That had to have been one of the most entertaining yet horribly written pilots I’ve seen in my life. So many things were just off about this hour. First, the dialogue was atrocious. Seriously who writes this stuff? It literally felt like it was written by a two year old. And the editing! My lord it just felt so choppy and cheap. And let’s not even comment on the green screen work particularly during the motorcycle chase as it was an utter embarrassment.
However, amidst all of these flaws, this was surprisingly, a very entertaining pilot. It wasted absolutely no time and moved at a blisteringly fast pace. And that’s not all it had going for it. I love that it was shot on location in Europe. That kind of authenticity is refreshing and adds some wonderful touches to the proceedings. Moreover, Ashley Judd is a wonderful lead. Yes she had a few off-moments in the pilot but that’s obviously due to the fact that she didn’t really have a script to work with. Each of the moments that required her to convey emotion or break down were splendid and appropriately tug at my heartstrings. In addition, she was phenomenal during the action sequences and I was pleasantly surprised by the pilot’s numerous fight scenes and action sequences.
It’s just a shame that the script isn’t stronger because the premise is a good one. Yes while the idea of a mother searching for her son is cliche and generic, it’s also one that undoubtedly WORKS on a primal level. It’s simply a premise that inherently makes you root for Becca to succeed and find her son (and kicking ass while doing so). And that’s why I’ll be sticking around with this show. If the 9 episodes left that complete this season move at a similarly fast pace, then I”ll definitely be willing to overlook the forced dialogue and plethora of contrivances.
So ultimately, while this was not “good” TV, it was definitely entertaining TV, which is enough reason for me to stick around.
Nad Rating
C
I taped Missing, but haven't watched it yet. I imagined it would be similar to how you described, with the lameness as well as the trashy fun. I've always sort of liked Ashley Judd, too. I'll post again when I actually watch it.