(Airs May 21, 09:00 pm e/p)
After discovering Bill Evans' corpse, Ethan teams up with Beverly to look for clues.
Written by Chad Hodge & directed by Charlotte Sieling
After a good – but unexceptional – pilot, I was a bit skeptical about what Wayward Pines would become, even if I have a good idea since I know the story. Some elements bothered me in the first episode and I was hoping the show could be better with its second. Is it?
First of all, “Do Not Discuss Your Life Before” is a much more well-balanced episode than the pilot was. A lot is happening, but it is more calm. If the first episode was pretty much all about Ethan, here we learn a lot more about Beverly and her past... What is her motivation about leaving Wayward Pines? Why does she seem so scared? By the end of the episode you will know. If the episode concentrates a lot on the waitress, we learn a bit more too about Ethan's life in Seattle with a few flashbacks: his relationship with his family and Kate. Speaking about Kate, the character is still very mysterious and you can not be really sure where she stands in all that mess. Is she an ally? Is she an enemy?
In parallel, we discover a lot more about the town and its rules during Ethan's investigation. Since he teamed up with Beverly to discover what happened to his partner, he will learn a lot more about Wayward Pines' secrets. New questions appear during the episode and do not hope to have all the answers yet but it is more and more intriguing. Especially after the last minutes of "Do Not Discuss Your Life Before" where the viewers will discover one of the most strange ritual of Wayward Pines' habitants.
The second episode takes back just where we left of. If this new Wayward Pines' chapter takes an important interest in its characters, the episode is also about how the town works and its customs. This creepy place of Idaho becomes a complete and independent character here. We discover during the episode the rules – which all habitants must follow – at the same time than Ethan Burke. I can guarantee that you will remember one rule in particular: “Always answer the phone if it rings!” When you will hear the phones ringing in the episode, prepare yourself because something terrible will happen to one character... I told you, a lot is happening in this episode! At the end of the episode, the show is still very blurry but at least, the viewer will understand how Ethan's partner was killed.
About the direction, nothing really to signal. I still very like the cinematography and with the development of its story, Wayward Pines becomes less impersonal. It is a really good improvement, just like there is a better control of the rhythm. It is not like in the pilot where a lot of scenes passed without a real link between the others. Here the story is more free-flowing. By the way, the music is still really great and I love the opening – very smart for people who know the story. The only thing which still bothered me is about Ethan's family. The sequences in Seattle with Theresa and her son are still the weakest point of the show. Nothing really happens there but things must be quickly changing since Theresa takes an important decision in the episode.
Wayward Pines is still not very subtle but “Do Not Discuss Your Life before” is a much better episode than the pilot was. The story continues to be intriguing with the discovery of new elements and the characters take some thickness. Let's just hope the show will continue in this direction!
WAYWARD PINES airs thursday at 9pm EST on FOX.
First of all, “Do Not Discuss Your Life Before” is a much more well-balanced episode than the pilot was. A lot is happening, but it is more calm. If the first episode was pretty much all about Ethan, here we learn a lot more about Beverly and her past... What is her motivation about leaving Wayward Pines? Why does she seem so scared? By the end of the episode you will know. If the episode concentrates a lot on the waitress, we learn a bit more too about Ethan's life in Seattle with a few flashbacks: his relationship with his family and Kate. Speaking about Kate, the character is still very mysterious and you can not be really sure where she stands in all that mess. Is she an ally? Is she an enemy?
In parallel, we discover a lot more about the town and its rules during Ethan's investigation. Since he teamed up with Beverly to discover what happened to his partner, he will learn a lot more about Wayward Pines' secrets. New questions appear during the episode and do not hope to have all the answers yet but it is more and more intriguing. Especially after the last minutes of "Do Not Discuss Your Life Before" where the viewers will discover one of the most strange ritual of Wayward Pines' habitants.
The second episode takes back just where we left of. If this new Wayward Pines' chapter takes an important interest in its characters, the episode is also about how the town works and its customs. This creepy place of Idaho becomes a complete and independent character here. We discover during the episode the rules – which all habitants must follow – at the same time than Ethan Burke. I can guarantee that you will remember one rule in particular: “Always answer the phone if it rings!” When you will hear the phones ringing in the episode, prepare yourself because something terrible will happen to one character... I told you, a lot is happening in this episode! At the end of the episode, the show is still very blurry but at least, the viewer will understand how Ethan's partner was killed.
About the direction, nothing really to signal. I still very like the cinematography and with the development of its story, Wayward Pines becomes less impersonal. It is a really good improvement, just like there is a better control of the rhythm. It is not like in the pilot where a lot of scenes passed without a real link between the others. Here the story is more free-flowing. By the way, the music is still really great and I love the opening – very smart for people who know the story. The only thing which still bothered me is about Ethan's family. The sequences in Seattle with Theresa and her son are still the weakest point of the show. Nothing really happens there but things must be quickly changing since Theresa takes an important decision in the episode.
Wayward Pines is still not very subtle but “Do Not Discuss Your Life before” is a much better episode than the pilot was. The story continues to be intriguing with the discovery of new elements and the characters take some thickness. Let's just hope the show will continue in this direction!
WAYWARD PINES airs thursday at 9pm EST on FOX.
Can't wait! Thanks for previewing this.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, it's a real pleasure. I hope you will like the episode just like I do !
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review... interested about tonight's episode...
ReplyDeleteAs I haven't read the book(s?) I really don't know what I've stepped into at all here, but since I pretty much agreed with you on everything you said about the pilot, you've managed to up my hopes a little for this next installment.
I'm glad to hear that ! Tell me what you thought about the episode when you will see it - even if by even chance you're not agree with me on this one. I'm curious now !!
ReplyDeleteLove your preview, Laurent. Great job. I am really loving this show!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, very nice of you !
ReplyDeleteThe second episode is a lot better than the first in my opinion too.
ReplyDelete