The Postman Cometh!

OK....So I didn't "devour" the remainder of Shelly's Frankenstein last night. 
Sorry
I was forcibly reverted to my couch potato position in lieu of Angela's latest Netflix discovery.  (LOL)  OK, forced isn't an applicable term.  She'd been watching the first couple of episodes while I was working yesterday and when I returned she stated I'd be sorry if I didn't check it out.
She was right.
Obviously her initial reasoning behind checking out the show was it's headline star and one of the executive producers Billy  Burke (Charlie from "Twilight")  Truth be told, he was one,  if not the ONLY actor from that franchise I really liked. 
The series is "Revolution" brought to you by the brilliance of creator Eric Kipke (Supernatural)  J.J. Abrahms, (pretty much everything cool in Sci-Fi today as well as Fringe and Lost) John Favreau (Iron Man).    Now,  first before watching this show you have to suspend your disbelief and forget everything you know about physics and well....common sense for that matter.  Keep that in mind and you'll enjoy  the ride!  Just don't over think it!
The show takes place in a very near dystopian, post apocalyptic future where one night, 15 years past the lights went out.
 All. Over. The. World.
 (yea, yea...I know...stick with me)
Everything requiring any form of electricity just quits!  Right down to every single airplane crashing out of the sky  (shades of Y2K?) and no one know why or how to fix it!
Or so you are initially led to believe!
In TRUE J.J Abram's style the story slowly unfolds through the use of the "flashback" (think "Lost" and  "Fringe")  and you soon come to learn the true players in this travesty.  I'll take a moment to comment here about the USE of flashbacks.  As a story telling tool they are invaluable as they allow you to propel an engaging story without being mired in character establishment and "origin" or "back stories".  obviously for today's viewing audience by and large they just want to skip it and get right to the meat.  So every time something important occurs that drives the story, but is based on unseen events,  plop in a dreamy eyed "flash-back".  But there's the rub.  They don't do it every time here, but the majority of the time you see the traditional close up of the actors face with a far off expression and,  short of the "wavy-lined" dream sequence,  you know that "here comes the flashback!  Many shows have utilized a disjointed "start in the action, jump back to the beginning and meet up in the end with a ten minute resolution" thing and that works too.  But once in a while I'd just like a show to throw caution to the wind and jump all over the place only to end up with a clear resolution a few minutes to final curtain!  Perhaps using a slightly more nuanced "tag" similar to Fringe when they were dealing with the whole "dual-Universe" thing and the screen would be doing a panoramic shot then shimmer and you were in the next universe.  You know...shake things up a bit!
All right, tangent over.
I like the fact that not everything is laid out in black and white and you have to follow the landscape for clues as to the why.  And that much like the characters who are existing in a feudalistic society run by overlords and warlords, upon encountering a stranger you are not entirely sure of each persons motivation, or elegance's.   And admittedly I am a bit of a nihilist when it comes to this. Always have been.  The total breakdown of societal and governmental norms and the rise of anarchy void of technology at times is morosely enticing.   Not to mention would be GREAT for bike sales!
The show takes liberally from several sources to create this decaying world.  The most prominent and unlikely of sources would be the 1997 critical and box office FLOP,  Kevin Costner's "The Postman"
(for the record, forced sentimentality aside I really enjoyed the film)  with backdrop design right out of the History Channels "Life After People"  Not to mention a tad bit of "Hunger Games" thrown in in the guise of the lead, bow wielding female protagonist. 
In this future set in the former United States (it's made clear that the possibility of overseas travel is impossible) the Federal government has crumbled and the power vacuum is filled by varying degrees of Militia's carving out territory.  Tenuous peace maintained,  they go about ruling with a feudalistic justice.  Militia men on the ground are judge, jury and executioner in order to "keep the peace".  In the territories where the story takes place common citizens owning firearms or  the American Flag is punishable by death, meted out on the spot.  No pesky trial or arguing lawyers. 
The story surrounds a young girl, Charlie Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos) who after her father is killed during a meelle with militia men, sets out to free her abducted younger brother at the behest of her dying father.  She is instructed to find and enlist the help of her uncle Miles Matheson (Billy Burke who is VERY good as the kick ass military man with a VERY dark secret!) in her search.  There is a very real reason why the militias leader Sebastian Monroe (David Lyons) wants the members of the Matheson family, and I'm not pulling a spoiler on this one, but suffice to say they may now the "HOW" in this Apocalypse! 
There are several reason why I really enjoy this show (the least of which it being a good experiment in suppressing my "need for realism" reflex!) First and foremost is the fact that the creators took great pains to really consider the psychological and societal impact such a disaster would create.  Also the effect it would have on an entire generation being raised by parents who remember the before but must exist in a pre-industrial age.  Intermingled everywhere are familiar remnants,  re-purposed for practical use.  From coat hangers to Dodge Neon's being pulled by Oxen.  Militia men resorting to using Flintlock riffles as it is easier to forge an iron ball then find a jacketed bullet.   An entire village seeking shelter in a gutted out track side tenement comprised completely of children as their parents were massacred for displaying an American Flag and have digressed to a distrusting of adults "Lord of the Flies" mentality (a subtle slap at modern day youths digressing when raised in broken homes) .  In the opening episode we see one of the main characters Aaron Pitman (Zak Orth) a former Google executive, now residing in the small agrarian community with the Mathesons (formerly a cul-de-sac in a once prominent "gated community") works as a teacher for the communities less then appreciative youth.  His lecture to them regarding the demise of electric power not only sets up the audience with a little back story but also shows the rapid decay that would occur in fundamental knowledge when faced with the oppressive need of day to day survival.  Another scene in episode 4 "The Plague Dogs"  I found very intriguing was when Danny Matheson (Graham Rogers) the abducted brother is being taken by Militia men to Noblesville, Indiana when he see signs of a storm coming.  He alerts  Captain Neville (Giancarlo Espodito) that they best take shelter, and after some condescending remarks are cast regarding being "scared of thunder" 18 year old Danny states "You didn't feel the shift in the air?"  What's intriguing is the creators took the time to contemplate what fundamental changes would be inherent in a generation born of this retro world.  Danny, having been only three when the lights went out grew up in a world not hindered by the trappings of modernization.  Unencumbered by so much auditory and visual distractions, living off the land and truly communing with his surroundings had resurfaced the suggested natural empathy humanity has within itself.  A trait still found in many primitive tribes alive today.  His warning of course bore fruit in the way of a rapidly forming Tornado. 
I also appreciate the fact that the antagonists in this show are NOT two dimensional.  As their personal stories unfold you quickly realize that these were just normal people suddenly thrust over the brink of desperation. Men in dirty three piece suits threatening to kill children if the parents don't relinquish their food.  Wandering groups of looters preying on the weak, true Darwinism.   Those grasping at positions within the militia, for some personal gain.  Some the need for inclusion and relative security.  The evolution of the mild mannered insurance investigator Neville is particularly compelling, asking the question "how far would a man go in order to ensure the safety of his family", not to mention some very suppressed feelings of subjugation brought on by malice and ill treatment by his once contemporaries  (Gincarlo ALL WAYS brings a GREAT performance to this tortured type of character!)  Some reluctantly thrust by a sense of duty into taking up position to fill the power void with initially the noblest of intentions but quickly the old adage "absolute power corrupts, absolutely" reveals it's true definition.  With the ever evolving storyline, further tidbits of history leaked and teasers  of other provinces (not to mention the California Territories being run by Governor Affleck!  See...HE'S EVERYWHERE!!!)   It's true horrific appeal is that unlike any other fanciful Armageddon, or alien occupation this eventual reality eludes us by only  the slightest of delicate threads.  The unlikelihood of a world wide TOTAL collapse of power not withstanding, a loss of natural resources, fuel and therefore food and water is not so hard to imagine.  That's what really makes this story unnerving but a genuine thrill to watch unfold!
Check it out on Netflix, second season coming in September!