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Persons Unknown

post #1 of 116
Thread Starter 
Caught the first ep On Demand. Seems like it wants to be another off-brand Lost rip with a Saw twist, with some iffy characters, writing, and acting... but for some reason I want to keep watching. Christopher McQuarrie is writing/producing, so maybe it won't be total shit? Anyone else watching this?
post #2 of 116
I watched the first one and I am temporarily hooked. I like a mystery and TV pickings are slim right now anyhow.
post #3 of 116
Yeah, I caught this the other night and was underwhelmed.

I'll keep watching, as prime time is a wasteland right now, but my expectations are pretty low. The Lost / Saw vibe is enough to raise my interest.
post #4 of 116
I too saw the Saw vibe in this show. At first I figured it was going to be another terrible NBC show. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised though.
post #5 of 116
Hmmm this is sitting on my DVR, will have to check it out.
post #6 of 116
yeah more than a little redundant, but worthy of my tv time at the moment, imo.
post #7 of 116
I'm actually eagerly awaiting the next episode. Although the main characters were a little generic, the mystery is actually very interesting. If the second episode is as good as the first, this might become my favorite new show.
post #8 of 116
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrSaxon View Post
Although the main characters were a little generic, the mystery is actually very interesting.
Yeah, one episode in it looks like:

-plucky heroine who just wants to get back to her daughter but she may be hiding something
-mysterious loner hero type who may be hiding something
-tough, resourceful soldier
-party girl
-highly strung guy who will probably be the first to snap
-slightly odd lady who knows all about sedative implants and appears to be hiding something

BUT I do want to see where this is going.
post #9 of 116
Dude, the Womans mother is totally in on the kidnappings somehow.
post #10 of 116
She definately might be one of "them", but she's being monitored too, so I dunno. Also, do you think there is a mole among the group? Normally I'd say yes, for sure, but there are already other people in this thing that isn't part of their group, like the chinese people and the nightwatchman. Maybe a mole isn't really necessary?
post #11 of 116
I'm watching but just get a bad vibe from this show for some reason. Also since McQuarrie is behind this I can only assume this is his version of the Stanford Prison Experiment. I mean he was originally going to make a movie of that correct?
post #12 of 116
I don't think they could be more obvious about the psychologist chick having the hots for the Blonde.
post #13 of 116
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teitr Styrr View Post
She definately might be one of "them", but she's being monitored too, so I dunno. Also, do you think there is a mole among the group? Normally I'd say yes, for sure, but there are already other people in this thing that isn't part of their group, like the chinese people and the nightwatchman. Maybe a mole isn't really necessary?
The people at the restaurant and the hotel guy are just hired help though, I don't think they count as outsiders because it looks like they're in the dark too. I'm pretty sure there is a mole, and it's either Ruck or his car salesman buddy.
post #14 of 116
I don't think it's either of them -- why would they sneak off by themselves to torture Hotel Guy, against the wishes of the rest of the gang? I'd bet Used Car Salesman doesn't make it to the last episode alive.

Last episode was OK, still not great. LOLed at the Marine using his bare hands to find the microwave barrier. Why couldn't he use a wet stick, or a cat or something?

I hope all these "monitoring" shots are consistent. I hope there are really cameras in Evil Mom's house, and it's not just a throwaway gimmick shot.

I'll keep watching, but a lot of the acting is painful. I still can't believe these people have been trapped for a couple of days and haven't bothered to find out each other's back stories.
post #15 of 116
Still watching. Yeah, the marine using his hands was kinda silly, but him doing it all alone with no one else watching rules him out from being a mole. The two idiots beating up the night watchman rules them out. Woman with daughter is ruled out, we've seen her story. That leaves mercenary Joe, psycho Moria, or Barbie Doll. I think the first two are too obvious, so I'm going with Barbie if there is a mole.

I liked how the nigh watchman was back looking all dapper again when they got back to town. It was also pretty cool how the camera was just replaced quick-like when the woman shot it. It looks like "they" have dealt with that reaction before.
post #16 of 116
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slestak View Post
I don't think it's either of them -- why would they sneak off by themselves to torture Hotel Guy, against the wishes of the rest of the gang?
Because it's an "escape attempt" just for show? To make the other guy (and the rest of the group, and the audience) trust in him as just another victim, so that he can pull a twist later. I dunno, Ruck seems fishy to me.
post #17 of 116
I'm leaning towards "no mole" at this point. At this point, the only two people that can be ruled out are Single Mom and Barbie.*

I gotta say, though, there better not be some wimpy ransom bullshit behind all of this. If you are going to abduct, drug, and sequester seven strangers in a remote ghost town, implant tranqs in them, and surround everything with hi-tech military weapons, there better be some pretty serious stakes here, and so far the show has completely failed to address that.

*I honestly have no idea what most of these characters' names are. I'm at a point where I REALLY need some more background on these folks if I want to care about any of them. Cuz right now, I don't care what happens to them at all.
post #18 of 116
I kinda hope its something batshit insane. Something to do with ALIENS.
post #19 of 116
That would be crazy, but I'm hoping for something even more off the wall than aliens or the govment. I wonder if there might be a kind of Identity thing going on?
post #20 of 116
Well the van basically teleported back to the town, so there's either some hardcore sci-fi shit going on, or some hardcore alien shit going on, or some hardcore mind fucking going on. Either way that's more interesting than a simple kidnapping.
post #21 of 116
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teitr Styrr View Post
I wonder if there might be a kind of Identity thing going on?
Yeah, I thought this too.
post #22 of 116
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul755 View Post
I don't think they could be more obvious about the psychologist chick having the hots for the Blonde.

Mental Hospital lady is quite fickle!

So what to make of the pic at the end? The reporter guy is really that girl's husband but doesn't realize it/has amnesia? (valiant but futile attempt at a Lost style WTF ending there)
post #23 of 116
I think the pic is either a total photoshop job done by the detective to discredit the reporter. OR it's the reason the Reporter won't let the thing drop.
post #24 of 116
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I'm gonna go with "they" wiped his mind or something, and the reason he refuses to drop the case is because somewhere deep down he recognizes her.
post #25 of 116
Feel like I'm being led by the nose, and I don't like it. Still interested enough to keep watching though. The only worthwhile thing to talk about was the pic, and I guess I'm going with Disciple's read for now.

ETA: Hmm maybe not the only thing worth talking about. When cancerwife guy said to car salesman "You're not really a car salesman," and he answered "No, I'm not", I was a bit intrigued. That stuff was paraphrased.
post #26 of 116
Please oh please let it be aliens.

Re: the photo -- has to be a photoshop job. The only reason for its existence is to sideline Reporter.
post #27 of 116
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slestak View Post
I'm leaning towards "no mole" at this point.
Oh, and I guess I was wrong about this, based on the preview for next week.
post #28 of 116
Just caught up this weekend. Horribly acted, horribly written, but oddly intriguing. Almost the inverse of Lost, works best when focusing on the mystery and avoiding the character development.
post #29 of 116
The writing has steadily gotten worse just as the writers themselves have gotten (relatively) worse. We've gone from Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects/Valkyrie) to Remi Aubuchon (Caprica/From the Earth to the Moon) to Sandy Isaac (errrr, a couple episodes of that terrible show Wildfire, and uh...)

Hopefully tonight's is written by somebody with a degree of subtlety.
post #30 of 116
I'm still enjoying this, although I saw the end reveal coming about half-way through the episode because the only way those two would have made it back to the town like that was if one of them had been guiding them in its direction.
post #31 of 116
Tori's meltdown was not awful. Still the main story was insanely predictable, which makes me wonder if the predictability a trick to pull-off an amazing twist at the end or just really really REALLY dumb. The short life of the show is keeping me dialed in as it's the summer and it's entertaining enough for passive watching.
post #32 of 116
Only caught the end of the episode because they switched up the time on me. Came on at 7pm insted of the usual 9pm. I don't remember that being advertised either.

So it's like a government experiment type thing right.
post #33 of 116
That was better. Some genuine suspense, more subtle dialogue, and some much needed progression.
post #34 of 116
I don't know what the goal is, but I think there might be a handler / inmate kinda thing going on. Joe/Janet, Pyscho/Barbie, RichDude/NotCarSalesman. Not sure about soldier boy, maybe he is like a bouncer or something. Also not sure who is the handler with RichDude and NotCarSalesman. Also, most importantly, this probably is not what's going on. heh.
post #35 of 116
This show is terrible. If Reporter was married to Mom, doesn't the whole interview scene with Mom's mother get completely thrown out the window? And why does Mom like and trrust Loner Joe so much? He's done nothing to earn that. And what the hell was the whole point of the taxi ride to the cabin full of bees?

I kinda like your handler theory, TS.
post #36 of 116
The woman was estranged from her mother for years, she never met the reporter/husband.
post #37 of 116
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slestak View Post
This show is terrible. If Reporter was married to Mom, doesn't the whole interview scene with Mom's mother get completely thrown out the window? And why does Mom like and trrust Loner Joe so much? He's done nothing to earn that. And what the hell was the whole point of the taxi ride to the cabin full of bees?

I kinda like your handler theory, TS.
Because Janet was abused I don't think she spoke to her mother and so the mother never knew what the reporter looked like.

Her trusting Joe may come from him letting her out of her room in the beginning or that the script called for it.

The taxi ride was more of a test for her to see if she'd help Joe out of there or just leave him to certain death.

These are all guess. I got the sense that some of the people (including Janet) are being trained for something. What I have no clue.
post #38 of 116
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Murder View Post
The woman was estranged from her mother for years, she never met the reporter/husband.
But that's his kid, right? His kid that's being cared for by her abusive grandmother?
post #39 of 116
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jcassady View Post
The taxi ride was more of a test for her to see if she'd help Joe out of there or just leave him to certain death.
But she picked Joe to go with her. Again, why does she like him so much? Two weeks ago she pulled a gun on him.

And if she gets to pick who gets in the taxi with her, why Loner Joe, who has no one on the outside? Wouldn't she pick the guy with the dying wife he cares for, or the young girl? Or the trained soldier for protection?
post #40 of 116
Completely true. There is no real reason other than the script has been putting the two of them together.

It's funny that Janet got pissed at the not used car salesman for walking on by, but has pretty much at every opportunity acted in pure self-interest (up until Joe and the bees, as taking Joe was more about her having the person she liked best rather than who deserved or needed it most).
post #41 of 116
Apparently it's been yanked from the schedule, but I have no confirmation yet.
post #42 of 116
No, Dr. Murder! Say it aint so! Dagnabit, not a very good show really, but I was interested. Blah.
post #43 of 116
I read the time shift did the show no favors and it's on the cusp. However, it's been fully produced so it'd probably appear on hulu or nbc.com.
post #44 of 116
It's been murdered in the ratings (came in 4th this week, behind reruns of How I Met Your Mother and Rules of Engagement).

From what I understand, this show has been in the can for over a year (notice the 2009 copyright in the credits) and NBC picked it up on the cheap for a limited summer run. Sounds like they'll just dump it unceremoniously on DVD.

ETA: Or, as jcassady stated, wind up on hulu more likely.
post #45 of 116
Hulu would be good. I love Hulu. Or the NBC site. Whatever, I just want to know how it ends. So I can bitch about it.
post #46 of 116
Yeah, it was one of those international co-productions, right? Presumably cost them a fraction of an NBC produced series. I'm guessing it will air in full internationally, all your cancelled shows do. One advantage of a UK network buying the rights to your series, on rare occasions we can see the whole season before even you do (see: The Inside).
post #47 of 116
The whole thing was done in Mexico in conjunction with Fox (I believe), but they passed on it and NBC bought it last year.
post #48 of 116
It was Fox's international arm, which has made two other series that were DOA in the US. But the primary intent is international sale.
post #49 of 116
Ah yeah, it was Fox. Fuck Defying Gravity man, fuck it. Where's my Virtuality.
post #50 of 116
Well, it's not gone completely. It's being moved to the Saturday night graveyard for the rest of its run. Supposedly.
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