From the start of this series I suspected that it could be one of those overhyped shows that promises something thought provoking and original, then delivers episodes with minimal main plot development; the way a shady contractor may start work on your house with a whirlwind of activity that slows to a trickle to squeeze a few more bucks out of you. Or the way a dope dealer might sell the good shit on first contact and then... well that's the idea. Yet I remained patient, waiting for that big moment that everyone would be buzzing about on the train the next morning (and I'm not talking about the "where did the plane go" moment. That moment was pimped out before the show even got underway).
I tolerated the wimpy, mumbling protagonist Sean Walker, and the way the writers donned him with the amazing mind control ability he has over hardened federal agents- like when the sky marshall starts to listen to him almost instantly, and Agent Collier looks to his approval before following up their only leads. I suspended disbelief as the shady Blake Sterling allows 100 alien detainees to stonewall him without ever having answers beaten out of one of them. These are the small mental sacrifices I'm willing to make to get into a new show.
However, I cannot tolerate two entire episodes so early in this new series that fail to provide any new information about what exactly is going on. I mean are they from another planet? Another dimension? Are they faeries from Middle Earth? Last week a traitor from the alien prison agrees to tell all. So what does the government do? They let him out of prison after 60 years and put him up in a hotel for a day or so with no guard. Then they let his girlfriend go in and kill him. How long was it before they found the dead alien's body? A couple of hours? The next morning? In fact that entire episode was sold to the viewers as a reveal episode- that guy was supposed to give us a compelling reason to watch the show in the future, but instead he died.
The final straw? Today around 55 minutes into episode 4, Leila finally escapes captivity and calls her beloved Sean. Here is a key opportunity to once again provide me with a compelling reason to watch the show next week. Tell him where you are, tell him you're having his alien baby, tell him anything! But his cell phone battery dies before he hears her voice. To the writers: shame on you for using such a trite and obvious device for generating more filler for the viewers. I wonder if next week a cat will jump out of the cupboard and knock the cell phone out of his hand at the apex of some scary music. But I'll never know because I'm finished with "The Event." Let's go Jets!
