Having seen the first episode of this new series, I was
reasonably impressed. It takes an old
legend and puts a new spin on it.
However, the strength of the pilot was less in its concept (though well
done), but in how they executed it.
* Possible spoilers ahead *
(I’ll try not to, but you’ve been warned)
The show itself is about the return of the Headless
Horseman, though in truth he’s a warrior from the American war of independence
(the British side). The Horseman is slain
in combat by Ichabod Crane, who also succumbs to his wounds.
Flash forward several hundred years or so and Crane wakes up
in a cave, supposedly preserved and confused.
The Horseman is also ‘awake’ and starts taking heads. Enter the police, and one Lt. Abbie Mills (well
played by Nicole Beharie). Conflict
ensues, and we are introduced to a demonic plot and at least two covens of
spellcasters. I’ll leave it at that for
the plot, as you’re better off watching it for yourselves.
What the story does do very well, is avoid excess
complexity. Rather than infodumping the
viewer with massive amounts of backstory, the show starts with the battle where
the Horseman and Crane are wounded, then jumps forward to Crane waking up in
the cave. There’s enough to get a sense
of what’s going on, but hey, there’s more story to tell so let’s get
moving.
As the story continues, each character is introduced with
enough information to give them a place and role in the story, and they develop
with the story. Information is given in the
right amount at the right time to both keep the story moving and give the view
the information needed to stay involved.
I thought the handling of pacing was well done.
The conflict set up in the show was also clear, simple, and
uncomplicated. There's a situation, a bad guy, and the good guys, and they go after the bad guy because that's what you do. This isn’t to say it
wasn’t interesting. Far from it. However, rather than some convoluted plot
that will stretch over three episodes, it set up a villain, the plot behind the
villain, and allowed the characters to pursue the conflict to the conclusion,
and wrapped up the story within the eipsode.
At the end, they introduced more plot hooks and subplots, including some
cool surprises, that clearly will work to sustain the overall story arc for a
few (hopefully) more seasons.
Finally, what impressed me was the way the characters
adapted to the really weird stuff happening in the episode. Granted, many wouldn’t believe the stories of
the Horseman (you know, the whole headless part), as well as Crane’s
time-suspending stasis, when the evidence comes in (and the Horseman is
standing right there), the characters adapt and work with what’s in front of
them. This includes the police chief and
an assortment of other characters. A few
jokes are made (Crane: “you’ve been emancipated then?”) and that’s it. On with the story, because there’s now a
headless whackjob out there murdering people, so we have stuff to do. They ran the balance between disbelief and
practicality, which was refreshing. The
writers stuck with the story, rather than get caught up in what would have been
a tiresome gag.
Overall, a thumbs up for the first episode. Episode 2 is on the PVR and ready for
tonight’s viewing and I’m looking forward to where this show goes. I see potential for some good things here.
