Quantico Anticipation

[Meredith Quill]

Anticipate Here!

[Just Here]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MnDQxLaEHQ

 

Quick thoughts on the trailer:

• Did they show the entire plot for the pilot? (I can imagine the escape from the paddy wagon being the last sequence.)
• I hope the voice-over was just for the trailer.
• Not a fan of the over-used post- hook-up surprise, though I did like Alex's non-embarrassed reaction.
• Looks like the Quantico/Academy aspect will be fast-forwarded through in the pilot, and then (I'm guessing) used as flashbacks as Alex (and whoever else) tries to solve the terrorism case
• Not really a fan of the Framed Person On The Run, Trying To Prove Their Innocence trope, in this instance, as this makes it more of a standard conspiracy thriller. (From the initial description, I thought the terrorist attack had happened before they all got into Quantico.)
• Looks like they made an attempt at realistic ages for at least some of the FBI cadets: Shelby (Gun-toting "Taylor Swift") said that she was 30.

[blackwing]

I agree it looks like Grey's Anatomy at the FBI. I keep seeing the same trailer, with the guy walking out of the shower wearing a towel, then going to pour himself a cup of coffee just as a young female walks by and looks in the cliched open door. I mean, really? Why is there a coffee pot in the bathroom?

[Free]

•Did they show the entire plot for the pilot? (I can imagine the escape from the paddy wagon being the last sequence.)

 

Sort of, at least I agree about the last sequence.  The season seems to be about finding the mole who set her up for the attack.

 

•Looks like the Quantico/Academy aspect will be fast-forwarded through in the pilot, and then (I'm guessing) used as flashbacks as Alex (and whoever else) tries to solve the terrorism case

 

Seems like it's going to be back and forth between the flashbacks to present day with her trying to figure out the mole.

 

•Not really a fan of the Framed Person On The Run, Trying To Prove Their Innocence trope, in this instance, as this makes it more of a standard conspiracy thriller. (From the initial description, I thought the terrorist attack had happened before they all got into Quantico.)

 

Agreed, those usually don't last too long or do too well for that matter. 

 

I think this show has an interesting premise and a very attractive cast, but in execution, at least in the trailer, it looks like an underwhelming mash-up of Grey's Anatomy, How to get away with Murder and 24. Thus, I'm not sold. This can go either terribly wrong or be a pleasant surprise.

 

Definitely, at least promo-wise, the earlier ones were cringeworthy.

 

I mean, really? Why is there a coffee pot in the bathroom?

 

Obligatory fanservice moments, they were more common during the early Grey's Anatomy years, so I guess that's what they were really going for.

[Trini]

From the "8"-minute preview, I'm guessing we get about 4 red herrings for every real clue. I don't know if I'll have the patience to sort all that out. Nothing in that preview really hooked me so far; but most of the reveals were in the trailer already.

[Free]

I'm guessing we get about 4 red herrings for every real clue.

 

Definitely, it's a 'whodunnit' for at least the season.

[Crim]

To be fair, this is how the genre plays out on TV. If a mystery is stretched for a full-length season (or more) and is also the main plot of the show, there aren't all that many options. There could be red herrings, or there could be actual clues that still don't lead to a solution (possibly due to characters too stupid to see it), or there could be very little development, i.e. side plot and after side plot (likely soapy high jinks, in the case of Quantico), until the last episodes. I'm ok with option number 1. I'd rather watch something interesting each week, even knowing it likely won't pay off.

[Bort]

I'd rather watch something interesting each week, even knowing it likely won't pay off.

You say that now, but wait until you're six seasons in with no payout (looking hard at YOU, Pretty Little Liars). It's very frustrating, especially when a show relies on characters remaining stupid and/or naive, when they should've learned better by that point.

So basically, I have no problem with conspiracy genre shows, but they should really have a short shelf life, lest they wear out their welcome on a never ending mystery.

[Free]

So basically, I have no problem with conspiracy genre shows, but they should really have a short shelf life, lest they wear out their welcome on a never ending mystery.

Same, it's not something that should be stretched out, usually it's padded by fillers (PLL) or it's usually shorter or self contained because the premise itself can't sustain that.

[Crim]

Sadly, I was thinking of PLL when I wrote "or more" and was side eyeing it hard. What PLL did though was introduce many smaller mysteries/plots and regularly resolve (or drop *side eye*) them, which involved many over the top things that (hopefully!) wouldn't fit in this show. I don't consider PLL and Quantico quite the same genre. I expect Quantico, having an entire cast of FBI recruits, to be a more classic thriller/crime show. Which is to say, if it's not, if it's "FBI in Shondaland", I'll drop it ASAP.

[jaytee1812]

I think it might be a bit like How to Get Away With Murder, there'll be a mystery of the week which will mostly be resolved, and they'll move along the mystery of the season.

[Crim]

While playing it like a procedural might be their best bet (btw, it's what Blindspot seems to be doing, though that one has the conceit of every individual tattoo having a significance. And there are a lot of tattoos. 3 seasons worth.), I wonder when the timeline gets to the point of the opening scene, since we saw in the 8 minute video that there is a jump back at the day of their arrival. There sure are plenty of months to cover for this to be most of the first season. Knowing what the mystery will be, any suspicious behavior is relevant for us, but not for the characters themselves. We get to know everyone etc etc. Of course, this could mean episodes of "Season 1 Grey's Anatomy, now in Quantico"...

[Free]

I think it might be a bit like How to Get Away With Murder, there'll be a mystery of the week which will mostly be resolved, and they'll move along the mystery of the season.

 

Same here, even the flashback sequences from the preview seems similar.