The DSR, Welcome to the Black Hole - 1.01

Before I get to any actual reviewing, let me just say that I came to DSR with some skepticism. Not on Tony’s part, but on mine. I had eyeballed the series for some time, as I have most other MZP staples, and was hesitant to read because my mind is virgin to any Alias material, except for one episode I caught randomly. Once I read this, I think I found it to be more of a blessing. If there were any things that were similar to Alias, they they were novelty to me. Another thing that probably helped in how much I liked this episode, and man did I like it, was the fact that I am also not a Lost watcher. I knew both Jai and Kendall were portrayed by Lost actors, but I had no notions of what the characters in said show were like. I had nothing to compare them to.

One more thing, I tend to review in a random way. I go with certain things I found important and just explain how I feel about it. I don’t feel I have much knowledge to make a cleverly outlineD review that talks about structure, pace, and whatnot.

Teaser: There possibly couldn’t have been a better start. The teaser perfectly gives Jai his motive. There is no time wasted in establishing a connection with the three characters, they are already family. It’s a great choice, as opposed to two random mercenary partners. We know that this guy is a thief, but we also know he’s destined for some form of greatness, and the teasers sets him on the path.

Jai: I am not sold on Jai as being this great leader. To me, he shows the qualities of a great fighter, an asset to the team, but his hatred for Glissman and wanting revenge gets the best of his, and that’s not good. I guess Ethan would agree with me. Why does Kendell trust him so much? Does he know something that we don’t? Kendell goes on about how Jai’s experience in covert ops and stealth will help the team, yet we don’t get to see any of it. I think it would have helped me accept Jai as a capable leader if we had seen Jai planning the invasions, or giving Mia or Anton some pointers. I’m sure he will end up being a great leader, but I’m just not sold at this point.

Nazi-Love: No, I don’t love Nazis, but I am extremely impressed with Glissman, his Blonde Men, and the entire mystery. The fact that it is based in something real, just makes it more real. Redundant, but it’s true. Just why was Connor kept for so long? What is the energy transfer all about? This ‘arc’ has some great beginnings. Also, it does help that Glissman’s minions were named Blonde Men. I mean, they are Nazis, so it’s a given that they are all Aryan-like and what not, but just the fact that you named them Blonde Men is amusing.

Ethan: He’s supposed to come off as this by-the-book, annoying pratt, but I really liked him. All the points he brought up were valid. If I were in his position, I would react entirely the same. I just really hope he doesn’t keep singing the exact same bitter-tune for the entire show, falling into that on-the-team enemy stereotype.

Overall, I enjoyed the episode very much. Actions shows are not something a readily watch, or read, so it was a nice change of pace. The exposition was heavy early on, so I found myself confused a bit. Yeah, too much exposition seems to turn my brain off. Once we got passed that, though, it was smooth sailing. The last showdown with Glissman has me saying, “I saw this coming,” but the fact that Connor was found and the magic aspect kept it interesting. I’ll be tuning in for the next episode.

---------------------