The Event - Series Retrospective

When I first heard about "The Event" I didn't quite know what to think. Being a veteran of "Flashforward" and more recently "Persons Unknown" I was extremely careful not to get too attached to the show as I had done with the aforementioned. All over the internet people were saying it was the next Lost. I even saw a review where someone said it was like the child of 24 and Lost. Those two shows were my favorite of all time so I had to tune in. After watching the pilot episode I had decided that I was going to commit to watching it. However, there were things that bothered me in the very beginning.

What bothered me first about the show in particular was the amount of flashbacks. While I like the use of this storytelling technique (Lost) I didn't like how it went from fifty years ago to five minutes ago. It reminded me of the first few episodes of season 2 of Lost. I found myself thinking "I've seen this before." However I continued to watch because I hoped it would get better. I was relieved when they stopped with the awful use of flashbacks.

But just when I was relieved that the show quit jumping all over the place it did exactly the opposite of what I wanted. It slowed down so much it wasn't going anywhere. I was rooting for the aliens when it came to Leila's story and as far as Sean went I considered him a wannabe Jack Shephard. Then we went on the long break. When we came back in 2011, I was kind of like,"Let's see what you can do now because so far I'm not all that impressed" To my surprise I liked the second premiere. I thought it sped things up and provided an entertaining two hours. I liked it that Sean and Sophia were meeting and that maybe some dialogue between the two could give us some answers.

Unfortunately "The Event" took one of my least favorite roads. I can't think of a way to describe what they did except for 'he can't come with us.' Sean leaves Leila and the aliens so she can be with her dad. I could write the rest of the season. Sean would go on his mission and eventually be reunited with Leila. Woohoo. We already had a rescue mission on this show. Remember? It was that long and boring part of the first half of the season. OK now I'm going to calm down and take a moment to talk about a slightly more interesting aspect of the show. Washington DC.

After the 2011 start I was really liking how things were going. I liked what I saw in the promo's. I saw the president tied to his desk with Sophia smiling above him and then the Washington Monument falling. My first thought was holy &%^# I'm glad I stayed with this show. However I came to the realization that the president was not tied to his desk and that it was nothing more than a dream sequence. However, I was glad that the destruction of the Washington Monument was real.(not in real-life!) I say this because I thought that President Martinez was going to turn to more blood thirsty measures. I guess I was wrong though. It never got past him just getting in a tissy fit with his general.

I think the majority of people who have watched "The Event" will agree with me when I say that it was a good idea, showed potential, but unfortunately it has failed because of a number of reasons. One, it moves too slow and at times is boring. Two, the break. Yes, I said it. I believe that "The Event" failed partially due to scheduling. It took a major break straight in the middle of the 1st season which is fatal to a new show. (For more information on this phenomenon see Flashforward) However you have to ask yourself a question, how much can bad scheduling be attributed to the failure of a show? I say in this case a very small portion. And last but not least number three, it is a failed attempt at the formula that made Lost so successful. That formula has to involve an equal amount of action, answers, emotion and still have questions that pull the viewer in week after week. So to conclude my review of the show I will end with the word that comes to mind when thinking about any show that illustrated promise but ultimately failed; disappointed.

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to reply in the comments. This is my first article so constructive criticism is always accepted.