It's called "The Event" and within the first minute of the pilot episode, a character on this show screams, "SOMETHING'S HAPPENING!" So it would be silly to expect subtlety here. The viewer should not smell the desperation so soon.
I've already decided I hate it, yet I'm going to keep watching. Why? Because of a sneaky paradox: Lost trained me to be better at watching tv, gave me a set of higher standards for how tv should perform, then went away and made me so lonesome for anything Lost-like that I'm willing to watch utter crap.
I hope very much that I'm mistaken, but when does any show's labored dialogue and condescending score (a seemingly peaceful family scene with sudden ominous violin music, and the surprise of what comes next is ruined) - get better after the pilot? This shit is only going to go downhill.
The Event is a cheat. My internet was all abuzz about how similar in tone it was to Lost. This is true only in the shallowest of comparisons: it has a big cast whose stories intertwine, it makes frequent use of flashbacks, and leaves the viewer wondering what the fuck is going on. Oh and there's that airplane that poofs out of existence, STOP IT, EMBARRASSING, at least tell me you sent JJ Abrams a thank-you note.
Because I miss Lost like I miss George Saunders' next book, I indulge in the junk food. I tried to like Flash Forward and Fringe. I even gave The 4400 a shot, forgive me. And I will watch The Event, for a while, because Lost made me a sucker for all things WTF.
But WTF is not enough. And even though Fitz and the limpy lesbian from ER and the hottie from Gilmore Girls co-star in this, giving me little gleams of enjoyment, ultimately I require more value from my entertainment, and I have confidence that on the whole, modern tv is getting smarter and smarter. Just not this time.
