S01.E01: Pilot

[formerlyfreedom]

Special op turned security expert, Alex Kane, is unable to catch his ex-wife Ginny's murderer. In searching for justice Kane crosses paths with a shadowy organization, called the House, led by Mr. Johnson and Cassandra King. Kane reluctantly joins forces with the elite organization whose members bet on whether he can stop future crimes.

 

 

[Primetimer]

Will you place a bet on on yet another crime prediction show?

Read the story

[Misanthrope]

The only reason I'm even a tiny bit interested in this show is John Rogers.

I loved the shit out of Leverage and The Librarians. Both were super fun.

[Free]

Both were super fun.

 

I hope it is and with a show this ridiculous it has to be or else it wouldn't work, because most of the shows for me have been lukewarm and passable at best, a disappointment compared to the standout shows that I enjoyed last season.

[mjc570]

That was dreadful, in pretty much every respect. I only watched it (there's still a few minutes to go, so I guess technically there is a slight chance that the show may become good) because I'm a Strikeback fan, and was interested in Philip Winchester's American accent. He (and it) were the only aspects of the show not to disappoint.

[Shades of Red]

Oh ya, that was fun!

 

Thank you NBC for bringing two of my favourite men onto my tv screen on a regular basis even if they're not together anymore.  It's a little odd listening to Philip talking without a British accent, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

 

After reading and listening to some of Philip's interviews, I'm now paying a little more attention to some of the action sequences to see if I can spot where his stunt double takes over and how long he stays in a scene.  His Strike Back training is definitely coming in handy for this show.   Maybe I'm imaging things, but some of Michael Stonebridge's mannerisms are showing up ... they might be Philip's but given that I don't know him, I'll say they're Michael's. 

 

So the long game is finding his ex-wife?   Here's hoping we don't end the season on a cliffhanger to see if she's really alive or dead.  I also hope this doesn't become a plot point in every episode.

[formerlyfreedom]

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to - it's been a rough week for pilots for me! They kept up a decent pace, and I'm finding the characters and actors to be good. Nice twist at the end, I want to see where they're going with The Dealer and Ginny.

 

I may not have a problem gazing at Philip Winchester. Actually, I have NO problem watching him. Wesley Snipes did his time, so I have no problem looking over his past. Also, more shirtless Alex Kane. Please?

[AimingforYoko]

Aw, I kinda liked Snipes' (overly) mannered performance. The whole bit is preposterous, of course, but it will go well with The Blacklist.

[portfino]

Maybe I'm dumb, but I didn't see his wife (possibly) being alive coming.

 

Snipes seems to be having fun in this role, and obviously Winchester is a good action hero. I just fear it'll be swamped by HTGAWM.

[Eegah]

Much like Blindspot, I was very grateful that they didn't even try to hold any tension on the majorly obvious twist to the setup (in this case, that the House was involved with Jenny) and just gave it to us in the first episode. Also, thank god the whole Stuffed In The Fridge setup wasn't as cliched as it seemed at first, because it was really embarrassing seeing a 2015 show still going to that well.

[Free]

Maybe I'm dumb, but I didn't see his wife (possibly) being alive coming.

 

You're not, but I did expect some sort of plot twist, the whole situation felt too much of a contrived set up.

[Actionmage]

I liked it! Yeah, it had a severe case of pilotitis, but I enjoyed the score; I kept wondering where to put in my quarters. I enjoyed Mr. Winchester as Alex Kane. Wesley Snipes was fun as Mr. Johnson; man, don't disappoint him and don't mess with his suits.   Charity Wakefield has me interested and curious. With the reveal at the end, are they sisters? If not, were they close friends?  Also, the missing damn tattoo.

 

Actually, that is one thing I hated: either kill the pilot's sacrifice/ action jump-starter or don't, but it feels like many shows are going to the "I got bettah" well just in the last week.  It's tiring. I also know there isn't a way to stop the gush of similarity; some tropes are good/ effective, which is why they turn into clichés.  I think I am getting a whiff of the Contrivance Fairy, though, and she needs to visit on rare occasions.

 

Another thing I hated? The self-righteous anger from  Longtime Cop Friend. Alex was Special Ops in the Middle East. He wasn't slurping bitter Turkish tea and eating dates just because he was feeling peckish! While I agree that here, in the USA, the preference is to not kill but capture, yet? Alex was in a war zone and following orders you  are clearly not meant to know about, hence all the redaction, Local Leo. Also, you're goat is awfully easy to get, along with your painfully out-thought back-up. ( Yes, he had a " I want to believe you" scene/dialogue, but it was barely followed up on. The poor actor always had an air of "Curses! Foiled again!" frustration. )

 

 

It's just dumb and outsized enough to finish primetime for me on Thursdays. At least for now. I forget the competition once Thursday Night Football's over on CBS.  Gotta go find some quarters for the machine ahead of next week.

[thuganomics85]

I don't know if it's just me, but I swear this feels like the fourth new show this fall that feels like it has parts of Person of Interest and The Blacklist in it.  Blindspot, Minority Report, Limitless, and this all seem to have a variation of a "stop crime before it happens!" theme going for it.  This what in particular feels like it's POI, only Finch is more Blacklist's Red Redington with his motives.  To be fair, it does at least separate itself from the pack by having "the boss" and "the lead" at odds.

 

In the battle of the Strike Back guys, I thought Phillip Winchester easily outdid old Sullivan over on Blindspot.  Alex Kane might not be an original character, but he at least has some fun moments, and more importantly, Phillip showed some sparks, and didn't just drain all the energy every time he spoke.  For a pilot, that's all I can really ask for at the moment.

 

I'm indifferent to Wesley Snipes' personal life, but I found him to be goofy here.  I'm not against scenery chewing; after all, it's lead-in next week is going to lead by James "Dining on the scenery like it's his last meal" Spader; but it felt like he was trying way too hard, and it just wasn't entertaining enough for me.

 

No real opinion on Cassandra, except she's beautiful, British, and is played by someone named Charity Wakefield.  Yep, can't think of a more British name then that.

 

I'm going to pretend that Damon Gupton is playing the same detective he played on Empire, and he got shipped off to Vegas after he tangled with the Lyons!

 

Really got annoyed when they fringed the wife, but it looks like she might not be dead after all, so that's good.  Still, I wished Daisy Betts would find some kind of regular gig.

[Free]

I forget the competition once Thursday Night Football's over on CBS.

 

Not sure but I think comedies like Mom, new show Angel From Hell and Elementary like last season.

 

I don't know if it's just me, but I swear this feels like the fourth new show this fall that feels like it has parts of Person of Interest and The Blacklist in it.  Blindspot, Minority Report, Limitless, and this all seem to have a variation of a "stop crime before it happens!" theme going for it.  This what in particular feels like it's POI, only Finch is more Blacklist's Red Redington with his motives.  To be fair, it does at least separate itself from the pack by having "the boss" and "the lead" at odds.

 

That's because they're all a variation of the same procedural set up, there are differences because of the setting and characters, but the format is the same in each show.

Edited September 25, 2015 by Free

[Bill C.]

This was so 90s-action-movie it hurt, even filtered through that bizarro-Person of Interest "We predict bad shit in the future so the 1% can bet on it instead of destabilizing the world" thing, but--oppressive soundtrack aside--it struck a decent balance between action and action-based lunacy.  (Verdict's still out on the Ginny thing.  If this is truly a 90s action movie, she's either related to or part of the "betting pool.")  And, slumming though he was, Wesley Snipes did add about the right amount of gravitas to the proceedings; not so much Philip Winchester, though all he had to do was snarl at people and run.  Albeit, a lot.

 

In the end: it's ridiculous, but kinda fun ridiculous.  I'm down to see where it goes from here.

[catrox14]

Can we just get a crossover between Blindspot and The Player so I can have Scott and Stonebridge together again, please?

 

I liked this. I'll check out another episode.

[Actionmage]

Finally, and most hackily, The Hives' "Tick Tick Boom" was used, NOT IRONICALLY, during a pivotal action sequence.

 

There are times a hackily too-on-the-nose song can still be fun. This was not.

 

Can we just get a crossover between Blindspot and The Player so I can have Scott and Stonebridge together again, please?

 

If it livens up Scott(?)/ male lead on Blindspot.  It seems he's supposed to be real serious over there.

[catrox14]

 

If it livens up Scott(?)/ male lead on Blindspot.  It seems he's supposed to be real serious over there.

 

Yeah, I saw a few minutes of it and I thought...come on guys! He's better than this! WTF? Maybe he'll get better ?

 

I just miss my Strike Back bromance :(

[Netfoot]

I enjoyed this, and will continue to watch.  It was silly (the world's uber-rich gamble on crime prevention instead of destabilizing regimes and performing genocidal actions).  It was derivative (motivated by a need to find his wife's killer, because that's never been done before).  It was predictable (the closing of the fridge door could only have revealed a gunman, and who else could have been the inside man but the chief of security?).  But it was fun (too many to list) and I'm in need of something to watch after this disappointing week of pilots.  So, I will watch this, and Limitless and Minority Report and even Blindspot, but I think I will enjoy this the most.  And tomorrow night, TAR had better not be a shower of shite, neither!

 

And also, I now know where the talent lay on Strike Back.  Not surprising -- SAS always tops Delta!

[helent]

Any time I read about this show, I feel compelled to mention that Philip Winchester looks too much like Tucker from Danger 5 to take seriously, as demonstrated in this gif:

 

[fastiller]

Can we just get a crossover between Blindspot and The Player so I can have Scott and Stonebridge together again, please?

 

I liked this. I'll check out another episode.

I posted something similar over in the Blindspot thread.

 

Because of my undying unwavering love for Leverage and all things related to it, I'm inclined to give it another couple of episodes to see if JonRog can tickle my fancy another time.  However (& see reference to my love for Leverage) I kinda wish blonde-ladyperson-with-a-past-with-Dr.-Lee could've been played by Gina Bellman.

[Raja]

Of all the pre crime premieres this week this one has more comic book super hero action from introducing our hero doing what John McClain did as a last resort on Die Hard as his opening move. The mix to me was the recent Kingsmen The Secret Service, with the privateer pit boss and dealer being able to call off the local police with a Persons of Interest type of all seeing and knowing computer program.

 

I don't know if the moral standard of its only a game to be bet on will stand the test of time but at least it is more sustainable then the pre crime was tattooed on the body to be doled out over time for the FBI to solve just in time

Edited September 25, 2015 by Raja

[portfino]

You're not, but I did expect some sort of plot twist, the whole situation felt too much of a contrived set up.

I should have picked up on them shooting the fridge while "fridging" the wife.

[dcinmb]

Any time I read about this show, I feel compelled to mention that Philip Winchester looks too much like Tucker from Danger 5 to take seriously, as demonstrated in this gif:

I think he looks like a cross between Sean Bean and Rupert Friend/Orlando Bloom.

Silly rich-people-betting plot aside, I like it so far. Happy to see that Philip Winchester has been able to hold onto his charisma, unlike Sullivan Stapleton over on Blindspot.

Edited September 25, 2015 by dcinmb

[Trini]

I mean, clearly they knew this concept was hard to swallow because there was so much explaining. I liked the action, but I'm not really interested in the mysteries with the Not?Dead wife and Cassandra. Kind of silly and over-the-top (intentionally, though), but they tried to make it fun. This might end up being my fluff show to watch if nothing else is on.

[Free]

I should have picked up on them shooting the fridge while "fridging" the wife.

 

It was all too convenient from her death to him suddenly being thrown into the game, for me, everything screamed set up.

[candall]

So many pilots!  I've started reading the comments before viewing.

 

This thing sounds exhausting.

 

I don't think I want to buy into another show where the central conceit is extended and teased from season to season.

 

Ha, catch you all over on The Returned board.  : )

[testardo]

I am a big Person of Interest fan. So this show seems to be on its way. I watched it ,and it was fine. The one thing it has going for it. It's NOT a reality show. Snipes looks different, his character needs a smack. I will watch .

[Bruinsfan]

I'm not sold on Alex Kane (he's a former black ops assassin/psychopath who really got off on killing, but The Love of a Good Woman turned him into a nice guy who cares and will risk his life for crime victims—really show?). However, if they'd care to spin off a show about that awesome dignitary's wife who pinned the traitor security guy's hand to the table to find out where her daughter was instead of blubbering helplessly, I'd be happy to watch.

[Shades of Red]

... that awesome dignitary's wife who pinned the traitor security guy's hand to the table to find out where her daughter was instead of blubbering helplessly, ...

That was very cool and unexpected.  She wasn't fooling around.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Am trying to support the Strike Back fellows but I've already written off Blindspot. I haven't watched this pilot yet but I want to believe Phillip Winchester won't let me down.

 

Wesley Snipes did his time

For tax evasion, not for what he did to Halle Berry. (Probably because she chose not to pursue it legally for fear of damage to her career. Snipes was a very hot property in Hollywood at the time.) If it weren't for Winchester I wouldn't be getting anywhere near this show.

[ChelseaNH]

I don't think I want to buy into another show where the central conceit is extended and teased from season to season.

 

I remember an article that indicated they're not going to drag things out that long.  I'm willing to give it a chance and see where it goes.

[ribboninthesky1]

I'm not sold on Alex Kane (he's a former black ops assassin/psychopath who really got off on killing, but The Love of a Good Woman turned him into a nice guy who cares and will risk his life for crime victims—really show?). 

 

They were hitting this shit sooo hard that I kept hoping it would turn out that the saintly wife was in on the game. She may or may not be, but I'd love for Kane to watch that pedestal he put her on come crashing down. I kind of hated her for yelling out "Alex!" during actual gunfire.  If you're not storming in with some kind of weapon, then what the hell are you doing?  How did the woman live as long as she did?         

 

However, if they'd care to spin off a show about that awesome dignitary's wife who pinned the traitor security guy's hand to the table to find out where her daughter was instead of blubbering helplessly, I'd be happy to watch.

 

 

Right? I wanted to know more about her and that family, so of course, we'll never see them again.  

 

It's amusing that Stapleton and Winchester are cast in shows that feel like the polar opposites of their respective Strike Back characters.  Alex Kane doesn't seem to be one that sleeps with every attractive woman willing, but he definitely has that self-satisfied, charismatic when he wants to be, yet menacing-when-required thing going for him. I prefer the Michael Stonebridge character at the moment.  He knew how to get the job done, even had a sense of humor, without quips and smuggery. But I also think Winchester had the easier job in the pilot because he's the center and allowed to have perspective and nuance, and most of all, emotion.  Stapleton didn't get that benefit, since the pilot hinged on Jane Doe's perspective.      

 

If the show wants to have at least one scene per episode with Winchester in his skivvies, I support this.  Show, are you reading this? 

 

This felt more stupid than fun, but I'm willing to give it a few episodes. I don't think Winchester and Cara Buono had much chemistry, but he sold his sadness at the morgue.  Otherwise, don't care about them.     

Edited September 26, 2015 by ribboninthesky1

[portfino]

I definitely think that Winchester had more chemistry with Wakefield than Daisy Betts. Cara Buono was recast.

[Chaos Theory]

Could of sworn I posted on this episode already but I couldn't find my previous post.....oh well.

Anyhoo! This is one of two new shows I geniunly enjoyed. (The other is Screem Queens). Maybe I am getting old and my tastes are changing because most of the other new shows (even the ones I should like, like Heroes Reborn, Blind Spot, and Minority Report) kinda bore me. I kinda fast forwarded through the pilot of Limitless and will pick up with episode two and start there. I am hoping Quantica is good otherwise it will be a long cold winter for new shows for me.

On topic though on TV.com there was a big if a debate on whether this show was anything like POI. I personally think it took the major premise and Las Vegas it. It has the flavor of early POI but without the gloom and grit and with gambling. Funny thing though...dont like POI.

[alias1]

Silly rich-people-betting plot aside, I like it so far. Happy to see that Philip Winchester has been able to hold onto his charisma, unlike Sullivan Stapleton over on Blindspot. 

This.  Even with the dumb premise, I liked this a lot better than Blindspot.  I didn't know the Leverage guy was involved, but it gives me hope for this show.  

[AuntiePam]

I liked it.  I haven't watched any of the similar shows -- no computers, no crime-solving -- and I don't watch action or espionage movies -- so this is all new to me.  Maybe that's the key -- nothing to compare it with.

 

I think I liked it because it moved so damn fast -- so fast that there wasn't time to think about how implausible it all was.  And Alex Kane -- perfect name for a hero -- is cute. 

[Free]

I remember an article that indicated they're not going to drag things out that long.

 

That's good to know, it can only work as fast paced fun.

[ribboninthesky1]

I definitely think that Winchester had more chemistry with Wakefield than Daisy Betts. Cara Buono was recast.

 

Ah, thanks for the correction.  I did a quick IMDB look-up because I didn't know the actress, and it's apparently outdated. 

[mandigirl]

 

Because of my undying unwavering love for Leverage and all things related to it, I'm inclined to give it another couple of episodes to see if JonRog can tickle my fancy another time.

NOOO!! Why did you guys have to tell me John Rogers was associated with this show?! Now I HAVE to watch another episode! I adored Leverage. So far, I'm just not feeling this show.  The pilot was SUPER exposition heavy and the show rattled off the cliches like clock-work. None of the characters stood out to me. 

 

 

I'm not sold on Alex Kane (he's a former black ops assassin/psychopath who really got off on killing, but The Love of a Good Woman™ turned him into a nice guy who cares and will risk his life for crime victims—really show?)

Seriously. And they married two of my least favorite tv tropes by making him still pining after his ex-wife AND making the ex-wife the motivation for him to enter into this shady organization. Blah.

 

Also, smart telling them that you'll use their resources to investigate your ex-wife... thereby insuring that they immediately delete anything implicating them. 

[Bruinsfan]

Well, it's not as if anyone with half a brain wouldn't have safeguarded against that anyway.

[marketdoctor]

 

I'm not sold on Alex Kane (he's a former black ops assassin/psychopath who really got off on killing, but The Love of a Good Woman™ turned him into a nice guy who cares and will risk his life for crime victims—really show?).

 

I think that it was more he was willing to kill to get the job done, and sort of evolved into an assassin--more out of extreme pragmatism than of being psychotic.  it's also possible he was Turning Evil, and being The Player is the final part of his redemption arc; right now he's a season-one Arrow (mostly good but capable of evil if pushed.)

 

Or he's morally complex because writing characters consistently is really hard.

 

This might make a better Friday night show, where unplugging your brain and enjoying the ride is easy--but Friday usually has low ratings and I like it too much for that.

[33kaitykaity]

I already watch a show with a Felicity.  I don't need to watch another one.  

 

Aside from that one kvetch, that was fun.  Every action movie trope ever invented, but with fun male semi-nudity and Snipes in $5,000 suits -- estimate on my part, of course.  

[ParadoxLost]

I think that the last Player was Ginny.

 

If she's not, then we have to assume they had a Ginny look-a-like on storage to be used when they needed to recruit Alex and that they could bribe the ME not to figure out the real time of death.  That or they have super fast undetectable plastic surgery to transform a dead body to look like Ginny.  And that they are so 'moral' that they would go to all this trouble to avoid killing Ginny when they needed to recruit Alex.  No, Ginny has to be in on it.

 

I originally took Snipes' 'I'm disappointed' at the beginning as the Player lost/got killed.  But, it could be that was a criminal and the Player (Ginny) broke the lifetime contract and disappeared.

 

Being out of sea rescuing refugees is a pretty good cover for doing something like this.  The gambling aspect is the great leveler.  They don't necessarily need the last action hero to be the Player, because they don't care about stopping the crime and the odds let the house make money either way.  Plus they have the ability to predict crime so can choose a crime suitable to player skill set.  Plus, there is the possibility that Ginny's background isn't really exactly what Alex thinks it is. 

 

The shooter was after Ginny not Alex because the minute he heard a woman's scream, he went after her when he'd been shooting at Alex.  So either Snipes was behind the shooter (possible) or it was Ginny arranging her 'death'.

 

I think the blond 'dealer' was there because she helped Ginny escape being the Player rather than monitoring the game.

[ribboninthesky1]

If all of that is true, ParadoxLost, then Ginny will be infinitely more interesting.  I wouldn't be surprised if she's in on the game - it's just a matter of the details.   

[taragel]

I think that the last Player was Ginny.

 

If she's not, then we have to assume they had a Ginny look-a-like on storage to be used when they needed to recruit Alex and that they could bribe the ME not to figure out the real time of death.  That or they have super fast undetectable plastic surgery to transform a dead body to look like Ginny.  And that they are so 'moral' that they would go to all this trouble to avoid killing Ginny when they needed to recruit Alex.  No, Ginny has to be in on it.

 

The twist bugged me because the eventual reveal is unlikely to be logical in any way. Like all the reasonable conclusions--lookalike, a secret twin, some weird Face Off/Plastic Surgery scenario--are all so farfetched. Sigh. I like the idea that she might have been the last player. But the show opened with Snipes in the desert looking at a dead body and saying they needed a new player, didn't it? And that's before she even comes home in the show's timeline?

 

That aside, eh. The show was entertaining enough. Main guy was watchable. I like Charity Whitfield (she reminds me of Ashley Jensen actually), and Wesley Snipes was funny when he was impersonating the FBI guy. 

Edited September 27, 2015 by taragel

[Free]

The twist bugged me because the eventual reveal is unlikely to be logical in any way. Like all the reasonable conclusions--lookalike, a secret twin, some weird Face Off/Plastic Surgery scenario--are all so farfetched. Sigh. I like the idea that she might have been the last player. But the show opened with Snipes in the desert looking at a dead body and saying they needed a new player, didn't it? And that's before she even comes home in the show's timeline?

 

This did remind me of Face Off, I do expect an ott plot twist of some sort: she's alive, a villain, etc.

[portfino]

I think she's alive and in on it somehow. There are all sorts of drugs that lower your pulse. You wouldn't do the body switch in morgue otherwise.

[Free]

I think she's alive and in on it somehow. There are all sorts of drugs that lower your pulse. You wouldn't do the body switch in morgue otherwise.

 

Agreed, it does feel ridiculous enough.

[taragel]

I debated whether or not "she's faking death" was a viable option. But I just got annoyed that the Player guy didn't think of that and suddenly start demanding answers/more examination of the body as soon as he saw the tattoo was gone.