A step back

Technology and electricity are resources that are greatly taken for granted, and ociety would be a different place without them. In the new television show, “Revolution,” electricity is shut down worldwide like the flip of a switch. Fifteen years later, society is pushed back into a time similar to the Industrial Revolution. Charlie Matheson, played by  Tracy Spiridakos (“Being Human”), begins her quest to find her kidnapped brother, Danny, after her father is killed by the feared militia.

Five episodes of the series have aired so far. The pilot episode does not capture the audience’s interest as greatly as it should. It portrays the series as a cliche story of survival similar to the television series “Lost.” The only seizing feature of the series is the idea of electricity completely failing. Otherwise, the pilot episode seemed to only portray the perseverance of the survivors. After watching the second episode, the series seems to become a bit more alive, includeing reacquainted friends and distant relatives. Charlie finds her Uncle Miles, played by Billy Burke (“Twilight”), by chance and convinces him to help her find her brother. Miles brings twists and uncertainty to the show.

Burke stars as Bella’s father Charlie in “Twilight” as a mild-mannered introvert. In “Revolution,” Burke’s character is the complete opposite. It is exciting to see another side of Burke in his new role as Miles, and he brings character to the series. Spiridakos is an emerging actress and plays an impressive role as Charlie. Her eyes capture so much emotion in the show and she makes the audience relate to her. Another impressive acting performance is that of Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”) who stars as Captain Tom Neville. Neville is the lieutenant of the militia and kidnaps Charlie’s brother. Esposito brings a sense of darkness and intimidation to his character and plays a convincing role of a devoted and desperate lieutenant. Neville fears his fate if he does not follow Monroe’s orders.

The pilot episode was very dry, but after a few more episodes, the tempo seemed to pick up. The series has the potential to be interesting, however if the plot does not develop faster, the climax of each episode is not enough to keep a viewer’s interest. While Charlie seems to be the main character, Neville and Miles are rapidly emerging as more in depth and interesting characters. They may be the characters that save the series’ integrity.

Overall, the storyline does not successfully capture its’ audience’s interest. Each episode jumps from character to character too frequently, becoming very hard to keep track of what is going on. Once the plot becomes more connected, it may become popular but at the rate it is going, it is not likely. Its success is definitely a toss-up. There are only two episodes left before the mid-season break .

“Revolution” airs Mondays at 9pm on NBC, and all episodes are available online at NBC.com, Hulu.com and on iTunes