The President is dead; the military is in charge. There is one law: martial law. All those who disobeyed the order to help institute martial order are imprisoned in a tough jail. In this place -- known as William Jefferson Clinton Federal Prison -- four people, through a fortuitous sequence of events, come together to find friendship.
Hans Tobeason has written a fine premiere episode. The plot holes or flaws--whichever you may call themwere minor. One from the opening sequence states the president is "presumed dead." In a televised broadcast it said he was "dead." It's minor because it could go either way, like definitive proof, he's dead or a remote chance he is alive. You'll see another example shortly. One small problem I did notice was in the escape: the group made a comment that it was too easy and they were right. One of the nicest things in this episode is the chemistry between Decker, Becca, James, and Londo. They play well off each other and it shows.
One of the best things about the pilot was the score and music, adding intensity and suspense when needed while invoking the drama in other scenes. Eddie Jobson is the man responsible here. Director Bryan Spicer kept the show fresh and exciting from beginning to end. His style shines through the featured action. He developed a well-balanced episode that mixed action and drama very well. The action and slow-mo work brought a nice edge to pilot and the show.
Guest stars included the veteran Peter Kent (First Wave) who is a fine actor, but suffered from being saddled with some dry dialogue. Claudette Mink (First Wave and Sliders) played the wife of Decker. She is beautiful but her death was cheesy. Killed in front of the son, it felt like Conan the Barbarian. But there's a twist here. Colonel Devon tells someone to clean up the mess and take care of the kid. That could mean anything, and it seems a bit old, yet it plays out nicely, and with the right development of characters it could be a wicked arc that makes the show more human, more than a just an action show. At the heart is a good story about humanity and fighting for what you believe in. The action is just an extra touch that really adds an edge to the show. With good tight stories, and the balance of the elements demonstrated in this pilot, the show can only get better.
One thing I would like to see is more line for Becca. She has the potential to be the breakaway character of the show, and steal it from time to time, if not all the time.
"Guess we got to find what we lost."
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