I watched the first two episodes and like the premise. But it’s too poorly acted and plotted / silly, though the best line definitely goes to the nerdy, bearded guy who says that the blackout “totally cornholed the laws of nature.” The world itself doesn’t make enough sense; they should read Tolkien’s “On Fairy Stories,” Umberto Eco, and SF / fantasy writers on the subject of creating a world.
Everyone in the show is too well-coiffed and scrubbed; people underestimate just how dirty life was before consistent running water and good plumbing. In agrarian and hunter-gatherer societies, virtually all healthy post-pubescent women are / would be continuously pregnant or breastfeeding. It’s also unlikely that enough food could be grown to support large, standing armies, like the one led by the villain with the silver pistol. Very few women would be effective in hand-to-hand or sword combat against men because of the size/strength differential. Notice how in a show and book like Game of Thrones, very few women engage in direct fighting (with the exception of Brienne of Tarth, who is uncommonly strong). Men are larger, heavier, and generally more muscular than women; the average male has about twice the overall strength of the average female. None of these issues on their own are fatal, but taken together they destroy the show’s realism.
On a technical level, a lot of the music is schlocky and sounds like TV music; good TV music shouldn’t sound that way. The actress who plays Charlie is extraordinarily bad, or she’s been thrust into a situation where she’s doing the best she can with the material she’s got.
The Story's Story 
Things that bothered me about the pilot:
1) The fat guy! If he survived all these years he would have turned into a lean man with much harder attitude.
2) Free women! I was so happy when they were attacked in the airplane, because a voice was screaming in my head: WHAT ABOUT THE RAPISTS!
3) A standing army period! Actually barbarian armies were much bigger than civilized armies (the Romans used to fight a 100,000 Gauls with less than 10,000 legionaries) but dispersed quickly, my problem is that they looked like they have standard issue equipments, maybe Chinese factories weren’t affected by the blackout.
4) Too much nature! What happened to all the concrete? They should have filmed in derelict, factories and maybe in outer Detroit or somewhere like that.
Plus the whole mystery of the USB Key. I remember watching the pilot of Lost with great excitement up until the end when the black thing appears, that was the last episode I watched. It is like these writers are still in kindergarten with their hands closed claiming to have a secret.
LikeLike
I’ve read a few reviews criticizing Revolution, but this is a unique perspective. I was talking to a friend I work with at DISH, and we agree with you that the first episodes were poorly executed. There was a noticeable improvement in the third episode, though. I just watched it this morning on my Hopper DVR, which recorded Revolution and the other big four prime time networks using Primetime Anytime (I love not setting timers), and the storyline and acting are evolving. Also, in the show’s defense, there isn’t an extreme amount of women going up against men in sword fights (the main character uses a crossbow) and I doubt that society would degenerate so quickly in 15 years that women would once again be continuously pregnant. Regardless, you’re mostly right, the show is unrealistic. But what TV show isn’t? Revolution has potential; I’ll tune in for a few more weeks to see how things go.
LikeLike
A much better show dealing with similar material was Jericho, and an even better show running now is The walking Dead.
To point out more bull in this show, the muskets. Why would they go back to using muskets? Did people forget how to reload? Heck even in the old west when electricity and cool electronic gadgets didn’t exist they manufactured cartridges for rifles and pistols. The colt repeating rifle was developed during that period. Another weapon developed even earlier around the time of the civil war was the gatling gun which also used cartridges. Why would these people be using muskets?
LikeLike
I love the premise of the movie and the idea of it. I, however, hate how the actors clothes are so perfect, they wear make-up, have nice hair, perfectly even shaves etc. There has been no factory to dye to make new clothes, their clothes should be ragged and torn. Charlie in particular looks lie she’s wearing a model’s get-up throughout their endeavors. Its so blatantly ridiculous and in your face I can’t even focus on the awesome storyline. Other shows like the Walking Dead capture the torn, dirty look that they would have in that setting. Also the shear bad-assery of some of the characters isn’t cool, its impossible. In a scene where Norah, Miles, and Jim lay waste to 30+ trained militia… nonsense. I just zone out during such scenes because its so stupid. Also it would be nice if they taught the actress for Charlie how to operate a rifle. In one scene she runs around with a assault rifle, wily nilly, holding it way out of the shoulder pocket firing wildly, not looking down the scope. Doing this, she manages to destroy a dozen TRAINED militiamen. This 16 yr old girl who has only held a automatic rifle twice prior and has no training can do that? Come on. This show has a few parts that could be so much better. If they were fixed I would be able to watch without getting frustrated. I don’t want to insult the makers, but it seems like they were lazy on some of the finer details. Finer details that could turn a show from a classic must-see to a show that frustrates people in stopping watching.
LikeLike