Reunion 1.2: "1987"
Written by Jon Harmon Feldman
Directed by Michael Katleman
In which Sam struggles with her decision to give up her baby, especially when complications threaten to expose her affair, while Aaron finds out what Jenna really thinks of him…
After the first episode, which left me less than impressed, I was willing to see if the difference between the pilot and the actual series would be positive. After all, there’s usually a difference, because the pilot needs to cover a lot of exposition and character introduction. So I had some hope that the simplistic writing and stilted acting would repair themselves once the series actually got moving forward.
The gimmick remains the most interesting aspect of the series, because not much else has been offered. I noticed an incremental improvement in the writing, but there were still lines that the actors could barely pull off, because they were an unnatural as it gets. George Lucas writes better dialogue! I truly worry that this is a concept that will die because of poor execution.
The cast, for the most part, steps up to the plate and tries to make the whole thing work. Like the pilot episode, the most impressive member of the cast in this episode is Chyler Leigh. She pulls off the age difference rather well, and she looks hot in both eras. The rest of the cast hasn’t been able to showcase their talents in the same way, so perhaps they also have more to offer.
I still find Will to be the worst offender in terms of the bad acting. The writing has a lot to do with it, but I still feel like he’s auditioning for an Afterschool Special. It’s really quite bad. He has his fans, of course, who will deny it, but he can’t emote to save his life. Even the Tom Cruise clone (far less interesting this time around) shows more talent.
Among the writing woes: having teens less than a year out of high school, looking very young, getting served without question at bars. There are people I knew in college that were still being carded until they were 30! There’s no way Will and Craig would be getting served in 1987 at the age of 18. The sheer amount of alcohol freely available was a bit hard to believe. And did anyone else notice that Carla grabbed the murder weapon with her bare hand? Thanks for leaving your prints!
Speaking of Afterschool Specials, Sam’s story is beginning to get ridiculous. How much more is this young woman supposed to endure, all while trying to keep secrets? For that matter, how could Craig not know what happened between Sam and Will? They have it written all over their faces. Jenna was better at hiding her feelings (or lack thereof) for Aaron (who’s still trying to do his best Alan Ruck impression.)
Lest I allow my preference for arc-driven SF series get the best of me, I asked my wife if she’d like to watch this episode. It didn’t take her long to figure out what was going on. But like me, by the third act, she was not impressed. She saw a lot of the same flaws that I saw. The point is: the writing staff needs to get their act together soon and add some depth to the story. If they don’t, this just won’t be my first casualty of the new season, but it could very well be off the air against much stronger competition.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 4/10
Directed by Michael Katleman
In which Sam struggles with her decision to give up her baby, especially when complications threaten to expose her affair, while Aaron finds out what Jenna really thinks of him…
After the first episode, which left me less than impressed, I was willing to see if the difference between the pilot and the actual series would be positive. After all, there’s usually a difference, because the pilot needs to cover a lot of exposition and character introduction. So I had some hope that the simplistic writing and stilted acting would repair themselves once the series actually got moving forward.
The gimmick remains the most interesting aspect of the series, because not much else has been offered. I noticed an incremental improvement in the writing, but there were still lines that the actors could barely pull off, because they were an unnatural as it gets. George Lucas writes better dialogue! I truly worry that this is a concept that will die because of poor execution.
The cast, for the most part, steps up to the plate and tries to make the whole thing work. Like the pilot episode, the most impressive member of the cast in this episode is Chyler Leigh. She pulls off the age difference rather well, and she looks hot in both eras. The rest of the cast hasn’t been able to showcase their talents in the same way, so perhaps they also have more to offer.
I still find Will to be the worst offender in terms of the bad acting. The writing has a lot to do with it, but I still feel like he’s auditioning for an Afterschool Special. It’s really quite bad. He has his fans, of course, who will deny it, but he can’t emote to save his life. Even the Tom Cruise clone (far less interesting this time around) shows more talent.
Among the writing woes: having teens less than a year out of high school, looking very young, getting served without question at bars. There are people I knew in college that were still being carded until they were 30! There’s no way Will and Craig would be getting served in 1987 at the age of 18. The sheer amount of alcohol freely available was a bit hard to believe. And did anyone else notice that Carla grabbed the murder weapon with her bare hand? Thanks for leaving your prints!
Speaking of Afterschool Specials, Sam’s story is beginning to get ridiculous. How much more is this young woman supposed to endure, all while trying to keep secrets? For that matter, how could Craig not know what happened between Sam and Will? They have it written all over their faces. Jenna was better at hiding her feelings (or lack thereof) for Aaron (who’s still trying to do his best Alan Ruck impression.)
Lest I allow my preference for arc-driven SF series get the best of me, I asked my wife if she’d like to watch this episode. It didn’t take her long to figure out what was going on. But like me, by the third act, she was not impressed. She saw a lot of the same flaws that I saw. The point is: the writing staff needs to get their act together soon and add some depth to the story. If they don’t, this just won’t be my first casualty of the new season, but it could very well be off the air against much stronger competition.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 4/10
posted by John Keegan | 12:54
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