Powers 1.1 – “Pilot” (7 out of 10) – Directed by David Slade; Written by Charlie Huston; Based on the comics by Brian Michael Bendis; Starring: Sharlto Copley, Susan Heyward, Noah Taylor, Olesya Rulin; Special Guests: Eddie Izzard, Michelle Forbes; Unrated, but likely TV-MA for language, including sexual dialogue, and violence, Streaming on Playstation Network March 10, 2015: new episodes available Tuesdays.
Wow. Sony just pulled a fast one on all of us and dropped its first foray into original television programming on us with a pilot episode of the long-awaited “Powers” series hitting its Playstation Network earlier this afternoon. And unlike the full series, which will require a PS+ membership, this first episode is absolutely free. Smart move on Sony’s part, especially given this is their first time and it’s impossible to know if people will watch original shows on PSN. But, based on the quality of the pilot, I would assume the answer is “Yes.” Or, at least, they should.
UPDATE: Playstation has now added the pilot episode to its YouTube page. Content Warning: like its source material, this may be about costumed superheroes, but it is NOT for kiddos. But go ahead and watch it, or read on for my review.
“Powers” tells the story of two cops, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, who work for the LA Powers Division. They’re like the SVU of a superpower-related crime. Walker is himself a former “Power,” and is played by Sharlto Copley (Chappie, District 9, The A-Team) with an incredibly detached indifference, almost contempt, for the world of the capes and powers, but it masks a longing for his former days. A lot of this is the basis for the first episode.
When Walker and Pilgrim are called on to investigate the murder of one of Walker’s former superhero compatriots, his past and present collide in uncomfortable ways, even forcing him to confront an imprisoned supercriminal named Wolfe (Eddie Izzard). There’s a lot to like in this first episode, but the best parts of it are the few minutes Izzard gets to channel Hannibal Lecter and help/torment Walker.
It’s a good show, but it is a little clunky at times. I can’t decide whether Copley is playing Walker as aloof, curmudgeonly, contemplative, tortured, nostalgic, or just an asshole. Like “Gotham,” it’s trying to be a police procedural in the world of superheroes. And like “Gotham,” the pilot wasn’t the strongest, but I’ll give it a few more episodes, two more of which are also available now.
And Deena Pilgrim is just woefully underwritten here, which is sad given the source material. Let’s hope it’s just hard to tell from this first episode and that Pilgrim, and other side characters, get more developed.
The first three episodes are available online now, with the full series continuing with new episodes every Tuesday available only to Playstation Plus subscribers.