I’m not going to recap the premiere episode of X…, I mean Eleventh Hour. (I almost said X-Files… Doh! Never mind.) But I do want to touch on a few things about the show, and I will spout out a couple of things to get my train of thought going… again. Sadly. (Did I just say that?)
Eleventh Hour starts out with a car chase through the woods and the driver tossing something out of the truck window – which turns out to be a failed attempt at cloning. Personally, I was ready for something to erupt out of the canister when a cop later picks it up, but he just opens it and starts coughing. Not to spoil my own article, but this teaser opener was the most exciting scene in the entire episode.
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The truck chase comes to an end with the truck crashing into the forest and the driver flying through the front window. Despite the driver surviving that horrific accident somehow, remember: Folks, always wear your seat belts. A public service announcement from Bruce at Screen Rant.
At this point, we’re introduced to Dr. Jacob Hood, (Rufus Sewell), the special science adviser of the FBI. Tonight’s story focuses on illegal cloning of human beings (even if that is a redundant statement). We then meet his bodyguard/watchdog, Special Agent Rachel Young (Marley Shelton) who actually tackles a cop and flips him to the ground for JUST APPROACHING Dr. Hood from behind! In the middle of a crime scene where there are nothing but cops all around.
I’m thinking, this is my first warning sign as far as the writing on this show.
She’s his watchdog, and he carries a panic button on him to bring her running when he needs help. But it does not have any GPS functionality built into it from what I can tell, so I’m not sure how she will ever find him in time of need, when it really matters.
Second warning sign?
Then this cloning crime has occurred 19 times previously, and they’re just now calling Hood to the scene? Is 19 a magic number? Maybe somewhere. And during the investigation, law enforcement’s code name for the one behind the whole cloning thing is Geppetto. Are you groaning with me yet?
Warning sign # 3:
As they pursue the bad guys, they go to the library to research clues from old newspapers instead of using the internet.
Warning sign # 4: Maybe I’m nitpicking, but not using the internet, and giving no reason why not really stood out for me.
During further investigations, they find an old lab where the original crimes were taking place. One of the evil-doers shows up, sees the cops and makes a break for it. The foot pursuit by Young leads to his car and he gets in and drives away, but Hood steps out in front of the car… waving his arms to make him stop. How did he get in front of the car? Waving his arms???
Warning sign… Oh, ok – you get it: This entire review is a warning sign!
Young keeps belting out commentary one-liners that have been considered funny somewhere in a dark closet full of drunk gnomes but she finally hits that 1 in 10 odds of funny. For some reason, guys are all trying to hit on Rachel Young, and while she’s filling out paperwork at a bar… yeah, a bar, a guy steps up to ask her if she wants a drink. She says she’s filling out paperwork because she shot a man earlier because he bothered her. That was probably the best line of the show… and maybe the whole reason for this episode, that one line.
They employ Hood’s panic button once during this episode: It’s late at night and we get to watch a nice gratuitous scene where Hood accidentally sits on the thing, setting it off and Young goes charging about the hotel in her underwear and robes. Black. The color of her panties and bra. In case you were wondering. She finds him in the bar.
Fringe did that too… where the lead female cop had to get into an immersion tank, stripped down to her underwear. I’m not complaining one bit. Just making an observation. Really.
The show is an adaptation of an overseas show that was popular, but it looks like they missed some things altogether. Special Agent Rachel Young never threw her weight into kicking doors down. She just flings her foot out and the door busts in. In another scene, they have someone doing CPR, but it’s like she’s kneading dough, not employing life saving force. Sigh. It ain’t ER, but maybe the writers can watch ER to get some ideas to help the show.
I’m not impressed with the bodyguard. I’ve got hopes for Hood. He’s got a low toned, gravelly, mellow, patient voice. I like his screen presence… but the cop, she NEEDS to grow on me. That, or be abducted by aliens.
The whole episode felt like it was already an established series that is only treading water. No real energy, no real WOW moments. It just happened. No one tried to impress me. (My God, I hope they weren’t trying to impress me!)
Here’s my final warning sign:
Hood gets a phone call. He says they have a situation.
Young asks “what kind of situation?”
Hood answers: “A delicate one.”
Need I say more? I have to apologize to the fans of Rufus Sewell and Marley Shelton. I am not picking on them, but I don’t think this was the best choice for their hopes for a break out role. It’s not their fault. It’s like asking someone to drive a nail with a bar of butter. It seems hopeless up front.
Do I dare even watch another episode? I know the actor’s fans probably will, just to be in support of them, but I’m not sure I would. If I find I have scheduled watching grass grow in the dark at the same time, I may opt for that. If I have insomnia maybe I’ll log in and watch it online.
I’m disappointed in Jerry Bruckheimer.
I have to wonder though, next time, if Hood doesn’t answer the phone, would that mean there won’t be another episode? Oh, wait, we have a few to go. Sigh.
In my previous write up, I ask if they spent too much on the show? After
- A $4 million pilot budget.
- Just under $2 million per episode budget.
- CBS has already bought 13 episodes.
With this series having been rumored to be one of the biggest TV deals in history, I’m thinking CBS needs to set up an account on Ebay and cut their losses because if they really spent that kind of money on the pilot, their costs are way out of line with anything phenomenal that I might have missed.
Right now, Fringe is winning this paranormal show battle, hands down.
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10 Comments
Just a slight nitpick…
Not everything is on the internet, so sometimes old fashioned research techniques are required.
Even though Both this And Life on Mars
got virtually the same amount of viewers.
LOM retained more of its lead in.
and Eleventh Hours lead in the ninth season premiere of CSI ,
WON the night.
I dont expect it to last long .
I thought it was kind of blah.
Fringe is much better.
Not surprised at this. The Brit version had two really good actors in the roles, much more believable too.
I’m pretty sure the writing wasn’t this bad though.
You know, I didn’t even notice the nice old fashioned newspaper search – I was too busy ogling the location where it was shot. Yes, it was dull and badly written, and for me the only attraction was that unlike most shows set in Seattle, this was actually filmed here. The scene of the newspaper search was the gorgeous Graduate Reading Room in Suzzalo library at the University of Washington. Nice as it was to look at,it’s not enough to keep me watching. I wasn’t that impressed with the first episode of Fringe, either, but it has grown on me. I doubt this one will.
If you would have paid closer attention to the show, you would have known that all of the fetuses were found at the same time. It was not as thought they kept finding them and filing a report. I hardly think that the show is that bad. It does require a little bit of far fetched thinking. As for the writing of the first episode, I can only hope that it will tone down the the feisty little, gun toting, FBI hottie.
Yeah, I agree with William, sounds like you wrote it off, before even paying attention to the rest of the ep.!?
The follow-up, Ep. 2 was really good, and if the series follows this trend, we’re all in for something good…and better than fringe!!
Poor Rufus…I’ve loved his work for so long. I’d keep watching if HE was the one in running around half naked in the hotel. Oops, sorry Rufus…did I press that panic button AGAIN??
I know the premiere episode was a little strange (even though I liked it), but the second episode was SO GOOD it actually made me cry! I hope all the other episodes are as good as the second episode, and I hope the viewers keep watching the show. I know I will.
Okay, I watched the show and, granted, the writers could do a better job, as could the FBI female hottie, but come on, Folks and Critics, too. Rufus Sewell is always in character and did a great job. If you paid close attention to things like body language, reacting to what another character says rather than just sitting and waiting for your next line, facial expressions, he is always on the money. Maybe you critics are just looking superficially. Put more time into detailed observation and less time trying to be witty and pretending that you have the answer to what is worth watching and why.
Get it?
11th hour…
Hmm.. just finishing my 1st season and sadly I have to say that I am disappointed as the idea of the show is somehow ok but it lacks luster and good research. From the 1st episode to the 2nd and so on, I can see a rather annoying structure being built on issues of human cloning, stem cells… In a way I can envisage a hardcore republican writting the script.
There are as mentioned a couple of rather interesting ideas in the shows but the sequences do not match, either too slow or too long and the most thing that I hate: too predictable.
The dramatic (or wannabe) begining of each episode makes a person rather laugh.. click click click…
The main charachters and cases is a cheaper version of Bones 9relationship between a scientist and an FBI) and trzing cases that are a bit close to Dr.House but not at all matching in the progress of the episodes, mainly the rather very very very poor research on the cases and very simple explanations of Dr.Hood on various things going on.
All in all I am afraid I am not impressed. A show that is visibly political in its judgement on various new age procedures and issues. If they concentrated on the cases it would have been better… too much attention to the lives of all around especially the less convincing Hoods grief for dead wife.
I give onepoint for “some” interesting ideas in the cases but I will not pursue a season 2 for sure. manymore interesting and far better made shows out there. With all do respects to the actors… the problem and main killer is the screen writting as well as direction….
so yes… lets move to the 12th hour instead….
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