Wayward Pines S01E01 "Where Paradise Is Home" Review

So here we are, kiddo! "Wayward Pines". Based on the literary series by Blake Crouch, now a TV series with the pilot episode directed by none other than M.Night Shyamalan. Not sure what to make of this one guys, as of yet I haven't watched it but as I've said before, I am a SUCKER for small town mysteries. I must admit, I haven't read the books but I am now rabidly interested in them as I'm starting to think Stephen King is losing his edge (and to be honest, he's kinda getting on my nerves) and I've been looking for something new to read...or listen to since I mostly do audiobooks. I'm not sure what to expect with this series, Will I love it? Will I rip it to pieces? Find out after the break!

Turns out, I like it, I like it a lot actually but I'm tentative and a little nervous but I'll explain why later, as for now, let's dive into the episode proper. For starters this episode did a good job of establishing the main character and his central goal in the series. The main character is Ethan Burke and right off the bat, you feel sympathy for the guy and that feeling only increases with each disorienting twist and turn that happens with in the series. Ethan and his partner Agent Stallings were headed to Wayward Pines, Idaho in search of 2 missing agents, but Ethan is unfortunately in  car accident and Agent Stallings is killed. Ethan is a secret service agent who dealt with something called "The "Easter Bombings", from dialogue the Easter Bomber was someone that Ethan that was on top of but apparent bureaucratic things prevented him from taking this guys down and The Easter Bomber's latest tragedy Ethan takes personal blame for.

Having a character blame himself for something he was able to do but didn't or for having a lack of foresight is nothing new but it's not over done in this episode and we get the sense that he really does feel bad for what happen. I also like the fact that he remembers the names of the victims. Not everything is picture perfect for Ethan as he has a history of infidelity, cheating on his wife with one of the agents he's looking for, Kate. Considering he finds Kate in Wayward Pines and attached to another man no less, it makes for an interesting conflict. Shannyn Sossamon plays Ethan's wife and she isn't given much to do but worry about Ethan but her relationship with her son (who doesn't look like he could be her son, but the math works out since Shannyn is 36 and Charlie Tahan is 16). They don't seem to be typical and thankfully her son doesn't come off as a typical teenage douche. Hopefully, they do more with them.

The flashbacks in the episode are just as disorienting as the show it's self as you have no clue when certain events are occurring and can only determine where they are be context of conversation, basically this is a show you absolutely HAVE to pay attention to...and I love it! Speaking of paying attention, let's talk about the town proper. For starters, it appears to be artificial, the sound of crickets is produced by speakers hidden inside the bushes. Ethan was tipped off to this little fact by Beverly, played by Juliette Lewis who looks NOTHING like herself. But the most interesting thing about the town and the show is the idea of chronological deprivation. Beverly states that she arrived in Wayward Pines in 1999 and claims that she's only been there for 1 year, while Kate claims she's been there for 12 years but Ethan claims she was with him only 5 weeks ago.The thing here is that, how do they not notice they're aging, unless they have some way to accelerate and slow down aging, or maybe mind control? How this is possible is anyone's guess and I'm very excited to find that out!

How'd this series manage to make Terrance Howard CREEPY AS F*CK?!

Which brings me to why I'm tentative and nervous. With the slew of recently canceled shows, I just can't quite open my heart if I know this mystery isn't going to be solved. I have faith the MAYBE the audience is looking for something interesting and mysterious like back when "L O S T" ended and everyone was scrambling to find the New "L O S T", except none of them lasted very long. But FOX has been good with shows like this, "Fringe", "The X-Files" and the fact that it's based on a book series means that it has a built in fanbase. How the fans feel about it is another thing to consider, after all, I absolutely LOATHE the CBS "Under The Dome" series because the book was MUCH better in my opinion. This is why I wanted to get my hands on the Pines series BEFORE watching the series. But that's silverlining here, if this show does get canceled, I can always turn to the books to get the REAL story.

Overall, I give "Wayward Pines" an A+ for establishing everything I need to know in a timely fashion without beating me over the head, keeping me interested and making me want to check out the 2nd episode. Hopefully this series stick around because if not, well...I don't know what's next. Like I said, I'm a HUGE mark for small town mysteries and this is a doozy of a one if I've ever seen it! So yes, sign me up for the long haul, let's just hope this makes it to the station and in the meantime I'll try to get my hands on the books. Until next time, 10-16-28!