Added on December 12, 2012  Ryan Thomason  billy burke , blond lady , charlie , giancarlo esposito , google guy

Revolution Mid-Season 1 Sputters into a Break

I was covering Revolution every episode until that Train episode. To say some kind of train pun about it being the point where I started to not care anymore might be too easy.

Really, the show isn’t that bad it’s really, the best (and only) kind of post apoc show that is on right now. Damn you Falling Skies and being a summer programming show. Here are my issues with Revolution: The “main character” isn’t someone you care about, sometimes they stretch the SCIENCE! Too far, and The two big supporting characters (Miles, Neville) should be the Stars. Let me get into it a little bit.

Charlie is Boring

Yes, I know this show was created pre-Hunger games movie, script and all, but Charlie is supposed to be the main driver of the show. At least, that’s what it seems like to me. I’m not faulting the actress at all, but when the writers giver her cheesy or just dumb lines. Or. OR, she just has to stand there with a disturbed look on her face or one of her many, weird faces that is supposed to get some point across. I don’t get it. What is the point of Charlie other than to keep reiterating to everyone that they need to get her brother back from the Militia? Yeah, sometimes she uses her crossbow, but mostly she just seems to be someone who complains a lot and tries to set some kind of moral standard, but then break it?

SCIENCE! Or, Science?

Ok, I’m not deeply into physics or technical details of most technology. I knew from the beginning that this show would be stretching the reality and TV science for the sake of action and drama. But, building amplifiers for technology that not only erased all forms of electrical currents; technology that can bring back electrical appliances wireless in a small space that fits within the size of a Pendant you wear on your neck. You can build these amplifiers with common parts from that Radio Shack or something that was abandoned 15 years ago? Those parts…still operate? Nothing say, DEGRADED with 15 years of non-use? The cities get grown over, forests seem to reclaim sections of road, but those computer chips and all the fancy hardware just, sat fine and dandy? Ok, maybe they kept the EXACT parts they needed in a secured fault with perfect preservation environments. I’ll just…keep telling myself that. There is a point where you can just keep trying to stretch something out, but when it’s been pulled so far, you can see through it? Ball that thing up again and start over.

Miles should be the lead good guy, and Nevelle the lead bad guy

I don’t care about Monroe, aside from him ordering and making some un humane decisions, I’m supposed to get chills about him. I don’t. I just see him as a psychotic leader. Nevelle? He scares the crap out of me. Though, when you have Giancarlo Esposito (I dare you to spell that without looking it up) acting the part of Major Tom Neville, it comes with a certain gravitas. The way he delivers his lines, the way he just oozes “Man, if I mess with this guy, he will kill me, and my dog, and my plants, burn down my house, and piss on the ashes” When Nevilles wife starts to plant the seed that he should be leading the Militia, I got a shiver down my spine. I want to see this, I want to see what happens when someone as calculating and intellectual yet brutal to a point has his hands on that kind of power, especially with the amplifier giving the Monroe Republic electricity to turn on Helicopters and Tanks for a half mile radius. Miles Matheson, on the other hand, played by Billy Burke is incredibly interesting as the “good guy” and I say that in quotes, because well, he used to be the leader of the Militia until he got tired of stealing kids, brainwashing them into soldiers and killing their familes. You know, touchy feely stuff like that. He’s got the bad past, but not many good guys have the, I created this monster and now I’m trying to hide from it kind of thing. Really, I don’t know where they want to take Miles with this show. After the midseason break, he’s accomplished, in essence what they set out to do. He has no interest in taking over the Militia and leading again, he just wants to preserve what he has and run away. Unless the writers are going to change the storyline to them just trying to survive, I’m not sure where it’s going. But, I as long as Miles keeps ninja sword fighting and popping caps, being generally awesome I’ll keep watching. My favorite scenes are when Nevelle, and Miles are confronting each other, I forget about all the crap that bothers me with the show and just enjoy the ride of great acting.

I don’t know if Revolution is going to survive the midseason break, yes, it’s coming back, the full season has been ordered, but I’m honestly bored. I’m only watching because I like watching the two supporting characters for each side of good vs bad. Fat Google guy annoys the hell out of me, but stuff like, killing that British blond chick (see, I can’t even remember people’s names) after giving the whole big reveal about her background after the flash and just trying to get back across the pond to her boys; I didn’t see it coming when they did her in. The lady from Lost is alright, I guess. Really, they’re just lucky that I don’t have anything else to record during the week. That, and they have Miles and Nevelle, at least they got that right. I’ll get back to you when the first season is over, if it can keep my attention for that long.