TV Review: Surface Episode 1.07

Monday, November 07, 2005

From NBC: Dr. Lee (Ian Anthony Dale) gives a small account of Cirko's death to his superiors, concluding that it was a necessity in the long run, before revealing a new and budding clue in this investigation. Laura (Lake Bell) and Rich (Jay R. Ferguson) enlist the help of Jackson (Austin Nichols) when her home is mysteriously ransacked by strangers, sending the trio under the radar and up the coast. Meanwhile, Nim's uncontrollable behavior forces Miles (Carter Jenkins) and Phil (Eddie Hassell) to steal a pizza delivery car and lead the police on a chase to the beach where Miles lets Nim go in the ocean. Nim reluctantly swims away and Miles turns back to the shore where his parents and the police are waiting for him. Leighton Meester also stars.

My Rating: 3 out 4

Surface returns this week with an all new episode, after taking last Monday off so that NBC could show three episodes of Medium on Halloween. When we last saw our three main characters on Surface, all three were on the run. Lee and his people had broken into Laura's house, and when she saw this she and Rich were able to get away in his truck before they were spotted. Miles was also on the run with Nim since the police now want him following him eating a neighborhood poodle and shocking one of the animal control people.

Before we pick up with our characters, this episode starts with a scene in the air over Portland. Now I was watching this show, and I found myself asking the question what does a creature in the ocean have to do with a plane in the air. Well, as soon as I asked myself that question the show answered it. The creatures were in the water below sending up lightning bolts to the sky surrounding the small plane, and it took it down. The plane crashed, and the traffic control lost its signal. Once again, this show either began or ended with a bang, and this week it decided to start with one. The scene with all the creatures in the water made me jump in my seat.

After a commercial break, we come back and pick up right where we left off with Miles. Let's talk about him first. Last episode, we saw the animal control guy get shocked when he tried to stun Nim with a stun gun. That didn't work, and the man did receive a good deal of injury from the encounter. Miles and Phil run off in to the woods while carrying Nim in the dog carrier. They stick around a bit to see about the man, but then they continue on their way. However, not before the sheriff detects them.

Miles and Phil stay on foot for a bit until things get a bit on the dicey side and they end up stealing the car of a pizza delivery guy that spots them and calls the cops. Phil drives the car, and they stay on the road, trying to avoid detection. However, Miles' mom calls Phil's cell phone, and she is able to keep him on the phone long enough for the police to triangulate their location.

They are on the run again, and this time the police do catch up to the two teens. However, they seem to find them jut at the perfect spot. The same spot where miles found Nim's egg. In a sad scene, Miles sends Nim away, back into the ocean. I don't think this is the last time we'll see Nim though. He'll be back. I just think next time we see him he might just be a bit bigger than he is now.

What about Rich and Laura? These two are able to get away, and after a quick dive into the water, Laura somehow gets to her friend Jackson's boat. She wants his help yet again. This time to find a place to hide from Lee and his men. Turns out Jackson knows of a place. He used to have a little import/export business with his father, and they have a hideout and a sea plane to get there. He helps them fly to the hideaway, and Laura gets to work trying to dissect all the research Cirko left her.

After a bit of time, she figures out the relationship between some satellite images of thunderstorms to the creature. The storms seem to happen on the same day every November, and that day is fast approaching. Laura is determined to be right in the middle of all the action when the storm takes place. She goes to work in constructing a submersible with Rich and Jackson. The most amazing thing here is with the sea orchid she had been given by Cirko. Jackson puts it in the fridge and turns it on to keep it safe and out of the way. when Laura goes back to grab some more beers, the sea orchid had grown into this amazing thing, and this happened in just a few hours.

What about the government cover-up of the species? With Cirko and his assistant now gone, we had to wonder what would happen. Lee has made the creature a non-issue, so the government defunds the project, and Lee goes to talk to a new man. We never see his face, but something tells me this man will become very important on this show. Apparently, him and Cirko had both gone down to see the orchid in its own environment. Now with the government out of the way, this man has eight months of uninterrupted time and access to the creature. Maybe it wasn't the government we ever had to worry about hmm?

This show is a slow build. It isn't very fast paced. It has its moments, but this is like someone peeling back the layers of an onion slowly. This episode was a bit slower than most. We had the action with Miles, but that was it really. This episode allowed us to know a bit more about the creature, while also giving us another fantastic sighting. Next week's episode looks to be really really exciting. I can't wait!