Did you watch the premiere of ...
Reunion
Question: Did you watch the premiere of
Reunion? I thought it was great. It actually had me hooked before the second half. It is nice to see
Will Estes come back after
American Dreams was canceled (boohoo). Do you think it is a good enough show to stand up against a powerhouse like
CSI?
Answer: Probably not, but it's best for everyone, including the network, to keep expectations in check where
Reunion is concerned. I like the time-jumping concept and the mystery angle quite a bit, and was reasonably entertained by the pilot (as I write this, I have yet to see the second episode), but the reaction I've gotten in my mailbag has been as mixed as many of the reviews I've read. (The show was one of our "favorites" in the Fall Preview issue, so we're on record with a thumbs-up.)
CSI is going to crush it, but the question is by how much. If
Reunion can hold on to enough of the audience of
The O.C. (whose own ratings will no doubt slide given the increased Thursday competition), then Fox may just leave it alone, figuring nothing else would do any better. If that's the case, then at the very least we would be able to follow this story all the way through to its natural end. (There's plenty of time to worry about whether there'll be a second season, and how it will work if the
Reunion format then follows a primarily new cast, as has been suggested.) Whether I'll stick with it depends on how well the next few episodes hold up, at least through the revelation of who was killed. Much of the mail I've seen has picked the show apart a bit, including this interesting analysis from Winnie:
"Upon watching the first episode, I was bothered by some things. First of all, I love the '80s, and love shows and movies that showcase '80s music, but some of the '80s references seemed forced (the Wham/Andrew Ridgley conversation comes to mind as absurd rather than funny, not because I know it to not be true, but because of the presentation; Haley's comet references also seemed forced), and some of the music lead-ins came (in my opinion) at the incorrect moment. I'm usually someone who would jump for joy at someone watching an A-Ha video, as many teenagers would have been watching MTV while sitting at home that year, but I felt like they were trying too hard to establish the year rather than subtly let it show. I was also somewhat bored by the conversations, but assume that we'll need to reference some of them later, and I do realize they had to establish characters. I plan to watch again, because I hope it will get better, but if it stays as it is, I would be content just reading about what happened/who died/whodunit in the Watercooler the next day." Final word: Of all the things I'd expect from Reunion, subtlety is not on that list.
