Revolution Review

The fall television season returned and with it came a slew of new programs. Revolution. A show I had been anticipating since the spring and even more so during the summer Olympics when the hype reached a crescendo. It’s produced by JJ Abrams, one of my idols, and given its strong premise and great production team, I went in with lofty expectations. It finally aired and basically fell flat. The premise remained strong, but the delivery was weak. Now we’re three weeks in and I don’t feel any different.

Revolution is about a world where one day all the power suddenly stopped and never turned back on. Cars couldn’t work, computers and phones turned off and all electricity went out. This sends the United States into a frenzy and forces everyone back to square one: primitive culture and interactions based on the strength of the individual. It’s essentially the dystopian world going on outside of the Hunger Games. Not really, but it’s that sort of organized chaos. With swords*.

Charlie is the main character we follow, a young girl with deceased parents who has spent her time perfecting her crossbow technique. Her strong connection with her brother is snapped when he is taken by the fearsome Militia. She then brings along some reluctant adult friends to help locate her uncle who may or may not be able to help them save her brother. The characters are decently interesting, but they aren’t very relatable and their actions are often difficult to understand.

Overall, you can follow the well paced plot and the characters tugged along by it with little effort. Nothing challenges the viewer or keeps them on their toes since the twists are predictable and the “big reveal” moments have been told to the viewer before the characters so the admission doesn’t hit home. Different plot points meant to propel the story don’t really add up and are used by the producers to give an easy out to the primary gang when they often get caught in a corner.

Honestly, the side characters are more interesting than Charlie and her uncle Miles, but the flashbacks thrown into episodes offer a way to better understand the characters before the blackout. The greatest story it has to offer is why the power went out, how do some people have access to it now and how will it turn back on. The character set could be entirely different and those would remain the most interesting aspects of the show. Yes, I will probably keep watching. I’ve invested time in the narrative already and I want my answers. Knowing JJ Abrams and his constant use of questions, I’m sure it will be a while before the show satisfies me. C+

*This is honestly my biggest problem with the show. The guns are left over, sure. Ammunition is scarce, sure. But swords? Even if they plundered museums, those weapons would be dull and brittle. At best blacksmithing would need a massive and speedy resurgence and they’ve yet to even mention it. Ugh.