They Walk in Beauty: First Reactions to the Resurrection Pilot

Years ago I and my family watched shows on a little network called PAX, including the short-lived Just Cause. That program introduced me to the actor Mark Hildreth, whom I further enjoyed in another fun series killed before its time, Young Blades, which also introduced me to the concept of show fandom through an online community I joined. He, Alan Tudyk, and Morena Baccarin were the few shining lights in the otherwise lackluster V revival. When I discovered during the Oscars that he was in a new show called Resurrection, I decided to give the pilot a chance.

I am so glad I tuned in. Regardless of how the rest of the season pans out, or how long the show lasts, or whether the creators can keep the story engaging, this episode alone was a beautifully filmed, acted, paced, scored, piece of art.

You might be thinking by that last statement that this show has to be on a premium cable channel, where directors can push boundaries and budgets are large, or one of the new Netflix or Amazon shows that don't have to obey the rules of formula scripts.

You'd be wrong. This pilot, "The Returned," aired on the network channel ABC, and looks like it was filmed with limited special effects and in only a couple of locations. It was devoid of pounding music, quick edits, sarcastic banter, jaded antiheroes, or any of the usual trappings of television. In fact, there was a freshness about the entire episode, a lack of grit, a decision to allow the story to breathe.

Here's what I liked.

Simplicity

• No complex mythology was stuffed into this first half hour. Several ideas and mysteries were introduced, but the fate of the world isn't in jeopardy as of yet. There were no byzantine character intersections or ridiculous plot devices to up the stakes. Instead, the pilot focused on one specific story and explored the reactions of the characters, allowing the audience an intimate glimpse into each person's soul in the process. A glance, a look, a camera angle, and I suddenly cared about them.
• This episode was incredibly quiet. The score (which I hope is made available for purchase soon) sounds like a nocturne, a soft Chopinesque motif that weaves within the beats to underscore what's already there, and actually stops altogether at times when no sound is needed. Characters didn't speak until they had something to say, and told just as much without words as with them, remind me of the Sunset Boulevard adage, "We didn't need dialogue: we had faces."
  
  The best example of this quiet storytelling occurred halfway through when a father chased his son across the yard, which interwove with a flashback of the same characters from over 30 years before. In the past this man was tall, healthy, virile, and easily chased down his son to capture him in a loving gesture. Now he's unable to keep up the pace, falling behind, unable to catch his breath, unsure even if he succeeds in catching the boy what his reaction will be. I'm fully invested in him and his relationship, and he didn't have to say a word to do so.

Artistry

• I tweeted during the show that I felt like the story was being crafted rather than produced. When a little boy wakes up in a foreign place in the opening scene, there's a vibrant use of color, with bright green and earthy browns, and his red shirt stands in stark contrast to these earthtones. When we go to the office of a federal officer who's a bit adrift in his personal and professional life, the set and actors are dressed in soft whites and blacks, utilitarian, removed from life.
  
  But it's not just color: I recall a beautiful transition from one scene to the next where the camera looked straight down at two hands on a piano, one old and gnarled with age and the other fresh and soft. The camera then pealed back to show us the boy and his mother sitting at the instrument, sharing a moment, while the father looked on from the hall, eyes focused on them. As I said earlier, no words were said, but I immediately understood the emotions of all three characters. The camera in this series is as much a storyteller as the actors.

Sensitivity

• Mark Hildreth, the actor who prompted me to watch the show in the first place, plays a minister in the show's small town. The show does commit the usual fallacy of packing all the small town's denizens into one church, of uncertain denomination or creed, and as such Hildreth looks a bit young to be leader of such a large congregation. But otherwise, I enjoyed the way his character is being played. He visits his parishioners in the hospital. His reaction to the miracle happening is one of uncertainty, and he worries how he's to lead his flock in the face of it. As I tweeted, his choice of Scripture for his sermon was spot on: John's disciples asking Jesus for proof of his authority. I look forward to more from this character and his journey.
• For those who don't know, the Bechdel test requires a story have at least two women characters to talk to each other about something other than a man. The merits of the test are debatable, but it's depressing how few movies or programs manage to even achieve this limited standard. Halfway through Resurrection, a woman doctor approaches her best friend for a heart-to-heart about how the recent events have caused her to relive her mother's death. Some might not count this conversation as passing the test, considering they bring up various male characters (the boy, both their fathers), but the thrust of the conversation is on the woman's mother and her own reaction.
• As a corollary to the depiction of women, the cast's lone African American character is very well developed as well. He's treated as a person first and foremost, and given a backstory that's not race dependent. However, the show doesn't pretend race doesn't exist (I snorted aloud at one quip he made). Instead, it allows that part of his character to shine as much as the rest does, and I really appreciate the humanity they're allowing this authority character to exhibit towards those he works with.

I am hooked: it is a pleasure to watch and experience, and I hope continues to be so. If you missed the pilot, you can watch it on ABC's website and at Hulu.