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fannish5
Jul. 11th, 2008 06:47 pmName the 5 best pilot episodes of tv series.
Not sure I have 5, but I definitely have 2:
1. Serenity, the double length pilot to Firefly
Well. What can I say about that one? It hits it dead-perfect right from the start, manages to introduce 9 main characters so that we know who they all are without breaking the flow of the story, sets up the main antagonists and the bogeymen in the black, drops in a few clues to future arcs, and it's entertaining as hell. Some pilots can be a little clunky because everything hasn't gelled yet - Serenity is gelled to the max.
2. The Gathering, the pilot to Highlander: The Series
Okay, the plot was a little clunky and the production clearly hadn't quite come together, but what really, really worked was the actor chemistry. Adrian Paul and Alexandra Vandernoot as Duncan and Tessa made me believe they were a couple (and head over heels in love at that) right from the start, and their chemistry was only matched by Adrian Paul and Christopher Lambert's. I could believe those guys had known each other for centuries. And that is a damn good start. (Plus they had Adrian Paul half-naked for a bit, that also helped.)
Ooh, wait, thought of another one...
3. Episode 1 of Life on Mars
Mainly because the premise is totally bonkers, but it makes it work. And it was dramatic and mysterious and funny and cheeky and got me hooked right from the moment when Sam gets out his car and looks around to David Bowie singing. And it had John Simm and Philip Glenister going head to head - that could just never go wrong - plus the force of nature that was Gene Hunt.
Not sure I have 5, but I definitely have 2:
1. Serenity, the double length pilot to Firefly
Well. What can I say about that one? It hits it dead-perfect right from the start, manages to introduce 9 main characters so that we know who they all are without breaking the flow of the story, sets up the main antagonists and the bogeymen in the black, drops in a few clues to future arcs, and it's entertaining as hell. Some pilots can be a little clunky because everything hasn't gelled yet - Serenity is gelled to the max.
2. The Gathering, the pilot to Highlander: The Series
Okay, the plot was a little clunky and the production clearly hadn't quite come together, but what really, really worked was the actor chemistry. Adrian Paul and Alexandra Vandernoot as Duncan and Tessa made me believe they were a couple (and head over heels in love at that) right from the start, and their chemistry was only matched by Adrian Paul and Christopher Lambert's. I could believe those guys had known each other for centuries. And that is a damn good start. (Plus they had Adrian Paul half-naked for a bit, that also helped.)
Ooh, wait, thought of another one...
3. Episode 1 of Life on Mars
Mainly because the premise is totally bonkers, but it makes it work. And it was dramatic and mysterious and funny and cheeky and got me hooked right from the moment when Sam gets out his car and looks around to David Bowie singing. And it had John Simm and Philip Glenister going head to head - that could just never go wrong - plus the force of nature that was Gene Hunt.