Revolution Pilot Review

Revolution is a new drama series on NBC created by Eric Kripke (known for creating the television show Supernatural). The show is set fifteen years after an event where all electricity (including batteries) stopped working and hasn’t come back on. No cars, planes, lights, etc. As you might expect, the world has broken down and most of the population has died off in the fifteen years since the event.

Revolution, at least in the first episode directed by Jon Favreau, focuses on the Matheson family as “Charlie” Matheson (played by Tracy Spiridakos) searches for help from her uncle Miles (played by Billy Burke). During the episode we get a glimpse at what the world of Revolution is like. Things look a lot like the History channel show, Life After People. There are a lot of gangs and people to avoid, even the authorities of the area Charlie and her companions are travelling through, the Monroe Republic.

Being a big fan of the Emberverse (or Change) novels by S.M. Stirling (the first is Dies the Fire), I was really looking forward to watching the pilot of Revolution. I was able to catch it for free before airing on NBC.com (and later able to download it off iTunes for free). I am happy to say that I enjoyed the pilot. There were the nods to all of the usual post-apocalyptic clichés such as giving all of your cash for some toilet paper. Speaking of which, the Target toilet paper ad during the airing of the show online was inspired and very funny.

I was also pleasantly surprised that Revolution is something different than the Emberverse novels. Guns work along with some other things I won’t mention. It all leaves you wondering if the event may not be permanent for the world of Revolution. I hope that the answers won’t be long in coming and other questions will be posed to replace those that are answers.

I am looking forward to the second episode and learning more about the Matheson family. I will have to see if I can watch them online or if I will need to buy them off iTunes. Either way, I will be watching. Revolution (pilot) gets four Mick Happies. Now I am off to plan my apocalypse stash of ammunition, water and toilet paper. (It’s something my family and I discuss fairly regularly while going through the grocery store or Target).