The DVR was about to explode this weekend so I chained myself down with popcorn and cake for some marathon TV viewing. Some quick impressions:
Three Rivers. Warning: This soporific show might induce a coma. Though the actors—including Alex O’Loughlin (Moonlight), Daniel Henney (Agent Zero in X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Katherine Moennig (The L Word), and Alfre Woodard—are pretty, their characters are dull and saddled by storylines that are neither compelling nor groundbreaking. It’s all been done better on the myriad of medical shows that have gone before. Nerd verdict: Needs life support.
Mercy. For a better new hospital show, try this NBC series instead. It focuses on three nurses working at Mercy Hospital in Jersey, with stories revolving more around their lives than medical mysteries. The lead, Taylor Schilling, is a TV newcomer but she comes across like an old pro, playing her Iraq veteran character, Veronica, with intelligence, forthrightness and sly sexiness. Jaime Lee Kirchner injects sass into her role while Michelle Trachtenberg is a little annoying as the green, earnest nurse (more how the character is written than the actress’s fault), but she has less screen time than the other two so I’m okay with her for now. Nerd verdict: Check into Mercy.
FlashForward. Three eps in and it’s growing on me. At first, I thought it was too much a Lost rip-off, with references to Oceanic Airlines and Australia in the pilot, plus Lost‘s Penny, Sonya Walger, as a series regular (additional Losties include Kim Dickens guesting in ep 3 and Dominic Monaghan joining the show in episode 6). But I’m now caught up in the Mosaic and the visions and mystery without being pissed off—yet—by the obliqueness of it all. Nerd verdict: I see it being around six months from now.
Are you hooked on anything yet this season? What started out strong but has already lost you?
6 Comments
Poncho
October 11, 2009 at 11:14 pmI haven’t seen anything of Three Rivers or Mercy, ‘though the TR ads seem soporfic by themselves so it’s doubtful I’ll be watching it.
Flashforward on the other hand, I have seen, and I’m transfixed. I love a good mystery and somehow they’ve gotten to me. I wrote (in my blog) that the pilot has one of the best cliffhangers I’ve seen in a while. Isn’t it weird when you somehow know the end but yet don’t really know how you’ll get there, or else how will it wrap up? I don’t particularily love the acting, but I gotta admit that some of the characters got to me. And I got sooooo angry at the Nazi guy… (I was doing research on Kabbalah online and then BAM! you’re fooled!). I love the show… at least it fills the gap for my fana-Lost-ism until the final season airs, and then we’ll see.
Shell Sherree
October 12, 2009 at 12:17 amThree Rivers is starting here this week ~ bummer, I was looking forward to seeing what it’s like. I’ll still check out the first couple of episodes.
Mercy annoyed me for some reason that I couldn’t put my finger on, and I only watched the first episode. But you have me curious to give it another chance, PCN.
FlashForward ~ I love it, love it!! I watched the start of it begrudgingly because I didn’t want to become hooked into a Lost clone, but it didn’t feel like that at all ~ and as Poncho says, WOW, the ending of the pilot was excellent. Gave me goose bumps!
Jen Forbus
October 12, 2009 at 2:09 amI can’t believe it’s been a year and half since I had working television. I was such a junkie most of my life and then my TV went haywire on me awhile back and I haven’t had an opportunity to have anyone look at…nor have I made the effor to replace it. Right now the only thing I can do is play DVDs, so I have watched some tv on DVD that I’ve borrowed from the library, but mostly I’ve been reading – surprise! Ha!!
Reader#9
October 12, 2009 at 8:58 amI agree with you on Three Rivers. It has all the elements of being compelling without actually being compelling. It’s like the studio designed the poster before they even had a story.
le0pard13
October 12, 2009 at 10:00 amThanks for the write up on these shows, PCN. It helps in pointing me to what’s worth watching.
And since you mentioned the reference in Flash Forward, and for those that care (including the Lost aficionados), the name reference of Oceanic Airlines was used in an earlier film, first. It’s a fav of mine (along with actor Kurt Russell): Executive Decision, 1996. Which reminds, time to watch it, again. 😉
Poncho
October 12, 2009 at 4:21 pmDid you hear? FlashForward got picked for a full season now… so let’s find out what becomes of the story.