October 4, 2006: Nine Scores a Ten
Jeremy (the delightful
Scott Wolf) asks his girlfriend, Lizzie (
Jessica Collins): "It was just a moment.... Does it have to mean everything?" This seems to be one of the questions
The Nine is setting out to answer. And the answer appears to be "yes." In the grand scheme of life, the 52 hours the nine main characters spent together in the bank were essentially "just a moment." But the repercussions for the hostages are endless. It is the events destined to follow that are going to make or break this show for me. Scott Wolf has been a favorite of mine since his
Party of Five days (before the alcoholism took over his story line), but I wanted to ring his neck when he kissed Franny (
Prison Break's
Camille Guaty). Especially considering how adorable and wholesome and
pregnant his girlfriend is. Although I have to say, something about Jeremy and Lizzie's relationship seems off. Obviously, they were pretty serious. Lizzie was excited to tell him about the pregnancy.... She had met Jeremy's parents.... And then she goes back to work without him even knowing and doesn't bother to return his phone call about riding together to the funeral. Whatever Jeremy did inside of that bank must have been pretty horrific. Right now the question I most want answered is what the heck little Felicia (
Dana Davis) is doing visiting Lucas (
Owain Yeoman) in prison. Yes, Lucas is a terrible person - he held up a bank. But there seems to be clues that perhaps he isn't as bad as he seems. When the police stormed the bank, Lizzie screamed not to hurt him. Maybe he is really just misunderstood - a young man influenced by his especially creepy-looking brother, Randall.
The cast was well chosen. John Billingsley (Egan Foote with an "e") did an excellent job portraying the humorous yet eerily suicidal man. I loved how his facial expression changed once he sat down inside of his cubical on his first day back to work. I think most people can relate to
that feeling. I also enjoyed
Kim Raver (Kathryn) and
Tim Daly (Nick). Their relationship should also be interesting to watch as it develops. They seem to have the law-enforcement bond on top of everything else. And
24 fans can relax; Kim Raver will be back in her recurring role at
some point.
The reality of time is an interesting concept and one that is played with in the pilot. The hours the hostages spent inside of the bank have caused their lives to be connected indefinitely. Think how separate and different each person's path was until they collided in the catastrophic robbery. The idea that life-altering events can unite people in a way that is almost impossible to explain or understand is terrific and one that I truly think is original. I am anxious to see if the show is able to really reveal to viewers just how deep and complicated these new relationships are. Based partially on Matt Webb Mitovich's
interview with
Nine creator
Hank Steinberg, I feel confident the show will be able to successfully communicate that.
This was the fourth time I watched the pilot and I was still captivated. In fact, it was even better with the commercials - honestly. The breaks came in just at the right moments, when you are left hanging and could use a minute to collect your thoughts.
One last observation: Did the hallway/police station seem particularly sinister to anyone else? What was with the smoky green lighting?
