Last Resort : 8.38/10.
It was the most compelling and instantly addictive pilot I've seen since Homeland's pilot a year ago, and if I look only at big networks the last incredible effective first episode that comes to mind is… what do you know, FOX's Chicago Code in February 2011. What do The Chicago Code and Last Resort have in common ? Shawn Ryan. If there are proven names in the TV industry in terms of quality, his is at the top of the list. Shawn Ryan's shows always deliver, whether it's one of my all time favorite The Shield or the brilliant but short-lived Terriers and The Chicago Code, I've always liked his character-driven, cliché-avoiding, addiction-inducing serialized work. I usually hate copshows, not because they're about cops but because they're often lazy procedurals wrapped with petty twists (oddly mannered main character, consultant helping the police, sexual tension between the leads, opposites teaming up, you pick, and I puke).
As you may notice, on Last Resort things get tense and sweaty - just the way I like it.
This time, however, there are no cops in sight. The charismatic Andre Braugher (whose TV work I've seen include the great FX miniseries Thief and Men of a Certain Age) leads a great cast including Daily Betts (who I enjoyed in the flawed but somewhat interesting Persons Unknown), Dichen Lachman (who I found amazing in the under-appreciated Dollhouse), Robert Patrick (the T-1000 and countless other roles), Omid Abtahi (he definitely loves conspiracy series after being on Sleeper Cell, 24 and Homeland), Autumn Reeser (who I've seen in some of Entourage's worst days and in a bad ABC fantasy show, No Ordinary Family) and a French actress, so that's cool. I don't know the others well yet, but Scott Speedsman made a good impression.
Le plus gros retournement de situation de l'épisode : elle s'aperçoit que c'est pas du Nutella mais une sous-marque !
I noticed quite a few musical compositions that were pretty good, one of the most memorable being around the 28th minute when the submarine got out of the water near the island. I like this type of epic music, which did add a bit of a blockbustery side to this pilot. There are so few TV dramas for which the score is noticeable, I'm glad Last Resort is one of them and hopefully they will keep that in the upcoming episodes.
However, I thought there were editing problems. Maybe this pre-air was an unfinished work ? I don't think it was, but I hope so, because a little tweaking in the editing room (or simply a longer cut) would be enough to make this pilot even greater. As it is, it felt like a 52-minute pilot compacted into a 44-minute one. It didn't flow as smoothly as I had hoped, it sometimes felt a bit rushed with no breathing between the scenes. It sure did not leave any room for boredom, but maybe there was too much exposition in such a short amount of time. I think a longer pilot would have been better, but that would've bothered ABC and the almighty Grey's Anatomy. Of course, I have no doubt the pace of the following episodes will be slower and the segues will not be as rushed as in this pilot in which I feel they wanted to cram as much information as possible.
I have 21 other monologues in this submarine. If you dare shutting us down, I will unleash them and my badass charisma on you. You've been warned.
I trust Shawn Ryan and I know he will not turn this intriguing pilot into a 'case of the week' series. The characters are not walking clichés, they're not all black/white, and that's usually what you need in the first place to have compelling interactions and coherent evolution. There are plenty of stories of which we've just seen the tip, we can see them in the ending montage carrying Chaplin's speech, of which the last 30 seconds show how badass Andre Braugher can be ("You've been warned"). I think Autumn Reeser's character and Kendel's wife wouldn't have been in the main cast had it aired on, say, FX, I don't see what they can possibly bring to the story on a weekly basis that doesn't make me think that I'd prefer seeing scenes on the island with the rest of the cast, but I guess there's got to be series regulars in Washington to uncover the reason why the Colorado was set up, it's not like Chaplin can do much on his own on the island (but I wouldn't be surprised if the Seals they picked up had a big role in this).
How can you tell Last Resort was truly great ? Well, that's simple : I want to see episode 1.02 right now ! I can't say the same for any other pilot that I've seen so far.
Dramas :
1 - Last Resort (ABC) : 8.38/10.
2 - Revolution (NBC) : 4.14/10.
I have no interest in watching neither The Mob Doctor (FOX) nor do I want to watch Elementary (CBS), therefore I won't review them. As of now, the only pilots left for me to watch and review here before the end of the year are Nashville (ABC), 666 Park Avenue (ABC), Vegas (CBS), Arrow (CW), Ripper Street (BBC America) and Hunted (Cinemax).
Comedies :
1 - Go On (NBC) : 6.16/10.
2 - Ben & Kate (FOX) : 5.69/10.
3 - The New Normal (NBC) : 4.58/10.
4 - Animal Practice (NBC) : 3.03/10.
5 - The Mindy Project (FOX) : 2.91/10.
