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Surface
Two things first:
1) this
isn't Invasion;
2)...GOOD!
Not that I want to start
a sci-fi war here,
but come on: why do sci-fi shows released the same season, have to be
called "similar"...? People never compare the latest "idiot
husband next to brilliant wife" sitcom...and how many similarities do
all those sitcoms have, eh? To be fair, there is one similarity here, between Invasion, Threshold,
and this series: a new species has been found on Earth. Yet for Surface,
this is where the similarity ends. This is not a simple "they came from
outer space" thriller, because: what if they didn't? That's where the fun begins.
 The
uniqueness of Surface is how it does not put all its science
fiction eggs
in one basket. Much like two other sci-fi shows this season, the first sighting of the new species begins somewhere at
sea...but, in this case, it may not be as simple as "They come from
space and want to destroy us." The new species may may be aliens,
or they may not. They may want to destroy us, or they may, even worse,
want to eat us. They may be intelligent aliens, or they
may be dinosaurs with the brain of a a walnut. They may come from space,
or they may be from the bottommost depths of the ocean, only to multiply
in such quantities, that they must now find a new place to live...the
"surface," if you will. Does the possibility of not being "killer
aliens" dilute the thrill factor?
Not when one of the adult creatures swallows a yacht
whole!
The intriguing part of
this series is how it pursues its story from different angles, via
totally different characters, with totally separate "first
encounters" with the new species, including:
-
Marine biologist Laura Daughtery
(Lake Bell); She's seeking what every viewer wants:
answers! The problem:
secretive government types saw her as a possible "whistle
blower" and discredited her reputation before anyone could
believe a word she said. She's looking for the proof that
will clear her name.
-
Family man Rich
Connelly (Jay R. Ferguson)
went with his brother scuba diving, when they encountered one
of the adults of this new species. His brother shot a harpoon cable by
accident and got dragged away by the creature, into a strange string of
lights...only to disappear without a trace. But is Rich now "hearing" his brother contact
him with strange images...or is he just
going crazy?
-
Teenager Miles
(Carter Jenkins)
found a cool little weird thing off the nearby beach, and took it home
to his aquarium. Turns out it was one of these critters' eggs. Before
you scream "Elliott!...E.T.!" the truth is not that clear. Like a baby tiger
or a baby snake, this creature could learn to care for Miles, or it
could eventually bite him a new one. We'll just have to wait and see
what will unfold.
 Some
additional stories have been told, but they are either red herrings or
sadly, short-lived. Dr. Aleksander Cirko (Rade Serbedzija), was hired by a
secret government agency to research the possible threat of these
creatures. For unknown reasons he was killed as soon as he told the wrong
government agent that he "knew" where the creatures came from.
While his death shows that the series writers are unafraid to take risks, I
liked the sort of Obi-Wan presence
this guy had, when talking with kindred spirit Daughtery. This
sympathetic heart for a possible "colleague" got his bosses
paranoid, however, so he was killed. The story makes sense but the killing
of this intriguing character does not...at least not by much.
Fortunately, this series' assets
don't stem from one character or actor. In fact; it doesn't even get its
effectiveness in storytelling, from one classic source of sci-fi. I'm not trying to be
mean; I'm just
saying. With all due respects Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a
good premise for a TV series, but it was hardly sci-fi gold.
For that, one should look for either Speilberg's Close Encounters of
the Third Kind, E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, or hey; how about a
slice of Jurassic Park? In no subtle fashion, this series salutes
all the above. This culminates in the big mystery, of this species'
eminent goals. They could be trying to melt the
polar ice caps so more of the Earth is like their aquatic habitat. On the
other hand, they could be evolved dinosaurs with no intellectual goals, yet can still eat
fishing boats like cocktail shrimp. Cool.
 What
really sells this series' many plots however, is how no one character's
story is treated as more important over another. Moreover; no one
character is treated as a "superhero," with each man and
woman given equal strengths and weaknesses (are you listening, Commander
in Chief?). Laura knows her stuff, but her obsession to see this
new species for herself leads to some impetuousness that nearly got her
killed. Likewise for Rich, who may be losing his mind
but may not...and how cool would that be? Then there's how
Miles' story does not add a "comedy relief" to the story --as
most children's side-plots are treated on TV-- but instead his is a
story of finding one of the baby creatures and taking a liking
to it...but will this guppy grow to be a shark, so to speak, or will this
be the "link" between us and the creatures that could save
humankind?
It's fair to say that
developed characters would be for naught without good actors. So let me
take the time to commend the casting here. I often felt, in her Boston Legal
days, that Lake Bell was a good actress given
a bad character. Her work here proves this.
Likewise for the teenage Jenkins, who could've portrayed Miles as another
rubber stamp "nerd" but instead adds depth to the
role, as a typical insecure teen with not-so-perfect grades, looking for his
"calling" in life. Similarly, Ferguson is given a tough role as the obsessed Rich Connelly, yet he maintains a feeling of sympathy
for the man, regardless of his latest bizarre scheme to find his brother.
It's not easy to make your wacko character not seem too "odd"!
Have I fawned enough
about this series yet? I think so, so I will end my borderline fanboy rant
here. Yet believe me or not; Surface deserves to be the next big thing in
science fiction television...provided the writers don't go off the rails
on this one. That's a big "if" when, as I type this, an earlier,
promising action series has been cancelled, for that reason. Will Surface
become the next Alias...in a bad way? Only time will tell, but for
now, this is a great looking series. Check it out...while it lasts.
---Techtite
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