Revolution is one of those shows that gets buried under a load of criticism for showing the viewers a future they can't identify themselves with. All of a sudden plot holes become so important to the general public, they use every single one of them to burn the show down, even if these plot holes haven't had a chance to be explained by the writers because the show is only half-way in it's first season.
The entire show is based on a fictional future where every single piece of electronic equipment started failing, all at once, by some mysterious and unexplained force. Being thrown back to medieval means of living for several decades, the story picks up when several individuals start looking for answers to this mystery, helped by rumors of one of the governments being able to 'turn back on the lights' shortly. In the years following the black-out, governments worldwide have fallen, lacking their entire infrastructure of communication and transportation, thus unable to govern millions of people. Civil wars lead to the formation of several smaller governments, those who came out on top in the struggle for survival in the aftermath of the disaster.
What follows is a pattern of discoveries, solving the mystery piece by piece by a band of unlikely heroes, ranging from kids to grown ups, each with secrets of their own. Every episode answers some questions but raises even more.
This pattern is hard to find when you first start watching the show. In the first few episodes, the writers overwhelm the viewers with tons of questions. This strategy isn't yet paying off, a lot of viewers stopped watching because they find the show too mysterious, too full of unexplained plot holes and unlikely character motivations.
But here's the thing: Most of the things criticized about this show actually makes sense, as long as the viewer is ready to suspend his disbelief for some time and allows himself to emerge into the world the writers have created for the viewers. It might feel like a pool of quicksand at first, but giving this show time to develop is key to enjoying it the way the writers intended.
To be honest, I cannot understand almost all the negative reviews on this show. Based on what reviewers tend to write about the plot holes and seemingly impossibilities, I bet every single one of them structurally dislikes fiction, especially science fiction. How do these people not dislike movies like Star Trek, the Jacket, the Fifth Element, Mad Max, Escape from New York, Blade Runner, the Terminator or RoboCop, to name just a few? These are filled with plot holes, fictional future governments, unlikely characters and unexplained mysteries yet these are all loved by many or called 'cult', rarely being criticized like "Revolution" is.
Add to the equation this show is written and produced by people responsible for hit series like Lost and you know on forehand most questions will be answered only after many episodes, in a very slow pace, if at all. Try watching 10 episodes of 'Lost' and ask yourself: Do I understand what is going on? Because you simply won't. That's the point, you must allow yourself to be emerged in the mysterious world created by the makers of this show, suspending disbelief until they think the time has come to answer some questions you've had for over 20 episodes or so.
For me personally, all this show lacks is a feel of a solid team of writers, producers, directors and actors: the first 10 episodes or so feel a bit sloppy, like the entire crew couldn't really get used to the scope of the show's heading. But trust me, it gets better and better, and after several episodes the characters seem to feel more at home in this strange world of mystery, improving the quality of the show on each episode.
Is this a great show? It is - if the people behind it get a chance to steer clearly towards their goal and so far, it feels like the show is hugely underrated by so many, criticizing it on every minor plot hole.
Or else, maybe those people should stop watching science-fiction altogether...
The entire show is based on a fictional future where every single piece of electronic equipment started failing, all at once, by some mysterious and unexplained force. Being thrown back to medieval means of living for several decades, the story picks up when several individuals start looking for answers to this mystery, helped by rumors of one of the governments being able to 'turn back on the lights' shortly. In the years following the black-out, governments worldwide have fallen, lacking their entire infrastructure of communication and transportation, thus unable to govern millions of people. Civil wars lead to the formation of several smaller governments, those who came out on top in the struggle for survival in the aftermath of the disaster.
What follows is a pattern of discoveries, solving the mystery piece by piece by a band of unlikely heroes, ranging from kids to grown ups, each with secrets of their own. Every episode answers some questions but raises even more.
This pattern is hard to find when you first start watching the show. In the first few episodes, the writers overwhelm the viewers with tons of questions. This strategy isn't yet paying off, a lot of viewers stopped watching because they find the show too mysterious, too full of unexplained plot holes and unlikely character motivations.
But here's the thing: Most of the things criticized about this show actually makes sense, as long as the viewer is ready to suspend his disbelief for some time and allows himself to emerge into the world the writers have created for the viewers. It might feel like a pool of quicksand at first, but giving this show time to develop is key to enjoying it the way the writers intended.
To be honest, I cannot understand almost all the negative reviews on this show. Based on what reviewers tend to write about the plot holes and seemingly impossibilities, I bet every single one of them structurally dislikes fiction, especially science fiction. How do these people not dislike movies like Star Trek, the Jacket, the Fifth Element, Mad Max, Escape from New York, Blade Runner, the Terminator or RoboCop, to name just a few? These are filled with plot holes, fictional future governments, unlikely characters and unexplained mysteries yet these are all loved by many or called 'cult', rarely being criticized like "Revolution" is.
Add to the equation this show is written and produced by people responsible for hit series like Lost and you know on forehand most questions will be answered only after many episodes, in a very slow pace, if at all. Try watching 10 episodes of 'Lost' and ask yourself: Do I understand what is going on? Because you simply won't. That's the point, you must allow yourself to be emerged in the mysterious world created by the makers of this show, suspending disbelief until they think the time has come to answer some questions you've had for over 20 episodes or so.
For me personally, all this show lacks is a feel of a solid team of writers, producers, directors and actors: the first 10 episodes or so feel a bit sloppy, like the entire crew couldn't really get used to the scope of the show's heading. But trust me, it gets better and better, and after several episodes the characters seem to feel more at home in this strange world of mystery, improving the quality of the show on each episode.
Is this a great show? It is - if the people behind it get a chance to steer clearly towards their goal and so far, it feels like the show is hugely underrated by so many, criticizing it on every minor plot hole.
Or else, maybe those people should stop watching science-fiction altogether...