After finding the Powers pilot to be a mixed bag, “Like A Power” does very little to quell my fears thanks to uneven pacing, unrelatable characters, and a script that does little to offer much exposition.
Take for example the opening scene of the episode. We pick up exactly where we left off last, with Walker on the rooftop after being saved by Retrogirl. He’s greeted by a spirited old security guard who talks about their past together. The relationship that they hint at is interesting but never clarified. Instead it offers an awkward level of exposition that doesn’t clarify but instead confounds.
I’m feeling a little lost in the world of Powers. Full disclosure, I’m not really acquainted with the comic series in which it shares its namesake, and for what it’s worth that doesn’t really seem to matter. The show is distinctly different after the initial set up. But, after a pilot steeped in over-exposition this episode felt like a complete 180.
The basics of every character’s motivation are offered, and while I understand narratively it makes no sense for Johnny Royale’s plans to be completely revealed, they aren’t eve given any real context. But I digress.
The mystery around Calista deepens. Everyone seems to be playing around her character and in a way it offers a lens on the idea of powers like no other character could. But, even when put against the iconic Retro Girl, Calista just spouts the things we knew about her before. She’s a ball of lies, and Retro Girl is a bitchy alpha female who dismisses anything she says in an effort to get Walker involved. But even when Walker gets involved, Retro Girl then doesn’t want to hand her off.
The history of Retro Girl and Christian Walker is interesting at a glance. But, again we learn nothing new about them in this episode that would otherwise add depth to their interactions.
The one saving grace of “Like A Power” is the developments undergone by Deena Pilgrim’s character. She’s feisty and determined and even takes charge in a powers arrest. Although she doesn’t quite have the necessary powers smarts to be strong in this world yet, teaming with Walker will eventually make her into a dominant member of the powers unit.
I can’t help but feel this show was made on a shoestring budget, and it shows. It has a less than cinematic feel. With an idea like this, the cinematography should be grand and detailed. Instead every single scene feels bland and generic. There are so many concrete walls or smooth “futuristic” settings that nothing seems to stand out. The color correction is nothing to write home about, and visually the show falls flat.
That wouldn’t be such a problem if everything didn’t look so cheap. I’ve personally been on student sets that look better than these. I don’t know if it’s a product of a limited time or what, but the special effects are about one step above The Secret World of Alex Mack.
This causes a rift for me. It ruins my suspension of disbelief and causes me to second guess everything. But more than the budget I can’t shake the idea that Sharlto Copley is miscast as Christian Walker.
I love Copley. I think he’s a tremendous actor with a lot of range, but here he feels trapped in shallow motivation. His character never really moves past the initial ide of losing his powers. He’s not an overly good cop, and he’s not overly charismatic. He’s actually quite loathsome. He doesn’t have much in the way of redeeming qualities, and despite the other characters telling us all the time; we know nothing of his days as a hero. I get it; the antihero is in right now. But, the best antiheros have a shrewd of humanity or vulnerability. Walker doesn’t have either.
Powers for me is a grand experiment, that is stumbling out of the gate. It’s by no means a bad show, but it is tonally inconsistent and narratively a mess. It doesn’t have any visual appeal at all, and somehow doesn’t do anything to define itself outside of bringing gore to the superhero drama. I want this to be good, but it just isn’t there yet.
Let’s hope “Mickey Rooney Cries No More” is a little more focused and begins to address the problems I outlined.
What do you think of Powers so far?
Am I being too hard on it?
For those of you still not watching, here’s what you’re missing: