and his psychopathic tendencies might make his release difficult. As well, the post-apocalyptic world is littered with bounty hunters, double-crossers and slave traders. Charlie and Miles need help from Nora (Daniella Alonso), an explosives expert. This trio disarms a militia group, but they seem no closer to rescuing Danny.
A few new characters were introduced or developed in this showing. Randal is a mysterious figure and he has business with Grace (Maria Howell), a doctor and part time apocalyptic Blogger. Just, who is Randal? Did he turn the world's power off? As well, Rachel, the Matheson (Elizabeth Mitchell) matriarch, was shown to be very much alive at the end of "Chained Heat." This is a contradiction to the pilot; the first episode claimed she was dead. Nora also revealed that she has had a long relationship with Miles. They have worked together before. And, Charlie shows that she is willing to do whatever it takes to rescue her brother, even murder. All of these reveals and developments added a note to each of the central characters.
Outside of the character development, there is really very little else worth mentioning in this episode. A few action scenes between Miles and an assortment of ne'er-do-wells was consistently bloodless. All of the brutal bits occur off-screen. As well, Charlie acts very naive in the presence of the enemy. She seems willing to befriend a militiaman named Nate despite his promise to turn her over to his bloodthirsty commander. Charlie might need to experience a few more hardknocks before she starts trusting the people that matter and forgetting the rest. Also, this episode seemed to take a break in the the second act. Where a film usually climaxes, this episode is discussing character's loss and idealism. Charlie wants a world free of slavery and Maggie (Anna Lise Phillips) wants her iPhone to work again. This very important middle portion seemed very tame and the episode overall was lacking true grit and excitement.
This tamer approach to the series might be a strategic move to keep production on the series small. Most of the scenes include only two to three characters discussing their pasts. There are a few scenes involving groups of people early and late in "Chained Heat;" however, much of the episode focused on just a few people. This shooting style keeps production costs down and scenes simple. There are also a few instances of matte paintings kept in the background. This is also a cost cutting measure. Shooting exterior shots are more difficult compared to interior shots, so the inclusion of these backgrounds is understandable. Their appearance does break the veil of illusion, unfortunately. Finally, much of the shooting has been kept in natural settings. Very little set building or dressing is required. The producers and filmmakers are proving to be very frugal with what is likely a small budget.
"Chained Heat" had some entertaining qualities, but the apocalypse seems a little too quaint, for this watcher. Other elements were less than ideal. This show needs to go into darker territory to truly capture the dangers inherent in a lawless society. Just look towards the news from the Middle East to see what violence is unleashed when governments fall. It is not all pretty and yellow tank-tops. The acting from this showing and some of the dialogue was witty and well rehearsed. The second act was a slow burn, while the show's overall story progression was small. In the end, this episode seemed like a bit of a lull with some character reveals just enough to keep events entertaining.
Episode 3 of "Revolution" will air October 1st and the title for this showing is titled "No Quarter." Hopefully, no quarter is given when the Mathesons get closer to facing the militia commander, Monroe (David Lyons). After all, the apocalypse is meant to be a dangerous place, not a rendition of Disney's classic storylines. A darker tone is required for this show to find a grander and more terrifying second season.
Overall: 6.8 out of 10 (intriguing character developments, very little story progression, one character is too naive, too much idealism and more realism is required).
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Posted in: 2012,post-apocalyptic,review,revolution,science fiction,television,television release,television review
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