We’re four episodes in to ABC’s thriller, “The River”. I can confidently say that I have feelings on it now. I wasn’t sure up until last nights episode whether or not I’d be hanging around, after the events of yesterday I can give a confident yes. The series begins with an introduction to Dr. Emmett Cole and his family who spent years together aboard their boat the Magus filming “The Undiscovered Country.” While Dr. Cole’s son Lincoln is in med school Emmett disappears in the Amazon.
The series takes off with a quick assault of strange happenings, while searching for Emmett’s beacon the crew enters the Boiuna, an unmapped region of the Amazon thought to be cursed. There they find the Magus which appears to be abandoned. Little do they know that the panic room has something sealed inside. This episode was an incredible attention grabber, while the crew is cutting through the panic room Emilio’s daughter Jahel who has some extra sensory ability realizes that what’s behind the door isn’t human, her realization is of course too late, and she releases the trapped creature.
Last night’s episode “a better man” was absolutely intriguing. As the boat continues it’s voyage into the Amazon Clark (Undiscovered Countries original producer), begins quizzing the members about the leadership, or rather, lack thereof. He begins pointing out that everyone is leading when needed and that they have no true captain of the ship. During the debate they discover a member of Dr. Cole’s former crew (Jonas), hanging in vines by his neck. They don’t know how he survived, or why he is alive, but it is clear to Jahel (Emilio’s psychic daughter), that he is not quite human.
With Jonas on board strange attacks begin hitting the ship. Waves of dead birds falling from the sky, thousands of bugs swarming the ship, and finally an intense storm that threatens everyone on board. With the group discovering that Jonas is cursed for “stealing’ the soul of an elder by photographing his death, Tess finally steps up and decides to send Jonas back into the jungle alone to suffer the same fate given to him by Emmett Cole not six months earlier.
The episode really brought the cast together and helped define the relationships between the different pieces. Jonas also brings an interesting dynamic to the crew with his potential for problems with Lincoln and Lena. I’m loving that every episode has some supernatural connection to the Amazon, and a great legend to keep you thinking. The camera work is also very enjoyable. Even though it is shot with a camera following the crew, they consistently have the casts camera men setting up still cams where they camp and all over the boat allowing the action to move seamlessly. The series shows great potential and I can’t wait to find out what Emmett was searching for, this might be the next LOST for me to get wrapped up in.
Have you been watching? Are you still on board? We’d love to know why or why not! Comment below.