Persons Unknown - NBC Summer Miniseries from the screenwriter of The Usual Suspects (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

Could the soldier be any more of a cliche? There's no there there. Otherwise, I liked the episode. I enjoy the way the manipulations turn human weaknesses against the captives.


I think it'd be far more interesting if Renbe actually is the husband. It'd certainly explain why he's so obsessed with this case. Otherwise, the holding pattern of Renbe pursuing the mystery, getting threatened, stopping pursuit appears as if it will continue indefinitely.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I just got used to this show being on at 10 PM, and now they move it to 8 PM. Damn.


Doozy of an ending tonight. The secret concrete interrogation room with the Chinese Restaurant guy who's as American as apple pie coupled with the reveal of the obvious -- that Joe's the plant.

 

[ScottH]

Yeah wasn't surprised by that at all. That might be the last episode for me, I'm not sure. I do have a mild interest in what the hell is going on, but I really have no interest in any of the characters and the writing is terrible. This entire episode just seemed completely pointless until the reveal at the end.


And if the taxi cab can get through the magic wall with 2 of the captives in it, why couldn't the rest of them go through it with them? And how did they get back in? The wall knows which direction you're coming from?

 

[PhilipG]

Well, I'm still enjoying this show as a (decent) new version of The Prisoner. I have no problems with the dialogue. Maybe the direction is a little flat, is all. And a pity Alan Ruck's character couldn't finish the job on the "car salesman"...

Originally Posted by ScottH

And if the taxi cab can get through the magic wall with 2 of the captives in it, why couldn't the rest of them go through it with them? And how did they get back in? The wall knows which direction you're coming from?

It's clear to me that, since everyone's on camera, the bad guys know when a car needs to get through the barrier and so can turn it off and on as appropriate.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

Persons Unknown Exiled To Saturday; The Forgotten Final 2 Episodes">Dead Show News: Persons Unknown Exiled To Saturday; The Forgotten Final 2 Episodes

NBC’s ratings loser Person’s Unknown will air on Monday for the last time on July 5, and will move to the Siberia of Saturday at 8pm beginning on July 17.

 

[Robert A. Willis Jr.]

Well at least they are showing the final 2 episodes.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

I can't really get into the show, but I posted the news for fans of the show. I was never a fan of the Prisoner, either. I don't enjoy being frustrated every week. I think about a show like "Lost" which also had disappointments (remember trying to leave on the raft?), but that didn't affect me the same way. I think it's because with Lost, there wasn't just the overall goal (getting off the island) but many smaller goals where the Losties succeeded. Persons Unknown (and The Prisoner), feel like just a bunch of failures until the ultimate final success. It's a bit of a bummer on a weekly basis.

 

[James_Kiang]

You're referring to 2 episodes of The Forgotten, right? How many episodes is PU supposed to run?


EDIT: This is referring to Robert's post. I meant to quote him but hit reply instead.

 

[Patrick Sun]

This show would be so much better if it was played at 2x speed, with the Benny Hill theme music playing in the background.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I'm still digging it. Every hour introduces something new to change our perceptions of the overall puzzle. The outside world stuff, while still not terribly compelling, was made instantly better by the revelation that Renby is the former Mr. Cooper. And I think the show would be doing better in the ratings if the advertising had prominently previewed the introduction of Battlestar Galactica beauty Kandyse McClure. Her role on this show is a complete stereotype, as most of the characters are, but it's fascinating to watch since none of her previous performances had even a wiff of urban ghetto.


The characterizations may be rudimentary, but this is easily the bravest piece of summer programming NBC has launched in years. I love the way the show subverts the audience's expectations, without really cheating.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

I kept thinking I recognized the new character from somewhere, but I couldn't place her. Even though she was familiar, now that I know who she is, she looked different. Smaller. I never realized she was that small. The character being so different from BSG also contriutes to why I couldn't place her. She also looked convincingly psychotic in some of those scenes. I love acting that involves inhabiting a character rather than basically being yourself and reading lines while emoting a bit.


The character started so far out there and stayed there for so long that it was jarring to me how quickly she went from that to a member of the club. She went from, "I'll slit her throat," to, "I got your back no matter what." And it wasn't just the words. It was the total change in outlook and demeanor. It was explained within the episode, but I still found it jarring.


As for subverting the audience's expectations, I'm having difficult recalling any expectations I've had watching the show. It's pretty much an open book to me. I have few conscious guesses about where this is all going. There have been at least 2 major surprises, and the big picture continues to unfold, but I'm not sure what you mean by expectations.

 

[John_Lee]

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt

Her role on this show is a complete stereotype, as most of the characters are, but it's fascinating to watch since none of her previous performances had even a wiff of urban ghetto.

There's stereotyping, and then there's 'Birth of a Nation.' That was some whacked out shit there.

 

[Robert A. Willis Jr.]

How would you feel if you were executed and then resurrected? I think her recovery was very quick, but the series ends (Does it really?) real soon now.


If the series really comes to an adequate conclusion, it won't be very fulfilling. I think it will short and dirty and leave many questions unanswered.

 

[ScottH]

Originally Posted by Robert A. Willis Jr.

If the series really comes to an adequate conclusion, it won't be very fulfilling. I think it will short and dirty and leave many questions unanswered.

The question is, will anyone even care?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by Robert A. Willis Jr.

but the series ends (Does it really?) real soon now.


If the series really comes to an adequate conclusion, it won't be very fulfilling. I think it will short and dirty and leave many questions unanswered.

The series doesn't end that soon, since the show will be running on Saturdays through early September. We've seen less than half of the episodes. Whatever ending they come up with has to be better than the abysmal ending for Syfy's equally mysterious "The Lost Room" a few years back.

 

[Chris Lockwood]

Is NBC trying to lose viewers? Had no idea this show moved to Saturday but did wonder why it wasn't on last night.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

They've pretty much thrown in the towel on the show. I'm just happy they're letting the series run to its conclusion.

 

[Robert A. Willis Jr.]

Actually, it seems to getting more interesting. Many of the characters are a bit more three dimensional

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Good episode last night. A real zinger of an ending last night, with Tom discovering that the Powers That Be have introduced an even more unstable element to the mix than even he could have imagined. This has been perfect summer entertainment for me.

 

[Phil Taylor]

I've been enjoying the show so far - but they're REALLY stretching the "suspension of disbelief" factor lately ... the reporter looked nothing like a priest with shaggy hair and a week's growth of beard ... and the anti-freeze down the drain scene was pretty silly in concept as well.

But summer TV is pretty slim pickins so I'll stick with it - it's interesting enough to keep watching ... despite its incredulity....