The Event

One hopes that producers don't drag out the mystery for too long, because so far The Event delivers, especially its doozy of a climax.

The Event was a well-paced hour that played skillfully with time, and if the characters were a little thin, well, it's a pilot--it'll take time to give characters shading and dimension.

NBC's stab at a big, serialized "Lost"-like premise gets off to an enticing start, though as with any such exercise, the ability to provide forward momentum--and satisfying answers--tends to quickly separate the few genuine events from the canceled afterthoughts.

The Event seems prepared to make its characters as complex as its storyline, always an event worth attending.

NBC only made the premiere available for review, so I can't offer any guarantees that subsequent episodes will not disappoint, but as a pilot, "The Event" gets this series off to a rollicking start.

Neatly staged, with one surprise after another in a geometric progression of suspense, The Event's pilot episode leaves a lot of tantalizingly unanswered questions.

Lots of eye candy, mystery, intrigue, questions, and superlative production values. But who's ready to jump back in this pool again?

Is this a Guantanamo allegory or is it just more freaking aliens who look human but really have insect heads under their masks? I'd like to sum it all up for you here, but, like "Lost," this is a series that is going to take some time to figure out.

There's always a need for a pulse-pounding mystery with a little paranormal thrown in. If The Event proves it can let out the story while reeling viewers back each week, it could be something special.

The Event knows the game it's playing and its risks. You can tell from the wink-at-the-audience last line, delivered by the always-welcome Innes: "I haven't told you everything." Tell us more--and soon would probably be best.

The suspenseful, unpredictable pilot suggests one of the most intriguing serial dramas of the fall season. [But] We once wrote the same thing about "Flashforward."

I look forward to The Payoff. [27 Sep 2010, p.54]

It's too soon to tell if The Event, the latest entry in the networks' race to find the next "Lost," isn't merely the next "FlashForward," since, by the end of an intriguing-enough pilot, you won't know much more than you did coming in (including whether NBC's willing to hang in there long enough for us to get some answers). But the cast is good.

With its large ensemble cast and frequent flashbacks--visiting and revisiting events that occurred from 23 minutes to 13 months in the past--watching Event is like riding a contraption that is half time machine and half bumper car.

The pilot is such a mixed bag it's hard to predict. Often very entertaining as it piles on the mysteries and cliffhanger climaxes, it's also hopelessly and almost comically convoluted, presenting scenes with a "23 minutes earlier" or "13 months earlier" or "11 days earlier" tag with such frequency you end up barely knowing, let alone caring, when and where you are at any given time.

Will it mete out enough answers to keep viewers tuning in? And can it sustain the mystery all season? We're dubious, but we're already engaged enough that we'll give the show a chance.