That was bad. Like really really bad.
After a promising pilot, I was pleasantly surprised by Extant‘s second outing. Sadly, this week’s hour was just plain terrible, and it was barely salvaged by a promising final scene. It’s a pity really, because with its current ratings, the show needs to be wowing us on a weekly basis in order to survive.
Extant requires a threatening antagonist, and Dr. Sparks doesn’t exactly fill that void. Mr. Yasumoto has potential, but he was absent this week and that’s quite unfortunate after the reveal of his relationship with Miss Dodd. Exploring that dynamic could have done the show a world of good, while answering a number of questions in the process. Instead, this hour felt lazy in execution and lacking in purpose.
It doesn’t help that the show is packed with far too many laughable moments. Chief among them was the shot of Ethan basked in darkness in a cheap attempt to create a sense of foreboding. I honestly found myself rolling my eyes at the cringeworthy-ness of it all. But that’s not all, what of Dr. Barton’s text message with Molly crazily trying to crash the car in an unwise bid to escape? A bit dramatic after seeing a couple of shady guys carrying boxes out of an office no?
One final request: can we please not have characters talking in exposition? Because having to hear Molly explicitly tell Tim “He was your brother” made me wants to poke my eyes out with a hot poker. Really writers you can trust us to reach conclusions on our own from time to time.
Slices from Space
– Why is Grace Gummer on the show? Seriously?
– I can’t decide if the camera picture appearing on the kitchen glass was cool or not. Also, it was pretty obvious that Tim wouldn’t show in the picture; talk about predictable.
– I’m somewhat intrigued by the pattern appearing everywhere (on Molly’s belly, on the wall, etc…)
– Ethan’s obsession with birds is really lame.
– The ending definitely ensured I’ll be coming back next week. Will Molly’s family be on the run now? Because that will really flip over the status quo (sorely needed I might add).
Conclusion
Clumsy and lacking all kinds of excitement, Wish You Were Here is a major flop from Extant.
Nad Rating
C-
Yeah okay, this was so bad 😛
I guess, for the rest of the season, I'd rather just read your reviews rather than watch the show. I'm pretty sure I won't be watching more (I couldn't even bring myself to finish this episode). Great, now I have to find some other show to keep me busy for the next month.