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Threat Matrix
"Every morning, the president receives a report that
updates the most active terrorist threats against The United States. This
report is called the Threat Matrix. The department of homeland security
handpicked teams of agents from the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA to analyze
and respond to the threat matrix report. Their job is to keep us safe.
We
are making progress..."
Such is the narrative
during the opening credits of Threat Matrix; a new
action-drama on ABC, whose sole flaw is that it's been scheduled as the
latest lamb to the slaughter, Thursdays at 8. Not that this will be the
case, in as little as one year. After all, Friends is leaving this year,
and as for Survivor, it's a fad that's
running on vapor fumes. The
point is: Threat Matrix is a great new action-drama...if ABC
gives it a chance.
 Now,
before you think this is just a show where terrorists get their behinds
kicked each week; it's a lot more inspired than that. See, these are the
people whose job it is to stop things from happening, before they
happen. This is not just going out with guns bl;azing, as much as
searching for culprits through detective work, and a nice slice of mystery
and suspense. The Threat Matrix team uses high-tech tools (a la CSI) to find out where an attack may take place, discern those responsible for such an
attempt, and apprehend them before any lives are lost.
This unique action-drama
format --stop the explosions, before they explode-- is actually good news.
While most action series are measured solely on the number of
explosions seen each week, it would really suck if each story of Threat
Matrix heralded a
new terrorist attack, and therefore a new explosion, and therefore, more
innocent lives lost. Instead, it is the job of this team to stop
such explosions from happening. This may mean less "big 'splosions,"
but don't for a minute think that means no suspense and action. As long as
a new bad guy is apprehended each week --and prevented from doing their
evil deeds- this action series fan is happy.
It helps the appeal of
the show that each character is a three- dimensional human being, not a
bland cipher. The leader of the team is John Kilmer (James Denton),
recently divorced from his second in command, Frankie Ellroy-Kilmer (Kelly
Rutherford). In the premiere episode, John's emotions for his ex-wife are
put to light, when she is taken hostage during a mission. While a bit too
easily resolved in the premiere episode, the story and acting are well
handled. Not that these are the only three-dimensional characters, here:
Agent Holly Brodeen, for example, is deaf (and played by a deaf actress; Shoshannah Stern). There are a lot of intriguing characters
here. If I don't list them all, it's because I only got to see three episodes of
this series so far. I look forward to learning about the other characters, as the series progresses.
Of course, what would a
spy/investigation/mystery type show be, without gadgets?  Most
of this series' investigative work is molded not unlike CSI,
with high-tech equipment to help the good guys get the bad guys in time.
One piece of high tech equipment can tell if a suspect is lying without
the need of a polygraph hooked up to them;
other equipment can check police radio bands nationwide, for any mention
of suspects they're looking for, even if they've been found just seconds
ago. In another mission, Holly uses high-tech photographic equipment to
see what a suspect looks like after 30 years, since the only photo on file
is of the suspect as a child. Of course, there's also the CSI-savvy
lab tests and DNA matches. Frankly, I have always
loved scientific research in my mysteries ever since CSI, and this
series has it.
It also has a well chosen
strand
of dark humor --again, not unlike CSI-- to alleviate the grittier
storylines. Don't argue with me about how important this is. In CSI, the
gore of most of the murders investigated would be a lot to take in, if not for
the occasional humor from the personal lives of the CSI team. Threat
Matrix is similar. When one team member enters a glass booth to enter the
top-secret crime labs, she is asked to speak a random sentence, only to say
sardonically, "Well, first he touched my
shoulders, and then he ran his hands down my back until he got to my..."
The computer proceeds to say in monotone, "Thank you...Voice
recognition confirmed....Retinal scan confirmed...108
pounds...Lia larkin confirmed." Replies Lia upon exiting the security
booth, "This is worse than Weight Watchers." It's subtle humor
like that which makes the gritty story that follows much easier to take
in.
Will this series be
allowed to last? That's up to ABC to decide. However, given their track
record, things don't look promising, and that's a travesty. It was at
least understandable for ABC to cancel Dinotopia,
regardless of its CGI dinosaur eye candy. It was less sensible to cancel Push
Nevada; a mini-series which was intended for one season, anyway...and ABC
wouldn't even give it that! All this show needs is a fighting
chance. However, if ABC stupidly puts has-been shows like The Practice
on Sundays at 10, and this promising new series opposite Friends and
Survivor, things don't look good. Let's just hope this series gets a
fighting chance. That's all anyone could ask...and all this series really
needs.
---Techtite
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