On TV: NBC’s Revolution

Late last night, I got the chance to watch the first episode of the upcoming NBC TV series Revolution, which premieres Monday evening, September 17. From the show’s “About” page on the NBC website:

What would you do without it all? In this epic adventure from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions and “Supernatural’s” Eric Kripke, a family struggles to reunite in an American landscape where every single piece of technology – computers, planes, cars, phones, even lights – has mysteriously blacked out forever. A drama with sweeping scope and intimate focus, “Revolution” is also about family – both the family you’re born into and the family you choose. This is a swashbuckling journey of hope and rebirth seen through the eyes of one strong-willed young woman, Charlie Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos, “Being Human”), and her brother Danny (Graham Rogers, “Memphis Beat”). When Danny is kidnapped by militia leaders for a darker purpose, Charlie must reconnect with her estranged uncle Miles (Billy Burke, “The Twilight Saga”), a former U.S. Marine living a reclusive life. Together, with a rogue band of survivors, they set out to rescue Danny, overthrow the militia and ultimately re-establish the United States of America. All the while, they explore the enduring mystery of why the power failed, and if – or how – it will ever return.

“Revolution Preview”
NBC Video

Right off the bat I suspected the first episode of Revolution might be a quality production with Jon “Blow Me Where The Pampers Is” Favreau as co-executive producer/director of the pilot, along with J.J. Abrams of Bad Robot Productions, Eric Kripke (Supernatural), and Bryan Burk (Lost, Star Trek) serving as executive producers. Regarding the scenario- a long-term, “grid down,” TEOTWAWKI situation- my research in support of this blog and other projects suggests it really is plausible (more on that in a future post). The acting was pretty good, with “Uncle Miles” (Billy Burke), “Captain Tom Neville” (Giancarlo Esposito), and “Grace” (Maria Howell) particularly standing out. Some of the scenes in episode 1 pushed the envelope in terms of believability. For example, one of Neville’s men getting knocked off his feet by what I believe was a crossbow bolt when they entered the village, and how clean and fresh everyone looked after their journey into downtown Chicago. I can’t walk but a couple of blocks here in my concrete jungle on the Northwest Side without getting grimy and sweaty. Particularly these days, as the City of Chicago has closed off my street for repairs until hell freezes over apparently. I’m just nitpicking (okay, venting) at this point though.

Overall, I thought the first episode of Revoultion was very good, with enough action, suspense, and plot twists to lure me into watching episode 2 on NBC once the series gets rolling later on this month.

But don’t just take my word for it. You can watch the entire first episode of Revolution right now on the NBC website here.