Pilot Screener Review - Past-Life

PAST-LIFE (script review: Past-Life)

Status: Midseason on Fox (currently Tuesdays post-American Idol)

If you recall from my script review, I had some hopes for this pilot, but my doubts clouded them. The concept is too far out there and seems too specific to hit it mainstream (or leap beyond formulaic crap draped in a weird science-fiction-y premise).

Those doubts remain.

As do my hopes.

This will be a show I'll be watching just to see if it can meet or exceed any sort of expectations and elevate itself from being a formula show. I found the two leads (Kelli Giddish and Nicholas Bishop) charming and likable, and felt they had strong chemistry that will, undoubtedly, lead to some heavy UST. There's just the right balance between them of believe and doubt, which helped this viewer buy more into the conceit... even if the show definitely lands on the "this is all real, deal with it doubters" side. As, y'know, there wouldn't be a show if the client wasn't actually having past-life regression memories that lead to a solved murder (as well as a simultaneous kidnapping)

But is that what the show will be every week? Someone with a tragic past-life comes in having nightmares or memories or whatever, the team solves a Cold Case by investigating and causing triggers that set off further memories when they hit a road block, yadda yadda yadda?

If so... I'll lose interest quickly in what could've made a very entertaining episode of Fringe, but has to survive as a series unto itself.

I was sad to see the scripted memory from Kate (Kelli Giddish's character) about her own past-life with Price (Nicholas Bishop's character) gone from the pilot... but I assume that just means it's something that will be eventually explored and revealed in series, instead of put up front in the pilot.