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What Samantha thinks: I actually had some fun watching this. I didn’t really have any thoughts going in, so it’s not like it had a lot to live up to, to be fair. Minnie Driver is always enjoyable to watch and she didn’t let down here. I don’t feel super qualified to talk about if how they handled all the special needs plotline. I will say that the satire surrounding the “make disabled people an inspiration just cause” seemed pretty on point. The rest of the family was entertaining, if a little forgettable.
B-
What Dani thinks: After watching the first two episodes (“P-I-Pilot” and “N-E-New A-I-Aide”), I’m out. The humor was missing for me: I spent most of the show wanting to slap Minnie Driver’s character for stupid little things that were probably meant to be charming or quirky (haha, look at mom driving 62mph on a residential street and putting the van on two wheels as she swerves into traffic. SO FUNNY!). I get the desire to show this family has flaws, but there has to be something redeeming about them if you want viewers to come back. When the protagonists are unlikable (and the antagonists are cartoonish caricatures of political correctness run amok), there’s no reason to stick around. Which is a shame, because this is a talented cast on a major network, and we’re long overdue for the sort of inclusivity and normalization a show like this could generate. And while it’s great that ABC cast a disabled actor in a disabled role, congratulating them for it feels a bit like applauding a company for promoting women to C-level jobs — we should expect (nay, demand) it, not single it out as exemplary or extraordinary.
C
What Mari thinks: I just watched the first episode and I’m out too. This was never going to be something I was super into but I wanted to give it a chance because I agree with Dani: we are long overdue for what this show could be. For me, however, the humor was just missing and in such a way that I’m not keen to give it another chance and 30 more minutes of my life. This is the kind of show that is going to rely on big, bold strokes to grab its few chuckles. There is no nuance here at all and I don’t find it, or any of the characters, charming.
C- and a no thank you, please.
Overall Grade: C
What Samantha thinks: This was a damn good pilot. I think that this is a great pilot even if you couldn’t care less about sports. Kylie Bunbury as Ginny was tough, vulnerable, and a joy to watch. She was so good. Surprisingly, Mark-Paul Gosselaar was pretty great himself, Zack Morris rose to the occasion. The show has a powerful feminist undertone and a human accessibility. The sound track is perfect and if her father is kind of a jerk (and he is) it’s didn’t feel too one-note. There’s a sorta twist at the end that I didn’t expect. I am bad at sorta TV twists this year. Sorry if this is all over the place, but definitely definitely an A. I hope so much that it can keep it up.
What Dani thinks: I am also 0-for-2 on catching twists this year. This show’s reveal at the end of the pilot was done well and actually gave me chills when I considered its implications throughout the episode. I have nothing but good things to say about this show thus far: the premise is compelling, the plots have been interesting, and the characters are well-drawn. I don’t even like baseball, but I could (and will) watch the hell out of this show. The writers could teach a master class in creating characters that have depth, and flaws, and nuance. Even the hard-ass agent and goofy team captain — both of whom could easily be one-note characters in less-skilled hands — have layers that I suspect will continue to be revealed. I wasn’t really familiar with any of the actors beforehand (Mark-Paul Gosselaar looked vaguely familiar, and now that I realize who he is I feel sooooooo OLD), but they all shine. So far, this is my favorite drama from the new fall crop.
A
Overall Grade: A
What Dani thinks: This Snark Lady is old enough to have watched the original MacGyver when it premiered in 1985 (it’s remotely possible I had a poster of Richard Dean Anderson in my locker in 7th grade), so I was excited to see what they’d do with the reboot. First impression: this Jack Dalton is WAY hotter than the 80’s version. Yum. Can the show maybe just be about him, please? No offense to Lucas Till, but he looks 16, not 26, and it’s hard to watch the boy from Hannah Montana: The Movie banging some chick on a desk. This show is basically MacGyver: the Early Years, and we do witness the creation of the Phoenix Foundation. There are some updates for our times, like the on-screen text labels that are so effective in Sherlock (but which get completely lost in the chaos here, along with anything even remotely science-y). This is definitely not a show one watches for the superior acting talent, or the believable (or even coherent) plot lines, or the well-written dialogue, or the accurate depiction of US foreign policy and international espionage. This is a show one watches for … hmm, I’m thinking … lets go with George Eads’s chest and arms. Yeah.
D
What Mari thinks: I watched most of it! Which is about as telling as a summary could be. We started the episode making a big deal about MacGyver and his hot girlfriend. I was pretty impressed by the fact that they would give the young, hot male protagonist a steady girlfriend, so of course they kill her off immediately and make her his righteous anger and motivation.
YAWN.
I didn’t expect this to be good, but I figured it could be trashy-entertaining. I’m not sure I still feel that way after watching (most of) the pilot. If I ever watch another episode of this reboot, it will probably be by mistake.
D
Overall Grade: D
In a nutshell: Angela Rance has a possession problem.
What Dani thinks: I never watched the original Exorcist movie, but Linda Blair’s rotating head and projectile vomiting scenes have become so ubiquitous that I knew what to expect. I thought the pilot did a good job of establishing the demonic possession plotline while adding a bit of mystery behind why Father Tomas is having visions: is he being called on by God, or is a demon toying with him? The cinematography was gorgeous – I loved the way they used lighting and camera angles to heighten and enhance the storytelling. I’m pretty wimpy wrt horror shows, so take this with a grain of salt (or a ring of salt, hahaha – demon joke), but I thought the pilot was impressively creepy for a network show. Also, Alfonso Herrera is incredibly hot as Father Tomas, so that’s another plus (I can’t be the only one who read The Thorn Birds at an impressionable age and developed Catholic priest fantasies, right? RIGHT??). I thought Geena Davis walked a convincing line between hardened career woman, worried mother, and heartbroken wife. (Alan Ruck, as the mentally fading patriarch of the family, actually made me tear up.) I had fairly low expectations going in, but this is one show I’m looking forward to watching more of.
A
Time in next time to see what we think of Frequency, No Tomorrow, and more!
I'm a 30-something south Floridan who loves the beach but cannot swim. Such is my life, full of small contradictions and little trivialities. My main life goals are never to take life too seriously, but to do everything I attempt seriously well. After that, my life goals devolve into things like not wearing pants and eating all of the Zebra Cakes in the world. THE WORLD.
I’m a serial procrastinator and a genuinely terrible singer, and if anyone knows how to monetize either of these skills please hit me up. In my spare time, I like to study Dutch painters, Italian architecture, and Canadian bacon.
I'm a 28 year old graduated English major and almost librarian. I can often be found singing too loudly (poorly) in the car or spending some time (hours) on Tumblr. I am a lover of Harry Potter, the Spice Girls, and too many other things.