What's it about?
Dr. Emmet Cole is missing. The beloved host of The Undiscovered Country, which brought the wonder and magic of the natural world into our homes for so many years, has disappeared in the wilds of the Amazon. Gone for six months now - and believed by many to be dead - his emergency beacon went off two weeks ago. Now Dr. Cole's wife and frequent co-host, Tess, has begun the search for her husband. With the help of her son, Lincoln, Tess is looking to be reunited with her husband and save the rest of his missing crew. But the search for Dr. Cole may provide more questions than answers.
You should watch if...
• you like the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise.
• you enjoy supernatural scares.
• you're still searching for the next LOST...could this be it?
So, how was it?
I've been eagerly anticipating this show ever since I caught the first promo way back before the start of the fall TV season. I was frustrated to find out that it wouldn't premiere until midseason, but I never forgot about it. And now it's finally here. So did it live up to my expectations? Mostly.
Tonight's two-hour premiere is not one two-hour episode, but the first two episodes aired back-to-back. This means that we receive two self-contained stories in one night. The first, the pilot, consists mostly of character introduction, establishment of the show's high concept (more on that later), the search for Emmet's missing ship, the Magus, and their confrontation with a supernatural force. The second hour follows the cast of characters we were introduced to in the first hour as they leave the river behind and trek through the jungle, encountering yet another sinister supernatural force. Most of the promos advertising the show have focused on the search for Emmet Cole and clips from the pilot, and yet the first hour was surprisingly the less compelling or interesting of the two. Too much exposition and some suspension of disbelief led to a slightly shaky start -- however, by episode 2, the show had definitely settled into its groove. So make sure to stick around for the whole premiere, or you'll miss the inspired ad terrifying use of a grove full of creepy, hanging baby dolls.
THE RIVER was created by Oren Peli, the writer/producer of all three PARANORMAL ACTIVITY movies (and director of the first). The main thing that sets this show apart is that Peli brings his trademark documentary footage format from the movie theater to a weekly television program. It's a brave choice, and one I'm both excited and nervous about. The conceit of the show is that Tess and Lincoln can only go searching for Emmet with the funding of the network that aired Emmet's show, and the network will only pay for the search if they allow a documentary film crew to follow them on their journey. So the entire show consists of footage shot by the film crew's cameras, as well as a sprinkling of security cameras from the Magus in the first episode, and some clips that Emmet himself filmed before his disappearance that Tess and Lincoln find on the Magus.
For the most part, this "found footage" nature lends the show a real-life urgency. Peli is certainly no stranger to the medium, and some of his trademark moments from the PA franchise can be found here, including a possessed young woman standing silently watching people sleep, and the fastforwarding of cameras during extended periods of stillness. However, there were other moments that strained the credulity of the concept -- moments I found myself asking "Where did that camera come from?" "Who's actually filming this moment?" Some quiet moments of dialogue actually felt like they almost slipped into traditional non-documentary format. I will be interested to see if the writers/directors can keep this format feeling fresh, or if they will gradually start to transition in and out of it a little more. It's certainly a gimmicky format, and it's hard to sustain a gimmick effectively for an extended period of time.
The first episode will definitely ring bells for any LOST fans. It features a group of diverse characters stranded in a mysterious jungle, besieged by a threateningly loud and menacing cloud of black smoke. However, there are plenty of differences as well. One of the things that set LOST above other sci-fi shows was its complex characterization. Every character on LOST was a real person. Thus far, THE RIVER is full of stereotypes -- the loyal wife, the resentful son, the pretty blonde crush, the snarky British moneyman, the superstitious natives, the burly cameraman. However, you have to remember that in the pilot of LOST, all the characters fit into easily defined clichés as well -- the take-charge doctor, the southern conman, the domineering/submissive Korean couple, the punk rocker, the pregnant blonde, the overweight funny guy, etc. It wasn't until later, when we started to get each character's flashbacks, that their characterization was really fleshed out. I'm hopeful that as we get to know the characters on THE RIVER better, they will start becoming more complex as well.
That's really up to the writers, because the actors are thus far doing a fine job with the material they're given. Leslie Hope, who you may recognize as Jack Bauer's ill-fated wife, leads the search as Tess. She brings a grim determination to her role with just the right amount of crazed desperation lurking underneath that at times made me question her mental stability. Bruce Greenwood (STAR TREK) lends a sense of enthusiasm and energy to the show in his brief appearances as Emmet. Paul Blackthorne is fun as the snarky and cocky producer in charge of the film crew (he also had a stint on 24 as Season 3 baddie Stephen Saunders). Joe Anderson (ACROSS THE UNIVERSE) does a fine job, even if his role as the grown son still bitter at his estranged father is thus far the most stereotypical.
Basically, if you enjoy being frightened and can get over the basic conceit of the show (that there always happens to be a camera turned on and conveniently pointed directly at the action), you will probably enjoy this show. I have hope that the show will settle into its horror roots and continue to deliver effective scares week after week. So far, for all its similarities to LOST, the show seems destined to be more episodic and monster-of-the-week than serialized. However, there's still the underlying mystery of Emmet's disappearance driving the action every week, so I'm optimistic that it won't devolve into a supernatural procedural ala GRIMM.
Rating:
*** Solid. I'm interested and will definitely keep watching.
While not quite as addictive as I'd hope it would be, the premiere definitely got me interested and I will be tuning in again to see where this show goes next. With its horror genre and its documentary format, it's unlike anything else on television at this moment, so THE RIVER has at least that going for it. I'll be interested to see if it catches onto a mass audience or simply gathers a niche, cult following. Either way, I'm along for the ride, at least for the foreseeable future.
What about you, Fellow Addicts? Did you find the documentary format engaging? Or distracting? Did it manage to scare you? Will you be tuning in again next week? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!
(For the complete rundown of when all the new shows are premiering, check out my 2012 Midseason TV Preview.)
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