This piece is largely spoiler-safe. This show is way too good to give things away!
For the longest time, network television has been regarded as a place that is not exactly known for creativity. Due to the nature of the business, it has often stuck with safe, dependable formats and stories that revert back to the status quo each week. Every so often, however, a creative team comes along and takes a risk on a serialized drama that could shake things up for a long time to come.
If it is given a chance, I believe that Emergence could be the next great story-driven saga.
The Cast Is Pretty Good.
Child acting typically doesn’t work that well, but it does here.
As always, the ultimate burden of a movie or show rests on the shoulders of the cast. Fortunately, Emergence has a good one.
Allison Tolman headlines as Police Chief Jo Evans, and her performance anchors the show quite nicely by relying on tropes about the working mom. When she’s in the presence of her family or colleagues, she’s extremely caring and a reasonable authority figure. While in the field, her attitude toward her enemies is another matter. Tolman manages to strike a nice balance between the two sides of her character, which is a testament to her skill as a performer.
Owain Yeoman follows things up with a great performance as Benny Gallagher. In a play on the “male non-detective meets female detective” trope, his character initially serves as an intelligence-gathering machine throughout much of the ongoing story. He’s likable and quite charismatic, but the writers should’ve inserted more clues about a twist into his arc. No spoilers here!
Alexa Swinton, Ashley Aufderheide, Donald Faison, and Clancy Brown round out the main cast. However, this is where the show stumbles slightly because Swinton is the only one who is given an important role in the plot as Piper. The other three are just kind of there to support Jo or round out the family dynamic until Episode 9. At certain points, I wondered if the writers were simply using them to chew up screen time, but they add several touches of depth that matter.
Now, you may be wondering about the villains. I can’t talk about any of them without spoiling the fun, so I won’t.
The Plot Is Fantastic.
Jo and Benny’s dynamic is pretty great.
If there’s one thing that Emergence should be lauded for above all else, it’s the writing.
When I first heard of this show, I kind of dreaded it because it seemed like another play on Lost. However, the writers managed to steer clear of the most glaring issues associated with mystery shows by exerting a masterful control over the narrative. Long story short, I never truly asked myself questions about glaring plot threads or little nitpicks up until the end of Episode 9. And to be honest, that is quite an achievement when one puts this show up against other pieces of entertainment out there.
One other little trick that the writers employed is what I like to call the breadcrumb-to-candy maneuver, which helps to keep a prospective viewer invested. For those of you who don’t know what I mean by that, consider the structure of the story when you watch the show. The creative team starts off by setting up a multi-episode chain of clues that leads to one hell of an answer, but also proposes another question and another chain. This method works wonders because it amps up the pacing and doesn’t force the audience to wait around until the mid-season finale for some decent answers.
What About The Bad Stuff?
Clancy Brown plays a good dad figure, but doesn’t grapple with much else beyond that.
Are there things that don’t work in Emergence? Eh, only mildly so.
If I were writing the scripts for this show, I probably would’ve cut and tweaked a few pieces of the story, but that’s mostly because certain action and exposition sequences are not as taut and thrilling as they could have been. Also, one might wonder why the main secret isn’t all over the place at this point, but it seems like the story will get there in due time. Lastly, some of the more fantastical elements might be a cause for concern, but that’s because the show attempts to ground itself in an “Our World, But…” scenario.
And no, I’m not giving a damn thing away!
Conclusion.
I hope that this show sticks around. It’s something different!
Emergence is a thrill ride that is more than worth your time. The characters are decent, the story is focused & entertaining, and any conceivable shortcomings could be easily explained away in a future episode. If you’re willing to invest in a network show, this one might do the trick for you. Check it out!
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