The Event Season 1 Episode 1 'I Haven't Told You Everything'

NBC attempts to fill the gap left by the loss of Heroes, 24 and Lost with a show which promises to be a mix of the lot...

What's it about?

When his girlfriend Leila goes missing during a Caribbean cruise, Sean Walker accidentally uncovers a national conspiracy. Meanwhile, President Elias Martinez decides to release a group of detainees, much to the chagrin of Blake Sterling, the Director of National Intelligence.

What We Saw

The expected generic pilot introductions to all the characters listed above executed in a manner which would seem familiar to fans of the recently deceased 'Lost' but packaged in a slightly different manner. Also introduced to us is the universe which these characters are to inhabit for the lifetime of this show (or maybe that should be one of the universes? only time will tell) and the kinds of twists we can expect on a weekly basis.

Review

It's pilot season and those are three words which fill any TV fan with an inordinately large amount of excitement at this time of year as it means it's time for the US TV networks to roll out their new hopefulls for the year and see which we audience members will flock to and which will avoid at all costs.

At this point I have to state that 'The Event' was perhaps top of my list of new shows to tune in for as soon as my internet connection would allow. I was a fan of 'Lost' for the first few seasons although I will admit to losing faith in it around season 4 and to this day have not seen the final season/episode (am I the only one left?) but the umbrella under which shows like 'Lost' and 'The Event' will generally be be found is one that could be classed as my preferred genre of televisual viewing. So with this I had high hopes for what this pilot would bring to the table and post viewing I am undecided as to whether I was underwhelmed or overwhelmed.

Firstly: this is not a show that you can watch without at least the most miniature of thinking caps attached to your head due to the amount of time periods on show and at times I found myself counting backwards from the present to work out exactly how far backwards we had gone and wondering if the period in between would be the focal point of the first season.

Secondly: those who have read any recent interviews with creator Nick Wauters will be aware of his quote regarding CBS requesting that a sci-fi element be added to the show, a requested which he openly stated that he was more than happy to oblige. This element of the show is not an overtly important aspect until the closing moments of this episode but do not fear, it is there and one can only assume that it will be important.

This is a show that is not afraid to stick two fingers up to the idea of structure. There were multiple points in time besides the present day shown during this episode:

• 23 Minutes Earlier
• Eleven Days Earlier
• Thirteen Months Earlier
• Eight Days Earlier

Aside from confusing the viewing as to which time period they might be viewing at any one time several of these periods appear from the perspective of different characters for example we see the take off of the flight from the viewpoint of both Sean and CIA Operative Simon Leeto try and amplify the magnitude of this episodes 'event' and I think this observation is an important one. I don't believe for a second that the title of this show refers solely to the life changing event which is alluded to be baring down on humanity, if this pilot is to be believed then 'The Event' refers to the fact that each episode is in itself an event of its own.

All of the classic edge-of-your-seat moments are employed here and each time the show prepares to throw to a commercial break there's a twist or cliffhanger strong enough to keep you holding on for the return reflecting that other influence which is so regularly banded around in the press, '24'. The credits and captions in this show reflect the digital clock feel of '24' but this is as far as I can comment as I left that show at season 1.

But is this show strong enough to hold on to the audience and compete for the legacy of 'Lost'? Or will it simply be this years 'FlashForward'?

The simplest answer to that is it is far too early to tell. Wauters and his creative team promise us that as each week passes by questions will be answered as well as asked so as to avoid the impression that the show is being made up as we go along. I'm sure there will be a degree of deviation from any plans for the show, this can only be expected as the audience react and blog the hell out of their likes and dislikes but hopefully the writers don't become obsessed with pleasing the audience to the point where their creative vision is knocked drastically off course.

This show is definitely going to require some word-of-mouth action in order to grow its audience otherwise the week-by-week question and answer formart is going to become too confusing for audiences who have not seen previous episodes. Alas this is unfortunately a problem which comes with the territory of watching a show which requires a degree of thought from its audience.

Story aside 'The Event' features some solid actings from a cast which might not be known to all at this point but could easily become household names the world over if this show can defy its critics and become a ratings hit. Jason Ritter has yet to break any new ground in the role of potential hero, but we'll give him a break as this is the pilot, but takes his initial steps towards proving that he can be an assured lead who will be the conduit through which the audience learns the secrets of the show.

It is perhaps Blair Underwood who provides the most stand out performance of the show as the US President, despite having less screen time than Ritter he brings a weight to his part which shows that this President does perhaps not always do as he is told and has the best interests of his people at heart. I also have to note that it is nice that this role has been written as also being somewhat in the dark to the true premise of the show rather than the stereotypical President who hides the secret intentions of his government from the nation.

One word does spring to mind when analysing the characters and the setting of the show: global and by that I mean this show is not global. As a viewer watching from the UK I might have been more grabbed if the show was to have brought an international element to it's storyline. By no means would I not watch this show if it were solely based on an event happening to the population of the US - I was a huge fan of the short lived 'Jericho' - but perhaps a broader audience might have been brought to the show if the event were global. I shall be closely monitoring how this pans out in future episodes. We'll have to see what happens next week...

Next Week...

President Martinez's staff must work diligently to evaluate the situation led in the aftermath of the plane. Meanwhile, Blake Sterling interrogates Sophia, the conspiracy theories expand, and a shady character reveals knowledge of the detainees' plans.

Overall rating:

Story		4.0
Weirdness		3.5
Pilot Sucess		3.5
Overall		3.5