Imagine that you’re going about your day driving down the roads of Los Angeles, and suddenly a sinkhole appears, swallowing you whole and transferring you to fantasy land, thus separating you from the world. This is the plot of the new NBC show, La Brea.
The premise of the show sounds a lot like the legendary tv show Lost. NBC wants to deliver us something similar to that with their touch. But the question is, will they be able to deliver it?
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La Brea – an engaging premise
There is no doubt that the premise is highly engaging. If you are a fan of lost or other disaster sci-fi genres, then you will be heavily invested in the plot when you first hear about it. The trailer did a great job of having viewers get hooked on the show. The opening sequences and shots looked promising and had an element of real mystery to them.
Impressive star cast of La Brea
The show has an impressive star cast. Actors like Zyra Gorecki, Natalie Zea, and Eoin Macken will undoubtedly steal the show with their acting skills. However, our opinion regarding the rest of the actors is mixed.
The pilot – A promising start or a terrible first impression?
La Brea season 1 summary
Now let’s review the first episode that aired on September 28. The episode begins with the opening shot of Los Angeles with its usual traffic and bustle. Eve Harris (Natalie Zea) is seen driving her teenage kids Izzy (Zyra Gorecki) and Josh (Jack Martin), to school while they lament about Eve’s divorce from their dad, Gavin (Eoin Macken).
Soon, the pavement starts to give away as a giant sinkhole opens up and swallows the unfortunate. Josh and Eve fall into this abyss while Izzy remains on the surface. Elsewhere, we see Gavin being tormented by the visions of ancient plains and, well, giant birds. When he hears about the news, he immediately goes to the scene to locate Izzy.
Eve wakes up in a field and looks for help. While searching for other people, she drops her wedding ring. This is where we meet Ty Coleman (Chiké Okonkwo). They run into all kinds of stuff that fell into this primeval abyss. They soon find Josh as well.
We are introduced to other characters in the show, such as Dr. Sam Velez (Jon Seda), a surgeon and a former Navy SEAL, his daughter Riley (Veronica St. Clair), Marybeth Hayes (Karina Logue), an LAPD detective, and Scott Israni (Rohan Mirchandaney), a stoner who prefers to get high rather than face reality.
Gigantic CGI wolves chase them. Ty shoots one of them down as it bites Josh. Josh begins to bleed, and the group tries to save his life. On the ground, the city is attacked by massive birds that pop out of the sinkhole, just like the dreams of Gavin. Gavin contacts the government to try to get help from them.
Our review on La Brea Season 1
Right off the bat, we want to say that the CGI is not as realistic as it should be. Gavin has the cliche “I know you guys won’t believe me but trust me” moments on the surface. He even finds Eve’s ring, which god knows how ended up on the surface.
The audience has given the show somewhat mixed reviews. The saber-tooth tiger shown at the end of the drama isn’t scientifically accurate, even though many people might not care about scientific accuracy in a tv show.
Our final take? Well, we think you should watch the next episode to get the gist of the show. The pilot could be much better but let’s give the writers the benefit of the doubt.