Persons Unknown

Persons Unknown was a very respectable series with a few shortcomings in writing and some inconsistent acting. If you enjoy psychological thrillers this is absolutely worth a shot but I do warn you, NBC made some very false promises that this show would wrap up and that any lingering questions would be answered. Apparently, the plug got pulled on this series after the first season leaving it to the viewer to decide on a lot of the outcome. That being said, it's really not difficult to draw one's own conclusions and enough content was answered to leave one feeling somewhat fulfilled. I will not punish a show for the networks shameful behavior, Persons Unknown was a solid 7.5 with a perhaps even more promising future had it been given the chance and NBC's lack of honesty was an abysmal 1. If you read through a few more reviews you'll see this tends to be the consensus, some are just punishing the show with a bad rating when it was not the writers/directors/actors fault it was so short lived.

Not sure why so many people were disappointed in and even hated this series. They even blasted the production and writing. The whole point of this story is that there is no end, no exit. It's like life, it just keeps changing with some new and some same people, and different levels of "evolution". There is no way out. We are stuck with who we are and how we work it all out. The writing is concise, to the point, and doesn't get bogged down in misdirection. People answer with immediate understandings, and the action moves quickly. And the photography and, lighting, and camera work is excellent. I know because I'm a professional photographer who has worked on some high end productions. The acting is true and heartfelt. It's a great metaphor for life on so many levels. The resistances to what is, the paranoia, the struggles with questions of doing what it takes, survival, and compassion in the face of distrust. The dynamics are great to watch. There are of course some aspects that are easy to criticize because, hopefully, the conspiracy is contrived and nothing like this could happen. But perhaps on some levels, we actually live in this kind of world. So yes some plot lines are unexplained and far-fetched, but are they really. There is a lot of mystery around all kinds of corporate and govt activity.

While slow at first I think this show is a keeper ! better than a "the Prisonner" clone, different than Lost, this show has potential. Are there bad guys in the team ? why are they there etc... the lack of info makes it all the more compelling, but you have to get over the first two episodes... then you're hooked ! It seems you can't defeat the defenses of the town easily. They kill you if you try too hard, and yes, they are underground as well.. but are they in the air ? the delivery of the gas masks by helicopter suggests otherwise.. where is the town ? when they escape for a bit, you can see rolling hills with hand-made hay stacks, the type to be expected in an Amish community or in eastern Europe, or the middle east (arabic speaking taxi driver)...

Janet Cooper (Daisy Betts) hired a P.I. to find his deadbeat husband who disappeared on her and her daughter. She's utterly broke and then is kidnapped in broad daylight. She wakes up in a nameless hotel in a nameless town. She is helped by mysterious Joe Tucker (Jason Wiles). They are joined by soldier Graham McNair (Chadwick Boseman), camp counselor Moira Doherty (Tina Holmes), party girl Tori Fairchild (Kate Miner), wealthy investment banker Charlie Morse (Alan Ruck) and car salesman Bill Blackham (Sean O'Bryan). There's a field around the town that makes the abductees pass out. There is endless Chinese food and messages from their abductors. Newsapaper reporter Mark Renbe (Gerald Kyd) investigates Janet's kidnapping with his editor Kat Damatto (Lola Glaudini).

It starts with an interesting premise but the viewer is left frustrated waiting for the whys. It's a mistake to show the 'real' world. The reporter, the investigation, her kidnapping and her daughter are all problematic. Without them, this could be purgatory, supernatural, a dream or aliens. With them, it can only be orchestrated by people. Then it becomes nothing more than simply asking why and those are limited questions. The show really is left with only one card and it can't actually play that card. In the end, the show loses steam by constantly hinting at the card without actually showing it. It becomes a bore.

Alright I know this is going to be a fairly hollow review because it is based on one episode. But the first episode has set a strong tone of mystery and drama similar to oh, I don't know... LOST? The complete and total combination of mystery and randomness is a great way to get the audience interested, but is hard to build on. It puts the audience in the detectives position; trying to figure out who the inside man is and how all these people are connected.

The first episode showed brief glimpses of the outside world as it followed a reporter as he pursued the case of one of the abducted people. This is a smart move by the writers, giving the audience some background without resorting desperately to flashbacks.

The reason this show could be terrible is because it can lose its mysterious aspects too quickly or too slowly. If it is lost too slowly and the characters make little progress in escaping, the show grows boring. If they escape to quickly, well, the show is near impossible to continue.

Yes this review is very premature, but at this stage I recommend that you tune into this show live so that the mysterious aspects can be sustained for weeks.

8/10 (for now)