Pilots: Reaper, Pushing Daisies and Damages
No, I don't have my copy of the new Harry Potter book yet (though I've gotten myself deliberately good and spoiled and I'm happy with the spoilers -- the main ones are exactly as I expected, and that's a good thing).
Instead, I've been watching leaked pilots. So far I've seen Reaper and Pushing Daisies. And I saw the Damages pilot last week at a premiere screening complete with (amusingly short) red carpet.
After the CW upfront, you might remember me saying I liked the Reaper promo and thought the show had promise. Well, I watched the whole pilot a few days ago and… eh. The things I liked in the promo were all present, yes, but somehow the whole was less than the sum of its parts.
It was partly the fault of the script, which often felt schematic and by-the-numbers. Now they show us the character's conflict with his brother, now they show us - in explicitly stated, on-the-nose dialogue - his unspoken but blatant attraction toward a co-worker, now they show us (yet again) how much of a slacker he is. And yet for all that I was told about the character and how he felt, by the end of the episode, I felt like I didn’t really know him.
It was also partly the fault of Kevin Smith's directing job, and probably the editing too. I lost track of the number of times an important plot or emotional point was just… missed. Ignored. Sped past. And that made big moments feel flatter than need be.
Don't get me wrong, it has fun moments and a good premise, and you might like it even if I didn't. But I probably won't bother watching.
Pushing Daisies, on the other hand, was a complete delight. I loved the deadpan humor, loved the bright, shiny, deliberately fairy tale tone, loved the simple yet original concept. I bought the wistful poignance of the romance. I loved the main actor and liked the actress too, and I did a double take when I recognized Chi McBride as the grumpy PI, his performance and persona were so radically different from his gravitas as the bank manager in The Nine.
I find myself wondering how the hell they're going to sustain this, though. I picture a fun procedural-with-a-twist, but honestly, that could grow old mighty quick. And I really don't see what function the lead actress has in the mystery investigation aspect, other than being quirky and cute (which she does well, admittedly). Still, I'm certainly intrigued enough to check out the second episode and I have my fingers crossed that they'll develop the world more and let us enjoy that delicious flavor rather than just focusing on solving mysteries.
Then there's Damages. Whoa. And wow. I've been reading (okay, devouring) the reviews and so far they've been glowing. Deservedly so, IMO. I love the story's twists and turns, I love that they're both surprising and also feel absolutely organic to the characters. I love the intelligence of the dialogue which yet doesn’t feel forced. Glenn Close rocks, of course, and Rose Byrne feels very honest and real, but Ted Danson was a revelation to me. He's dark and excellent. I look forward to the story/season arc; I get the strong feeling that the creators are completely in control of this rollercoaster, and that's a good feeling.
Damages, by the way, premieres in the States tomorrow, Tuesday the 24th, at 10 pm on FX. Just saying…
Instead, I've been watching leaked pilots. So far I've seen Reaper and Pushing Daisies. And I saw the Damages pilot last week at a premiere screening complete with (amusingly short) red carpet.
After the CW upfront, you might remember me saying I liked the Reaper promo and thought the show had promise. Well, I watched the whole pilot a few days ago and… eh. The things I liked in the promo were all present, yes, but somehow the whole was less than the sum of its parts.
It was partly the fault of the script, which often felt schematic and by-the-numbers. Now they show us the character's conflict with his brother, now they show us - in explicitly stated, on-the-nose dialogue - his unspoken but blatant attraction toward a co-worker, now they show us (yet again) how much of a slacker he is. And yet for all that I was told about the character and how he felt, by the end of the episode, I felt like I didn’t really know him.
It was also partly the fault of Kevin Smith's directing job, and probably the editing too. I lost track of the number of times an important plot or emotional point was just… missed. Ignored. Sped past. And that made big moments feel flatter than need be.
Don't get me wrong, it has fun moments and a good premise, and you might like it even if I didn't. But I probably won't bother watching.
Pushing Daisies, on the other hand, was a complete delight. I loved the deadpan humor, loved the bright, shiny, deliberately fairy tale tone, loved the simple yet original concept. I bought the wistful poignance of the romance. I loved the main actor and liked the actress too, and I did a double take when I recognized Chi McBride as the grumpy PI, his performance and persona were so radically different from his gravitas as the bank manager in The Nine.
I find myself wondering how the hell they're going to sustain this, though. I picture a fun procedural-with-a-twist, but honestly, that could grow old mighty quick. And I really don't see what function the lead actress has in the mystery investigation aspect, other than being quirky and cute (which she does well, admittedly). Still, I'm certainly intrigued enough to check out the second episode and I have my fingers crossed that they'll develop the world more and let us enjoy that delicious flavor rather than just focusing on solving mysteries.
Then there's Damages. Whoa. And wow. I've been reading (okay, devouring) the reviews and so far they've been glowing. Deservedly so, IMO. I love the story's twists and turns, I love that they're both surprising and also feel absolutely organic to the characters. I love the intelligence of the dialogue which yet doesn’t feel forced. Glenn Close rocks, of course, and Rose Byrne feels very honest and real, but Ted Danson was a revelation to me. He's dark and excellent. I look forward to the story/season arc; I get the strong feeling that the creators are completely in control of this rollercoaster, and that's a good feeling.
Damages, by the way, premieres in the States tomorrow, Tuesday the 24th, at 10 pm on FX. Just saying…