(Airs May 14, 09:00 pm e/p)
When FBI agent Ethan Burke wakes up in the perfect town of Wayward Pines, he begins to uncover the darker secrets of the seemingly innocent town.
Written by Chad Hodge & directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Wayward Pines became one of the most exciting projects since its announcement by FOX. Based on the great Wayward Pines' trilogy of Blake Crouch and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the show is set to be one of the shows of the moment. Verdict?
Wayward Pines opens its story with Ethan Burke, lost in Wayward Pines after a car accident. If the town seems calm and beautiful at first, we discover – really quickly – it is not the case. The habitants are a bit creepy between a crazy nurse, a dangerous sheriff, a scared waitress and a lost partner who claims to be here since 14 years but who disappeared just a few weeks ago... The town is also completely cut from the outside world with a giant electric fence and the hero can not reach his family. Something is definitely not right here and Wayward Pines seems a lot more like hell than paradise! But let's be honest here, too much happened in just 45min. Wayward Pines is really not subtle but it is intriguing and entertaining with a great atmosphere. The set is really beautiful between the town, the mountains and the pines, there is a real effort to create a creepy and claustrophobic place. The cinematography is quite dark in accord with the score. Charlie Clouser, the composer, did a really good job here with the music: dark, oppressive and dissonant.
We also take some pleasure in this pilot because of its cast. Matt Dillon is good and believable in his part, Melissa Leo is so creepy and we clearly see she is having a lot of fun, just like Terrence Howard in the sherif's part. Between them, Juliette Lewis, Toby Jones and Carla Gugino, the cast is really attractive and very good. If the cast was a failure, Wayward Pines could have been really grotesque and ridiculous.
Even if I liked the pilot, I am not entirely convinced yet. Some points bothered me and the first of all is the rhythm, which is the main problem I think. The progress of the story is quite destabilizing. A lot of scenes pass without a real link between the others, the ellipses are too important. It really disturbed my pleasure during my viewing because the action is both too hasty and not really at the same time. It is very strange feeling and I don't know if the problem is the writing or the editing but I hope it will be a lot more well-balanced in the next episodes. I am also a bit skeptical about the direction. M. Night Shyamalan did a good job, I really loved some shots and the cinematography, quite dark for the atmosphere but there is too much references. At first, we can think it is very well thought but at the end, the pilot is a bit impersonal. We can understand the envy to do a tribute to Twin Peaks or The Prisoner but there is a false feeling of déjà vu here. It does not do justice to the books.
At the end of the episode, no one can know for sure – even if you think you do – what Wayward Pines will become during the rest of the season because a lot is happening during the hour and a lot more will happen. The direction at the end is still very blurry and it will certainly be a problem for some viewers, but that also can be a smart move because it pushes to watch the next episodes.
Wayward Pines is not subtle and the pilot is certainly not perfect but you have to take into account that the universe is very dense and can not be properly introduce in just one episode. For people who read the books, we can be a bit skeptical about some developments but one thing is sure, the pilot is not representative of what the story is, neither about its genre. You will have to wait a few episodes to truly understand what it is really about and I can guarantee you, it is really not a « déjà vu » story!
WAYWARD PINES airs every thursday at 10pm EST on FOX.
Wayward Pines opens its story with Ethan Burke, lost in Wayward Pines after a car accident. If the town seems calm and beautiful at first, we discover – really quickly – it is not the case. The habitants are a bit creepy between a crazy nurse, a dangerous sheriff, a scared waitress and a lost partner who claims to be here since 14 years but who disappeared just a few weeks ago... The town is also completely cut from the outside world with a giant electric fence and the hero can not reach his family. Something is definitely not right here and Wayward Pines seems a lot more like hell than paradise! But let's be honest here, too much happened in just 45min. Wayward Pines is really not subtle but it is intriguing and entertaining with a great atmosphere. The set is really beautiful between the town, the mountains and the pines, there is a real effort to create a creepy and claustrophobic place. The cinematography is quite dark in accord with the score. Charlie Clouser, the composer, did a really good job here with the music: dark, oppressive and dissonant.
We also take some pleasure in this pilot because of its cast. Matt Dillon is good and believable in his part, Melissa Leo is so creepy and we clearly see she is having a lot of fun, just like Terrence Howard in the sherif's part. Between them, Juliette Lewis, Toby Jones and Carla Gugino, the cast is really attractive and very good. If the cast was a failure, Wayward Pines could have been really grotesque and ridiculous.
Even if I liked the pilot, I am not entirely convinced yet. Some points bothered me and the first of all is the rhythm, which is the main problem I think. The progress of the story is quite destabilizing. A lot of scenes pass without a real link between the others, the ellipses are too important. It really disturbed my pleasure during my viewing because the action is both too hasty and not really at the same time. It is very strange feeling and I don't know if the problem is the writing or the editing but I hope it will be a lot more well-balanced in the next episodes. I am also a bit skeptical about the direction. M. Night Shyamalan did a good job, I really loved some shots and the cinematography, quite dark for the atmosphere but there is too much references. At first, we can think it is very well thought but at the end, the pilot is a bit impersonal. We can understand the envy to do a tribute to Twin Peaks or The Prisoner but there is a false feeling of déjà vu here. It does not do justice to the books.
At the end of the episode, no one can know for sure – even if you think you do – what Wayward Pines will become during the rest of the season because a lot is happening during the hour and a lot more will happen. The direction at the end is still very blurry and it will certainly be a problem for some viewers, but that also can be a smart move because it pushes to watch the next episodes.
Wayward Pines is not subtle and the pilot is certainly not perfect but you have to take into account that the universe is very dense and can not be properly introduce in just one episode. For people who read the books, we can be a bit skeptical about some developments but one thing is sure, the pilot is not representative of what the story is, neither about its genre. You will have to wait a few episodes to truly understand what it is really about and I can guarantee you, it is really not a « déjà vu » story!
WAYWARD PINES airs every thursday at 10pm EST on FOX.
