The Messengers - Awakening (Pilot) - Advance Preview: "Loud, But Not Quite Clear"

The Messengers. How do I begin to describe you? I don't want to go too negative because I do think there are reasons to watch, but I also don't want to sugar coat anything just to let people down. I know that some people out there believe The CW shafted the show by putting it on Friday in the middle of April, but maybe just maybe they were right to do so. The Messengers is by no means the best pilot I have seen, but yet I could not look away. I felt compelled to watch in order to know exactly what was happening. The pilot doesn't offer much in character development or answers, but it does move at a grand speed, pushing the action on both the characters and viewers. Depending on what exactly you're looking for this could be a good or bad thing.If you are looking for a fantasy series with well rounded characters akin to Heroes season 1, you might be disappointed. But the big question is, will you care enough about the characters to keep watching?

What The Messengers is: I'm currently reading The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier (A Great Tool for Screenwriters that I would highly recommend) and he mentions in it that most agents only read about the first 10 Pages of a script before making a decision about it. He then states that somewhere in the first 10 or 15 pages of your script something should happen to give your character a goal, desire, mission or need, because it lets viewers know what kind of story they are in for. Well, let me say that The Messengers is a great example of this tip and opens with a moment that will draw you in and let you know you are in for quite the ride, and from there it barely takes a moment to slow down and let you breathe.

I'll admit when I first read the log-line for The Messengers I was intrigued. It sounded like a hybrid of Heroes and Supernatural, two shows who both, in my opinion, had some great story in their early years. This is the line taken from IMDB: A mysterious object crashes on earth and a group of unconnected strangers die from an energy pulse it emits, but then re-awaken to find out that they have been deemed responsible for preventing the impending Apocalypse. This almost exactly what happens in the pilot, minus the discovery they have been deemed responsible for preventing the impending Apocalypse. What is clear from the pilot is that when the object comes to earth, five people, all in different parts of the world, die and then wake up, some displaying extraordinary gifts. For some, death happens at the most inopportune moments that lead to some very sticky situations, situations that overshadow the need to question what just happened or why. It simply happened, and now they have to deal with the mess it caused.(Yeah, you just died, but hey, whatever!) The consequences that come from the death all just so happen to put our characters on a path to Houston, Texas by the end of the hour for one reason or another.

All of this happens throughout the hour gradually as we briefly meet the characters dubbed as The Messengers, and then watch how their lives immediately change following their deaths and subsequent resurrection. Little is known of their lives before their deaths other than a few throwaway lines or brief scenes that hint that each of them was "lost" but maybe that is not such a bad thing. While it doesn't give you a chance to know the characters by experiencing their past, what the show does is thrust you into the moment just like the each of the characters.The pilot puts both the characters and the viewers right into the midst of all the confusion, giving out sparse answers and allowing viewers to see and know about as much as the character knows. This is why it feels like you'll spend the better part of the hour wondering where this is going, because like the characters, you are left to discover the answers as they come. Each character, in addition to the past they are running from, has gift they are given following their death. These gifts, like many other things aren't quite dealt with exponentially within the first hour, but they are put to use.

In addition to meeting our Messengers, we also get an introduction to The Man(Played by Diogo Morgado). While I was hoping to see a bit more menace or cunning from the Devil incarnate, The Man when introduced in the pilot is more manipulative and calculating. What his overall goal isn't addressed much in the pilot, but he's the Devil, so it can't be too hard to figure(FIRE & BRIMSTONE followed by hell on earth). Now that he has landed he does have an initial task in mind which isn't revealed until he has a visit with one of the Messengers, Vera, in the back half of the pilot, making her an offer she finds hard to refuse.

I know this all seems so sparse and vague, but I trying my best to make lemons out of lemonade with all that is given in just the pilot alone. Most of the answers are not given within the first hour, but the within the second hour. The first hour mostly spends it time giving us introductions to each of the characters. So without further hesitation...

Who The Messengers are: So, who are these Messengers and why have they been chosen? I can answer half of that question. Let's start with Vera Buckley(Played by Shantel VanSanten), radio-astronomer and atheist. When we meet Vera, moments before the object falls to earth, she is on a job discussing with her partner, Alan, that their funding is being pulled. Vera has a tragedy in her past that The Man plans on using to his advantage. Look for Vera to be the one asking all the questions most people would in a situation like this. Peter Moore,(Played by Joel Courtney) is the quiet kid in school, trying to stay under the radar of some of fellow classmates. His "Death" brings to light some of his own past like that he has tried to commit suicide once before and stays in a foster home. Peter is finally able to find the strength to stand against those who bully him, but it does come at a cost.

Joshua Silburn Jr. (Played by Jon Fletcher) is the son of a popular televangelist, who appears to be trying to step out of the shadows of his father with the support of his pregnant wife. Joshua is in the middle of a broadcast when he dies and soon wakes up to find that he has a whole new outlook on things. Joshua takes to the airwaves with what he saw while he died and finds himself without any support following. Things aren't much better for Raul Garcia (Played by JD Pardo), an undercover agent in the middle of a bust he's been working on for a while. Raul just wants to find his way back to his family, but he ends up dying and finding out that his bust wasn't as smooth as he thought and the thoughts in his head no longer belong to just him. Finally we have Erin Calder (Played by Sophia Black-D'Elia), single mother that does not have the best relationship with her child's (Amy) father. Erin's "Death" makes the custody issue worse, especially since her ex is a cop and she apparently had a drinking problem (Something she appears to have healed from), and he wants Amy away from her. Oh, and I forgot Rose Arvale(Played by Anna Diop) who is in a coma. I won't say why or how she figures into anything because that's a huge part in understanding the story.

It's a rather solid cast that truly makes the concept work. If they had phoned it in, it may have all felt a little off, but everyone pulls their weight and that helps to convey the stakes the characters are facing. None of them really have an answer as to what is happening, but each of them has a clear goal that makes watching them exciting. The real standouts to me are Erin and Joshua, I find that both actors really helped to bring their characters and their crises to life.

Why You Should Watch: I know that I may not have come off as too positive initially when you started reading, but I want to make it clear. The Messengers isn't bad. The Messengers is an engrossing ride with a lot of potential. The only drawback is that it took two episodes to really get a sense of where the show was going. Other than that, the pilot really is a pretty decent start for the show. The CW has really been on fire with the promo for the show suggesting they want it to succeed as well. I have truly been taken aback by how good the promo materials have been. I've always thought it was the black sheep of the CBS productions for the network with the midseason on Friday release, but the amount of supports shows the network has some faith in the show, and for good reason.

The Messengers really has it's own voice that really is different from any of the shows currently airing on the network. I'd wager this is the reason it ended up where it did on Friday. Watching, it's hard to pinpoint where exactly the show is going to draw its core demo from and that makes it a wild-card. Still, the subtle nods to faith and the cool powers and flashy effects are pretty good. The show moves at a speed that is quick and engaging, and while you don't have answers, the pilot consists of one series of events that cascades into another for each of the characters offering up a 42 minute pilot that whizzes right by you. The Messengers is a good show for you to sip a glass of wine and just enjoy, like a summer blockbuster. Just enjoy the spectacle as you ride along with the characters to get to the answers. The pacing may feel awkward and rushed, but sometimes if you take it too slow, the viewer gets bored, and if you want the viewer to come back, you have to make sure the viewer doesn't get bored. Look past the choppy pace, and the questions. Do we know why they were chosen in the pilot? No. Do we know why they all are headed to Houston? Sorta. Do we know how exactly The Man plans on getting what he wants? No. Do the characters understand their gifts? Not Really. What we do know is that it's entertaining watching the mystery as it unfolds. Answers will come for sure, but in the meantime the pilot exists to reel the viewers in and get them to come back, and The Messengers does just that. Sure, the message of the series isn't quite clear initially, but it's fun watching it get there. B-

The Messengers pilot airs Friday, April 17th at 9pm EST.

What are you looking for most from the show? Have you liked all the teases we have seen thus far? How are you hoping the show rates for it's premiere? Are you planning on watching or do you think it's a DSW(Dead Show Walking)? Sound off below!

About the Author - Winston Mize

Winston is a 24 year old goofball, born in the north, and currently living in the south. He loves TV.... for some it's coffee, for him it's TV talk that gets his day going. He wants to be a screenwriter, and watches some of everything. You name it, he's probably checked it out. And he would like you to know that it is okay for a 24 year old to play with action figures... well, he does anyway

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