Wayward Pines

At least in its first two episodes, Wayward Pines looks prepared to think more about what happens to its characters once the shock of that discovery has sunk in.

It’s not going anywhere you’d likely suspect, and the big reveal episodes have a lot of explaining to do, but this hyper-paranoid, time-twisting and addictive show is actually laying a foundation for something. How that something eventually plays out remains a question, but the ride there is an undeniable kick.

Equally happy to consider the joys of rum raisin and the need for ritualized violence, Wayward Pines veers, at times, toward a self-consciousness one might call Fever Dream Camp. But mostly it's good, creepy fun, a round-the-fire story of a series that may turn out to be about something bigger than it seems.

Everything about Wayward Pines is tense and spooky from the get-go (Chad Hodge adapted the project for TV), down to the old-fashioned rotary phones, which certainly plays into Shyamalan’s strengths as a filmmaker.... That said, the cat-and-mouse game begins to become a bit tiresome in the later episodes (five were previewed), before the fifth offers a fairly concrete explanation regarding what’s going on.

Horror isn't a bad fallback, and it's effectively done, considering the limitations of broadcast TV. Yet it's not enough to fully transition the show away from its foundation or even mask that the excitement is gone. "Wayward Pines" isn't a horror show, and skirting the line between genres doesn't do its story any favors.

The mystery has largely been replaced by a dystopian soap opera that disrespects one first-season character in particular by having the character take an action that doesn’t reflect the character’s first season strength and resolve.

Diehard fans may be more tolerant and overlook the bad acting and the stupid story, if only to obsess about another end-of-the-world, sci-fi scenario. The rest of us will realize that Wayward Pines has run amok and will change the channel.

No sé si es una súper serie pero me gustó, sobe todo el giro inesperado que da. Las actuaciones son muy buenas, no sé si puedo decir lo mismo de los efectos pero es una serie entretenida.

This series has its defenders, though Season 1 seems to have earned higher scores on various sites. Both seasons feature talented casts. First season opens like a mystery series before shifting into a SF realm. I was open to either. What I cannot abide is bad writing, whether it's the plot or the dialogue. I felt bad for the cast who had to attempt to breathe life into these canned conversations. My wife felt invested in Season 1 and continued to watch while I read. When you're not plugged into the visuals or atmospherics, and the dialogue is laid bare in all that it's lacking, it was painful to be in the same room. We gave Season 2 a try because Jason Patric is such a great actor, but had to pull the plug when the dialogue verged on insulting. Don't know how this show lasted as long as it did, or made it past any sort of quality control. It did have a low budget look and everything took place in fewer than a half-dozen sets, so maybe it was moderately profitable. Unfortunately, for all involved, Wayward Pines will leave a permanent blemish on some very fine careers.