October 12, 2006: On the Run
I realize it's not the most important thing to mention at the beginning of my first blog for
Runaway, but seriously, Donnie Wahlberg is playing the middle-aged dad who's described in the police bulletin as "gray-haired?" I wasn't exactly a New Kids on the Block fan back in the day, but I can clearly remember a time when he was a teen idol encouraging kids to "Hang Tough" and inspiring them that they had the "Right Stuff." Jeez, I feel old.
Although I know it's a bit late, I really liked the premiere episode of
Runaway, and I'm most impressed by the fact that it's got three or four compelling storylines already. It's really two genres merged into one: for the dad it's a conspiracy thriller as he tries to unravel the mystery of who killed his former colleague and framed him and what secrets the murderers are protecting; for everyone else, it's another "moving to a small town and reconnecting with each other" family drama in the vein of
Everwood (in fact, I kept hearing this show pitched as a cross between
Everwood and
The Fugitive, which is as perfect a description as you could give).
For the kids, I liked that their everyday problems (am I popular at school? Can my girlfriend and I maintain a long-distance relationship?) have the stakes raised by adding in the twist that nobody can ever know anything about them, especially their past. I didn't see the last-minute reveal that Hannah's crush has a girlfriend coming, and I'll bet that's only going to fuel her need to become a part of this school's popular crowd. Funny how even when your entire life has been turned upside down, sometimes the only thing that's on your mind is
still whether or not the cool kids like you.
As for Henry, I have to deliver a message: the late-seventies called, and they want their hairstyle back. Here's hoping his first stab at creating a new covert identity for himself is to head straight into a barbershop and ask the man with the scissors to make him lose the shag carpeting look. C'mon, was nobody else thinking this?
The last second plot twist - that the real killers are keeping even closer tabs on Paul's family than he had thought - was almost worthy of
24 (appropriate, since Leslie Hope is an alumni of that show). If
Runaway can keep up this momentum, with every episode bringing us new clues to the conspiracy, they should be set. The only problem would be if they dragged this out too long, and we get to the point where it's the fourth season and the dad is still no closer to figuring this whole thing out. If I had one suggestion to offer to the writers of this show, it would be to follow the example of
Prison Break and change the format up every once and a while, maybe as often as once a year. We need to keep moving forward with this mystery.
I have a favor to ask of anyone out there who's reading this: I just started watching this show and didn't get a chance to see the second episode. Could somebody post a quick synopsis of what happened so that I'm ready to go for the third episode this Sunday? Much appreciated.
