Colony

Sure, a couple of subplots--one involving Will and Katie’s teenage son getting involved in a black-market operation, and another hinting at a romance for Katie’s sister (The Mentalist‘s Amanda Righetti)--feel a little extraneous at the moment, but enigmatic glimpses of “Factory” indoctrination promise that Colony won’t run out of ideas anytime soon.

What the series lacks in depth and visual elegance, it more than makes up for in sheer entertainment value. Colony combines the best aspects of USA’s past (generic shows that are nonetheless sugary treats) with the heady rush of its contemporary, Mr. Robot-era mission: Classing up the joint.

Colony might not be particularly original, but it’s compelling nonetheless, delving into moral and ethical quandaries via complex and engaging characters.

Holloway and Callies, no strangers to speculative, high-stakes drama, make a formidable pair as characters human enough to be relatable, skilled enough be potentially heroic.

Aided by a strong script that seems to recognize this [Next to fear, sadness would of course be the overwhelming shared emotion if some otherworldly force disrupted our social order.], Holloway and Callies come across as characters who know the real depth of a doomed world.

However things shake out, USA should feel good about having made an investment in what seems, for the moment, like a work of real science-fiction, rather than science-fiction-flavored action or horror--a work of ideas and real emotion, with strong performances (it's nice to see Holloway playing scared and overwhelmed at times) and a keen grasp of which storytelling cards to play and which to keep in reserve.

The premise is nothing new under the sun, which still exists. But it’s decently executed with enough periodic action and revelations to perhaps lure a decent-sized fan base.

You get a great role for Holloway, who has great, sex-charged on-screen chemistry with an equally strong Callies, and the strength of that “What would you do” premise. And for now, that may be enough.

Like “Lost,” you’ll be left with more questions than answers by pilot’s end.... Should be a fun ride.

The setup leaves Holloway as a person torn between two bad choices--a spot in which the actor thrives--and the mystery of who now rules L.A. should be enough to keep you interested. [8/15 Jan 2016, p.99]

Although there’s nothing new here, per se, it’s still a solid hour of watchable drama that often plays out more like a movie than a television series.

It is never as compelling nor as dark as that series [Mr. Robot], but after three episodes Colony zigs and zags often and has enough action to keep your interest.

"What's really going on?" quickly becomes as big a question as "What will happen next?" as episodes jammed with plot remain often maddeningly opaque.... The stars give the show life--Holloway and Callies play an easily likable married couple with an increasingly complicated relationship, and Jacobson shines greasily as spokesman for the new overlords--but the wall gives the show meaning and potential relevance.

If it digs in to explore the conflicts inherent in collaboration, resistance and protection of family, this soapy saga might have legs.

Holloway and Callies also take some time growing into their roles, so what keeps you watching early on are the stellar guest turns.... By episode four, titled "Blind Spot," the show finds a nice groove all around.

Eventually, though, what seemed intriguing starts to feel slack and inconsequential, as the focus remains on police-procedural investigations and the duplicities in the Bowmans’ marriage. You start to hunger for answers.

It's a loaded situation solidly dramatized, but the storytelling often feels guarded in its telegraphed twists and pulled punches. [4-17 Jan 2015, p.15]

The episodes’ hectic “action” often lands perfunctory or incongruous, and character development languishes in favor of sex scenes and left-field encounters “to be explained later.”

Characters and details are what hold our interest, almost to the point where we don’t realize that the plot is fairly thin. That works for a while, but eventually the series begins to feel flat, and our interest begins to drift.

The superficiality and inconsistencies of Colony’s world might be less noticeable if the characters were deeper and richer, but they’re not terribly compelling, despite the divided loyalties the show plants early on.