TV Review: Surface Episode 1.02

Monday, September 26, 2005

Surface comes at us tonight with a second episode that might even be better than its premiere, and that was good. This week picks up where last week left off. Last week, something unexplainable was found in the waters of our planet, and it looked like more were coming from wherever it came from. Miles Bennett, a teenager living at home, has found a batch of eggs belonging to one of the creatures and brings it home, placing it in his aquarium. Well, this might not have been the smartest of moves because the egg hatches, all his fish die, and then whatever creature came out of the egg breaks through the fish tank and is let loose in the house. Oceanographer Laura Daughtery sees one of the creatures when going down under the water's surface as part of her scientific research, and diver Rich Connelly gets an up close at the creature when him and his brother are diving near an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana.

On this episode, Miles has captured the creature, and his friend finds a way to hide him in his sister's playhouse. The creature looks pretty harmless as an infant, but in reality it is anything but harmless. We cut to a scene where a man is in his lighthouse when strange noises are heard. The man goes to investigate, and the noises get progressively louder until they are so loud they bust the glass of the lighthouse windows, break the light, and cause the man great pain. We see the creature swimming away, and it is huge. Definitely not something to mess with.

Last week, a whale carcass had been found in South Carolina. Well, turns out that the carcass is no sperm whale, but the first of these new creatures to die. An autopsy is performed on the animal, and we learn it is a mammal. Much like dolphins. This ain't no Flipper though! The discovery of the carcass sets Dr. Laura Doherty into action. She flies out from her home in California with her son, and we also learn that Rich is also on his way to see what is up with the carcass found.

Once the two reach the area, they learn that an evacuation is in place. FEMA is ordering an evacuation due to a Red Tide, which is something that kills all the fish in the area. A government cover-up perhaps? Both Rich and Laura are determined to get on the beach where the whale carcass had washed up. Rich runs out onto the beach, and he is taken down by army personnel. Everyone in the area is then taken into custody.

Rich and Laura meet up while in custody, and soon learn they have seen the same creature. After a bit of a separation due to the government and the CDC, they find their way back to each other, and make it back to the beach. Laura finds a type of fish that latches itself onto carcasses, and cuts it open in order to see what is inside, and it appears it has digested part of the creature. She takes the specimen back home to California to investigate, but she soon learns she is out of a job. The government has shut her down as a result of her trip to South Carolina.

Back with Miles, we learn that his parents are heading off on a vacation, leaving him and his sister alone in the house with our new little friend. Soon after they leave, his sister Savannah decides to throw a little party. A little party turns into a big party, and she decides to grab the boy of her choice for a little one on one party. Where does she decide to hold this party? In her playhouse. Not smart. The creature has escaped the cooler Miles and his friend had put him in, and Savannah gets an up close look at the creature before it runs off through her party. Savannah wants to tell their parents about the creature, but Miles holds the fact that she had a party while they were gone over her head. The creature is now moved into the house and placed into the bathtub. Miles also quickly learns the creature, which he has named Nimrod, likes to eat live food more than dead food.

Now what about our scientists working on the autopsy of the carcass? Well, they have their own problems to deal with when the carcass explodes, and what is inside the carcass ends up all over one of the doctors. He is severely injured, and it is unclear whether or not he'll be okay. We keep returning to see scenes of this doctor in the hospital while we also see the scientists discussing the creature. By the end of the episode, the injured doctor appears to be completely healed.

We learn so much here just by watching. Apparently this creature has made its way worldwide, and it is killing people. Did anyone else notice the map on the wall during one of the final scenes of the episode? This creature has been all over the globe, and it is getting more and more violent with each appearance. The creature makes one more final appearance by the end of the episode. A shark fishing trip goes horribly wrong near the Great Barrier Reef which is way south of where this creature had been sighted previously. They catch the shark, but when they try to pull it up, they find the shark half-eaten. The final scene shows us the creature jumping out under the boat and eating it whole! Good-bye boat!

As I said at the beginning of this review, this episode might even better than the first episode. The show is a bit slow, but it is building. Then scenes like the one at the end of tonight's episode make you jump out of your seat. Out of the three shows that premiered this season dealing with some unknown entity, in this case the sea creature, Surface has grabbed me more. I am beginning to love the characters. Laura is more real and accessible to me as a single mother working to make ends meet while working at a job she loves. Same with Rich. His wife gets on my nerves though.

The creature itself is another thing I am loving. On one hand, we have the innocent infant, and on the other hand we see the evil it can become. Very interesting here. Something tells me this show has a lot more in store for us. For those that missed the first two episodes of this show and you want to join in, looks like NBC is re-airing them this Saturday night. Nothing in my listings, but it scrolled across the bottom while the show was on. So check for that in your local listings. Also appears Sci-fi channel is airing this show as well. Caught a repeat of the premiere late night last night, so check your local listings once again for this in your area. I definitely recommend giving this show a chance. I'm enjoying the ride so far.

To read more about what I think of this show check for my 9/28 entry over on Thoughts from the couch.