Well, that was boring.
For six episodes, the driving force of Wayward Pines (both the show and the creepy town) has been its intrigue. There’s been something fascinating about how this show (and again, the town) works, and while the performances, the music and the visuals have been relatively solid so far, they weren’t out of the ordinary enough to be noted. The intrigue is what made this such a captivating ride.
And that’s why Betrayal was a major letdown, at least for me. Nothing felt interesting or new, and the show itself seemed too self-aware of that because the episode lacked a lot of suspense, even during its most intense scenes. Ethan’s attempts at finding the rebels planning to blow up the fence were dull because we already knew their identities, and that he was going to find them. And just when I thought things were getting interesting with Theresa, her confrontations with Kate proved useless as she reported back to Ethan almost immediately. I was really hoping she would join Kate and Harold, causing more trouble for the new Sheriff in the process. Unfortunately, the show didn’t go there and instead remained predictable in every respect.
One scene in particular with Ben and Theresa walking to school side by side and talking for a few minutes was especially dry and moved the plot NOWHERE. Again I feel like the show was aware of that and stayed calm on purpose for some baffling reason.
Even more disappointing was that cliffhanger. I don’t know why, but I have felt zero attachment to Ben so far, and I wouldn’t be at all that sad to see him die. But I must applaud Miss Fisher again for another terrifying and incredible scene as she tried to convince a bunch of kids to have sex right away. It was the kind of uncomfortable, WTF moment that works on a show like this because of a performance like that, and it sure made everything else that happened in the episode feel silly and unentertaining in comparison.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to salvage whatever was happening outside that classroom. For once, I felt bored watching Wayward Pines and I’m hoping that next week proves the show still has some gripping stories to tell.
Eerie Bits & Pieces
– I was surprised how Ethan revealed that it’s the year 4028 and obviously not surprised that no one believed him.
– Ethan threatening to shoot Kate was not good at all. That should have been way more intense.
– I don’t like Amy. She looked way too happy to be standing up there with Ben as Miss Fisher talked about bees and flowers.
– How cool and creepy was that surveillance system that Pam used to track down Dobbs?
Conclusion
A forgettable hour that’s very low on the suspense and intrigue. Let’s pretend this didn’t happen.
Chris Rating
C+