Episode 2 aired Monday night and I have to say, I’m hooked. This show has gabbed me even faster than, and I may get lynched for saying this, Supernatural did. I can’t wait to see where they are going with this! Sure I have my questions…but one of the things that is so amazing about this show is that EVERYBODY INVOLVED has their questions about where everything is going. Aaron even admits it defies the laws of science and intimates that it most likely is man made. But why was it done? Was it hoping to stop something? In this sense, we are being brought into the show, we are taking this journey with them.
I am getting ahead of myself though! I’m still trying to figure out how I want to structure my Revolution reviews. I want to do them a little differently than I do my Supernatural reviews, so that they have their own unique distinction. Starting next week, I’m also going to be writing my standard Supernatural reviews too, so there won’t be a lot of time to get my Revolution review out of the way before I delve into my passion. Truthfully, I want to make sure I give my Revolution reviews the time they deserve–because as with Supernatural, Kripke has something to say. I think they all do–J.J., Jon, all of them.
Something to say about family and how that doesn’t change no matter what time, or technological advance has done to the world we live in. Something to say about our increasing use of technology not only as an assist to every day life, but a crutch, maybe even as a master. Do we control our possessions, or do our possessions control us? In this episode, we see Maggie has her useless iPhone still. She is carrying it because the only pictures she has of her children are stored somewhere on that phone. Have you ever thought about what would happen if all the technology in your house just shut off never to turn on again? Would you even know without your technology what your friend’s physical addresses are, let alone their phone numbers? Do you have any recent pictures of your loved ones that are in physical hard copy form? Or do you have them on those digital frames and on your iPhone?
Some people can just sit down and write a short story or write a novel. I am not one of those people. I have to research. Make sure that the names I am using are appropriate to the time. Make sure that the stores I mention were around then. Make sure that the beverages that my characters drink were available at that time and that the SLOGANS used to advertise the drink are accurate. What strikes me about the two Eric Kripke scripts we have seen is that he has shown that level of attention to detail.
So a quick summary of the episode is in order! Firstly, I really liked the little intro that was put in that lays out the role that the militia has had. This episode we also find out about the existence of a resistance. Miles’ ex, Nora, is involved with them, much to Miles’ chagrin. Now what I find very interesting about this is Miles’ unwillingness to fight the system, and being dragged into the fray is very Han Solo. People compare Supernatural’s Dean Winchester to Han Solo, and compared to the others on Supernatural, that seems accurate, but Miles Matheson is much closer to a true Han Solo character. Dean didn’t run from responsibility. Dean embraced the life at 16 and even though he has had his biblical wanderings in the garden of Gethsemane, he has for the most part had that mindset. Miles is dragged into this fight, not wanting to be a part of it, but then not really having much of a choice. He winds up trying to save the misguided hodge podge of individuals who don’t really understand what they are getting involved with. He has a good heart, but he’s very jaded and practical.
And he sword fights again this episode…this time with C. Thomas Howell. I thoroughly enjoyed that. Maybe, I enjoyed it a little too much…
Moving along! Howell played a bounty hunter that shows up again because Miles lets him go at Charlie’s request. Miles gets the Kripke quips in the episode that we have come to expect from him, like “this little place called Shut Up And Stay Here”.
I have heard some Charlie hating online and I have to say that I like her immensely. Truthfully, she has a lot of the Dean personality in her. She puts family first and foremost. She was told from when she was very little to take care of her brother. She has to get him back and she has to be the one to get him back. She is willing to corrupt herself in the form of taking lives to get him back. In that way, we see in this episode how she has her mother’s strength. She would do anything for her family. too. I loved the juxtaposition of the time changes. Because her father was not able to pull the trigger, the guy was going to leave with all of their food. But then Rachel took him out. We see this in pieces, taking us on the journey with Charlie. Is she like her father? Will she be unable to pull the trigger, as Miles fears? No, she is like her mother, she will do what needs to be done to save her family.
Your job, Charlie, is to not let go of your brother’s hand. To NEVER let go of Danny’s hand, O.K.? Can you do that?
People get on her for being whiny or in the way, but I don’t. Maybe it is because I had my own incident when I was a child where I was supposed to watch my brother and he got hurt that I understand what it means to feel responsible. No parent should put that kind of pressure on a child, but often times, especially when the sibling is so willing to help, a parent will.
Charlie takes that care for people and their freedom, etc, into the world as well. She is able to justify murdering the military personnel working the camp because they have enslaved 30 people. We see at the end though that taking those two lives has taken its toll on her, even if she was able to point them out as bad people. I imagine we have not seen the end of this and that Charlie will hold this against herself, potentially creating a real dislike for herself and conviction of her own monsterous side.
Charlie had that great moment with Nate where she tricked him and got the cuffs on him to keep him from following her. It was awesome to see her using the idea that Nate would believe her stupid enough to get trapped and using that against him. I definitely think Charlie is a complex enough character to stay interesting!
I mentioned Maggie earlier, and she is the one with the patented Kripke yelling a name off into the landscape line, but I have tried not to get too attached because I know she is being written off the show. My focus instead this episode was more on Nora, who we finally meet and I really liked, and Rachel, who is alive and her being alive has opened up even more questions for me.
Nora is purposely on a chain gang trying to steal a rifle! She’s Natasha Romanov! I’m sure Nora would have my ScarJo red hair too if they still had hair dye 15 years after the blackout…and with that, I feel the need to mention that their choice of downplaying hair color is really great. Rachel and Charlie may be subtly highlighted, but not enough to look like they have to be at the salon every month. Obviously they cannot be at the salon ever. Maggie has the scary light eyebrows and lashes that show the blonde is natural…
Nora reluctantly agrees to come with Miles and Charlie to help get back Charlie’s brother because she owes Miles. Miles only comment “You know what for”. I wonder what that is. Nora also likes Charlie, so hopefully there will be some bonding there. Charlie would not accept Maggie as a mother figure, but maybe with the separation, she can see Nora as one. Especially since Nora, as part of the Rebels, must have some level of Charlie’s need to do/find good in the world.
It was also interesting to see more about Captain Neville. He kills the person who had taken down a buck with a rifle and owned an American flag. If you didn’t catch it last time, you couldn’t miss it this time–it is unlawful to buy, sell, transport or own a firearm. The penalty for breaking this law is death. It is also unlawful to own an American flag.
Neville himself shows himself easily capable of murder, but also strangely he seems to have a very strong sense in some form of an afterlife…why would he bother to be nice to the dying soldier? I question the suicide assist, but he didn’t have to make the path easier, and I’m up in the air as to why he did. In an effort to ease his own conscience? Or does he truly believe what he is selling? They took the time to bury and have a little service too, which I found interesting.
I love that the end of every episode seems to have a J.J. influence with the power packed punches in the face he loves to give us right at the end that make us wait an entire week itching to find out what just happened. Maybe watching the episode a bunch of times during the week to see if we can decipher some hidden code…So my big questions:
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Yay! Rachel’s alive! but how long has she been with Sebastian? Why hasn’t he found out what he needed from her yet? What was he waiting for?
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WTAF Sebastian Monroe? “You were a womanizing drunk and I liked you better.” Seb agrees. So what does that mean? Is Sebastian misguided and thinking he is doing the right thing? I highly doubt it considering what he did to that guy they were interrogating, but there is so much going on here! And what about the preview? I guessed that Miles and Sebastian had probably been working together at first, but something happened to pull them apart. Is this like a Han/Lando thing? I mean Lando didn’t actually seek out Han, so maybe more of a Han/Jabba thing where they worked together? QUICK TUMBLR! I need a Jabba’s Barge scene NOW with Seb as Jabba, Rachel in Leia’s metal bikini, Miles as Han…would Charlie be Luke (maybe because of the whining?)…if Seb isn’t Lando, is Nora? (she might betray Miles…) Wow. Maybe I need to cut back on the coffee…
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WHO IS RANDALL ANYWAY???? Sorry that was in all caps, but dude has another power amulet and a big electric poking stick and walks around slowly like he’s Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees…
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And of course that Nora/Miles thing and who are the Rebels?
Every time I look at the screencaps I see more! I am loving this show and hope you all love it as much as I do. Please let me know your insights into the show! Thanks for reading!
Episode 1.03 “No Quarter” airs Monday at 10pm on NBC.
Stills are from www.revolution-show.com. Screencaps can be found at the scifi.grande-caps.net tumblr.
Catch the Promo for Monday here:
http://youtu.be/i3nBWWyvtqw
People jump on Charlie in most of the cast because the acting is flat.
For me I wanted to see a show that’s not a Lost/ Jericho/ Supernatural 2.0.
In what’s the point of Kripke writing a new show if the characters or just about the same as your other show.
Looking after your brother now the father is gone so she goes off on the journey and learning to basically hunt malicia aka demons. lol
People jump on Charlie in most of the cast because the acting is flat.
For me I wanted to see a show that’s not a Lost/ Jericho/ Supernatural 2.0.
In what’s the point of Kripke writing a new show if the characters or just about the same as your other show.
Looking after your brother now the father is gone so she goes off on the journey and learning to basically hunt malicia aka demons. lol
Thanks Nicole for this. But this time I have to disagree with you on something.
I got hooked to Supernatural during the first episode because somewhere in the middle I just yelled out: That is so much Han Solo! That hasn’t happened to me while watching Revolution. Why not? because I am missing the coolness and the funny/ironic remarks which are so much part of the Han Solo character. Miles has none of that.
So far I really enjoy the show but I don’t know if it will last. I am still not able to see similarities to Lost. Maybe that is because I see to many similarities to Supernatural e.g.: the family business (in this case: Why did the power shut down happen and what can we do to change that) family doesn’t end with blood, the search for a missing family member (this time it is the brother instead of the father), the amulett and definatly the character similarities: Charlie – Dean, her brother – Sam, her mom – John, Nora – Bobby, Miles – Castiel, Neville – Crowley, Monroe – Lucifer, Nate – Ruby.
So to me it seems like Revolution is Supernatural all over again just in a new outfit.
Therefore I think this show will be a great show for the Supernatural fans that watch SPN for the story and not only for the pretty actors.
Kripke might have written Charlie as one of the main characters as a female hoping that it would attract more male audience than Supernatural did. But I doubt that. The theme of the show is family again and I don’t think that that will attract a huge male audience.
But if the main characters are able to come off of screen as charismatic as the Supernatural characters did (especially Jared and Jensen) then there will be a lot of Supernatural watching this show. And we know how they can be. They will fight for the show to last more then just one season.
Thanks Nicole for this. But this time I have to disagree with you on something.
I got hooked to Supernatural during the first episode because somewhere in the middle I just yelled out: That is so much Han Solo! That hasn’t happened to me while watching Revolution. Why not? because I am missing the coolness and the funny/ironic remarks which are so much part of the Han Solo character. Miles has none of that.
So far I really enjoy the show but I don’t know if it will last. I am still not able to see similarities to Lost. Maybe that is because I see to many similarities to Supernatural e.g.: the family business (in this case: Why did the power shut down happen and what can we do to change that) family doesn’t end with blood, the search for a missing family member (this time it is the brother instead of the father), the amulett and definatly the character similarities: Charlie – Dean, her brother – Sam, her mom – John, Nora – Bobby, Miles – Castiel, Neville – Crowley, Monroe – Lucifer, Nate – Ruby.
So to me it seems like Revolution is Supernatural all over again just in a new outfit.
Therefore I think this show will be a great show for the Supernatural fans that watch SPN for the story and not only for the pretty actors.
Kripke might have written Charlie as one of the main characters as a female hoping that it would attract more male audience than Supernatural did. But I doubt that. The theme of the show is family again and I don’t think that that will attract a huge male audience.
But if the main characters are able to come off of screen as charismatic as the Supernatural characters did (especially Jared and Jensen) then there will be a lot of Supernatural watching this show. And we know how they can be. They will fight for the show to last more then just one season.
[quote]So to me it seems like Revolution is Supernatural all over again just in a new outfit.[/quote]
Exactly. I feel like I’m not really watching the show but finding similarities to SPN. And while The Hunger Games and Supernatural are both deep passions of mine, I don’t want a cross of both, but something new. The amulet shows up and I roll my eyes.
And I have to agree that with Supernatural, I was not hooked but HIJACKED. Couldn’t stop thinking of the plot and the characters and need my SPN fix every week for my week to work. With Revolution, that isn’t truly the case since I’m more worried about finding SPN similarities.
The acting might be better on later in the show though. It happened with Jared in season 1. It’ll probably happen with Tracy too.
I think it is a given that we will see similarities. We draw from what we know. Kripke wrote both scripts we’ve seen…this is his brain child like SPN before…you think about it and all stories have already been told, it is telling them in a different way that makes them new again. But moving along, I am excited about the possibilities Revolution offers, not only as a show in and of its own, but also because new people may be watching Revolution and want to check out other things that Kripke has done–this may rekindle the lower viewership SPN has experienced as an aging show. I can only see this as a benefit. These shows are not on at the same time competing with each other for air time–they can help each other by bringing new blood to the fandom.
I was intrigued with SPN from the start, but no, I was not in love with the show. Honestly, it seemed a bit like someone was making a western out of the x-files, which had been my passion for years before but was of course off the air by the time SPN came around.
I agree that there are many similarities, which I chalk up to Kripke’s scripts and also to the fact that since I have watched every episode of Supernatural at least 5 times, SPN is like my sixth sense–I see it everywhere…
thanks for reading! SPN starts this week and I’m excited to write reviews for SPN again this year!
[quote]So to me it seems like Revolution is Supernatural all over again just in a new outfit.[/quote]
Exactly. I feel like I’m not really watching the show but finding similarities to SPN. And while The Hunger Games and Supernatural are both deep passions of mine, I don’t want a cross of both, but something new. The amulet shows up and I roll my eyes.
And I have to agree that with Supernatural, I was not hooked but HIJACKED. Couldn’t stop thinking of the plot and the characters and need my SPN fix every week for my week to work. With Revolution, that isn’t truly the case since I’m more worried about finding SPN similarities.
The acting might be better on later in the show though. It happened with Jared in season 1. It’ll probably happen with Tracy too.
I think it is a given that we will see similarities. We draw from what we know. Kripke wrote both scripts we’ve seen…this is his brain child like SPN before…you think about it and all stories have already been told, it is telling them in a different way that makes them new again. But moving along, I am excited about the possibilities Revolution offers, not only as a show in and of its own, but also because new people may be watching Revolution and want to check out other things that Kripke has done–this may rekindle the lower viewership SPN has experienced as an aging show. I can only see this as a benefit. These shows are not on at the same time competing with each other for air time–they can help each other by bringing new blood to the fandom.
I was intrigued with SPN from the start, but no, I was not in love with the show. Honestly, it seemed a bit like someone was making a western out of the x-files, which had been my passion for years before but was of course off the air by the time SPN came around.
I agree that there are many similarities, which I chalk up to Kripke’s scripts and also to the fact that since I have watched every episode of Supernatural at least 5 times, SPN is like my sixth sense–I see it everywhere…
thanks for reading! SPN starts this week and I’m excited to write reviews for SPN again this year!
Thanks Nicole. I really enjoyed the second episode. I thought it was a good follow up. Great shows take time to build and I wish fans have the patience to stick around for it. I think fans are tuning in because of the JJ-Lost-Kripke-Supernatural factors, fans will ALWAYS find things to compare. But I think from now on, I (as a SPN and Lost fan) will stop comparing Revolution with these shows and start fresh and enjoy it. Great shows are hard to come by and stick around. I will definitely keep watching it.
Charlie — yes, Kripke is establishing her as a strong female character. While I agree with some, she isn’t making a connection with the viewers yet, but give her time. But honestly, ‘hate’? Really? Are fans really that arrogant? Also, Kripke isn’t just creating a female character to attract male audience. If he creates a strong male character, people will ask what isn’t he writing a female character instead.
The family theme is important for Kripke. Watch some of his previous SPN commentaries. This is something he really believes in. He writes because he has something to say, not because he wants to say something or prove that he can write shows to get high rating.
Not sure if I am saying anything at all. But yeah.. I like Revolution, better than I like any cop shows and reality TVs.
Tiny
xoxo
Thanks Nicole. I really enjoyed the second episode. I thought it was a good follow up. Great shows take time to build and I wish fans have the patience to stick around for it. I think fans are tuning in because of the JJ-Lost-Kripke-Supernatural factors, fans will ALWAYS find things to compare. But I think from now on, I (as a SPN and Lost fan) will stop comparing Revolution with these shows and start fresh and enjoy it. Great shows are hard to come by and stick around. I will definitely keep watching it.
Charlie — yes, Kripke is establishing her as a strong female character. While I agree with some, she isn’t making a connection with the viewers yet, but give her time. But honestly, ‘hate’? Really? Are fans really that arrogant? Also, Kripke isn’t just creating a female character to attract male audience. If he creates a strong male character, people will ask what isn’t he writing a female character instead.
The family theme is important for Kripke. Watch some of his previous SPN commentaries. This is something he really believes in. He writes because he has something to say, not because he wants to say something or prove that he can write shows to get high rating.
Not sure if I am saying anything at all. But yeah.. I like Revolution, better than I like any cop shows and reality TVs.
Tiny
xoxo
I am definetely intrigued with the plot of the show. I’m looking forward to seeing where we end up with this. There are so many possibilities. I can’t say that I’m in love with it like I am with Supernatural, that show was love at first sight for me, and it’s not because of the cute guys! And of course we can all see the similarities between Revolution & SPN. As with any author, whether it be for books, movies or television, there will always be that common thread, and personally I think that’s a good thing.
I am definetely intrigued with the plot of the show. I’m looking forward to seeing where we end up with this. There are so many possibilities. I can’t say that I’m in love with it like I am with Supernatural, that show was love at first sight for me, and it’s not because of the cute guys! And of course we can all see the similarities between Revolution & SPN. As with any author, whether it be for books, movies or television, there will always be that common thread, and personally I think that’s a good thing.