Oh, Chris...
Note: minor spoilers throughout. What I'd consider to be the only major spoiler is under a cut.
Chris Carter has a pilot called The After currently available to view via Amazon. The summary reads thusly: 'Eight strangers are thrown together by mysterious forces and must help each other survive in a violent world that defies explanation.' Which basically gives him carte blanche to write in whatever weird shit he wants without having to justify it by way of answers. Where have we seen that before...
Perhaps I'm being too harsh. The concept itself, while not described especially well by Amazon, is somewhat interesting, although it feels a little familiar. Grand scale disasters and bizarre things happening sans reason have been well documented in recent years by the likes of Lost and The Walking Dead, to name but a few, and the pilot doesn't really seem to bring anything new to the table.[Spoiler (click to open)](Aside from that freaky demon/spider-man creature at the end; what the hell was that?!)
This is especially noticeable when looking at the characters. They're all stereotypes: struggling actress; drunk Irishman; smooth-talking lawyer who's having sex with his blonde coworker; rich old lady; hardbitten female cop; convicted murderer who claims he's innocent. The only semi-decent character is the clown, but it had to be pointed out that he's gay, which appears to have been thrown in purely to say, 'We have a black man and a Latina cop, and now we have a gay guy! Look how inclusive we are!' The characters all seem to have hearts of gold underneath tough exteriors; Carter's trying too hard to make us like them. Can someone inform him that clear-cut good guys and bad guys aren't necessary or desirable?
Their actions, too, don't make much sense, and there are one or two serious plot problems as a result. If the city you're in is falling to pieces around you, complete with fireball helicopters, and you're offered the last seat on a bus heading to the airport so you can fly out and get back to your family, you'd take it. You wouldn't go back to your hotel room for the phone you inexplicably left behind earlier and your suitcases, of all things, before going to rescue the strangers you were trapped with an hour ago. (Also, if that phone is indeed an iPhone, there's no way it would still have battery left!)
Believe it or not there is enough here to convince me to give it a go if more episodes are ordered, but the 'group of strangers brought together by a mysterious force' plotline coupled with the bizarre goings-on does lead me to fear it becoming another Lost: too many questions, not enough answers.
Chris Carter has a pilot called The After currently available to view via Amazon. The summary reads thusly: 'Eight strangers are thrown together by mysterious forces and must help each other survive in a violent world that defies explanation.' Which basically gives him carte blanche to write in whatever weird shit he wants without having to justify it by way of answers. Where have we seen that before...
Perhaps I'm being too harsh. The concept itself, while not described especially well by Amazon, is somewhat interesting, although it feels a little familiar. Grand scale disasters and bizarre things happening sans reason have been well documented in recent years by the likes of Lost and The Walking Dead, to name but a few, and the pilot doesn't really seem to bring anything new to the table.[Spoiler (click to open)](Aside from that freaky demon/spider-man creature at the end; what the hell was that?!)
This is especially noticeable when looking at the characters. They're all stereotypes: struggling actress; drunk Irishman; smooth-talking lawyer who's having sex with his blonde coworker; rich old lady; hardbitten female cop; convicted murderer who claims he's innocent. The only semi-decent character is the clown, but it had to be pointed out that he's gay, which appears to have been thrown in purely to say, 'We have a black man and a Latina cop, and now we have a gay guy! Look how inclusive we are!' The characters all seem to have hearts of gold underneath tough exteriors; Carter's trying too hard to make us like them. Can someone inform him that clear-cut good guys and bad guys aren't necessary or desirable?
Their actions, too, don't make much sense, and there are one or two serious plot problems as a result. If the city you're in is falling to pieces around you, complete with fireball helicopters, and you're offered the last seat on a bus heading to the airport so you can fly out and get back to your family, you'd take it. You wouldn't go back to your hotel room for the phone you inexplicably left behind earlier and your suitcases, of all things, before going to rescue the strangers you were trapped with an hour ago. (Also, if that phone is indeed an iPhone, there's no way it would still have battery left!)
Believe it or not there is enough here to convince me to give it a go if more episodes are ordered, but the 'group of strangers brought together by a mysterious force' plotline coupled with the bizarre goings-on does lead me to fear it becoming another Lost: too many questions, not enough answers.