The River

The River
Channel: ABC
Date/Time: Tuesdays @ 9pm, Eastern Time
Creator: Oren Peli & Michael R. Perry

We are introduced to a family whose father, renowned explorer Dr. Emmet Cole, played by Bruce Greenwood, has gone missing in the Amazon. His son Lincoln, played be Joe Anderson, meets up with his mother six months after his father went missing, who proposes that they return to the Amazon, where Lincoln spent much of his childhood, to continue the search for his father. His mother Tess, played by Leslie Hope, despite the length of time since their last communication with his father, and despite having just gone through the memorial service in his honor, suggests that Emmet must still be alive since his emergency beacon just went off.

Dr. Cole was renowned for his television series about the adventures he'd go on in the great outdoors, the Amazon in particular. Lincoln and Tess experienced the intense nature of the business and Lincoln mentions that although he knew his father loved him, at a certain point in his life, he felt his father loved what he was working on more, and seemed to pull away from Lincoln when he needed him. Despite the resentment, Tess and Lincoln had great love for Emmet, and we will discover how far they will go to find him.

Emmet's former producer, Clark, played by Paul Blackthorne, agrees to pay for any expenses on this expedition, as long as he can film the adventure in a documentary-type filming style. The newly developed team consists of Lincoln, Tess, Clarke, Lena (Lincoln's childhood friend), played Eloise Mumford, the captain and mechanic Emilio, played by Daniel Zacapa (along with his teenage daughter), and bodyguard Captain Kurt Brynildson, played by Thomas Kretschmann.

What was Emmet looking for? In videos the group discovers, Emmet was in search of some source of magic, and they glimpse the other-worldly matters he was in his continued search for. In one film bit, he's in front of a fire, amidst the jungle, with natives surrounding him, cross-legged, and is holding fire - physically holding fire in his palms. He looks to the camera in awe - you could see both the amazement, reverence, and desire for more in his eyes.

Strange things start occurring when the crew discovers Emmet's boat, and they unintentionally unleash something into the surrounding jungle. So much happens in this first episode: violence, lies, discovery, magic, spirits etc... I'd rather not give much of it away and suggest you check it out for yourself.

Now why though, with all this, would you stay in the Amazon with all the craziness that's going on? While some may say that they'd find a way out, it's not so simple. If someone you loved dearly were missing, in an unknown condition, and there was a chance you could find them, rescue them, would you give it a shot, as dangerous or eerie the circumstance? With some of the freaky circumstances they encounter, one could also ask how the crew stays on board with the idea. While there's always a skeptic, there's less a sense of disbelief in the crew, and more a desire to capture phenomenon on film that will bring them success.

I WILL tell you that someone dies in the first episode... you have to watch to find out who!

Two fun facts:

1) This show is by the creator and director of the Paranormal Activity series, Oren Peli, along with the co-writer of Paranormal Activity 2, Michael R. Perry.

2) According to an interview on WMMR, a local radio station here in Philadelphia, the idea for a Paranormal-type TV show was brought up by Stephen Spielberg (who is a producer for the show) in a meeting with Oren! It was Oren's first experience meeting the great film maker, with Stephen mentioning that he enjoying the movie and asked if Oren had ever thought about turning the idea into a television series.

There were so many progressions in the first episode, I was uncertain as to how the series could continue, however, there are 6 more episodes left for now, and the preview of the upcoming season seen last week was amazazazazing (Yes, just made up a word).

I give the season premiere four and a half of five frames!



Here's a promo and what had me spellbound:



Did you check out the premiere? Will you check it out? Email me or post on our facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/j1studios AND go to the site to browse more reviews.

Danae signing off!

source: imdb.com; youtube.com, wikepedia.com