by Frank Calvillo
While his projects have been decidedly hit and miss over the past few years, there’s no denying that M. Night Shyamalan’s name still has some heft to it. The placing of the filmmaker’s name above any title almost always guarantees audience intrigue like no other storyteller today.
It was with great anticipation that fans (and even critics) of Shyamalan’s were understandably curious about the director’s first foray into television with the mind bending drama Wayward Pines.
A ten episode series based on the bestselling novels, and executive produced by Shyamalan (who also directed the pilot), Wayward Pines opens on Secret Service Agent Ethan Burke (Matt Dillon) awakening in a remote forest following a deadly car crash. His partner has been killed and he finds himself in the small town of Wayward Pines, Idaho, a seemingly tranquil town where everyone is unnervingly friendly, yet virtually nothing seems right. Unable to get in touch with either his bosses, his wife Theresa (Shannyn Sossamon), or son Ben (Charlie Tahan), Ethan becomes increasingly frustrated. When he locates his former missing partner Agent Kate Hewson (Carla Gugino), he feels relieved until she claims not to know who he is. Now married, Kate pulls Ethan aside to inform him to be careful because, as she puts it, “They’re watching us. They’re listening.”
Wayward Pines boasts one of the most interesting cast rosters of any ensemble drama in recent times. Besides Dillon and Gugino, there’s Juliette Lewis as the local bartender, Terrence Howard as a suspicious sheriff, and Toby Jones as the friendly shrink. Dillon makes for an appealing enough lead, showing he still has enough gravitas to anchor a project, and its great to see Gugino playing such a multi-layered role. However, its Melissa Leo as the disturbing Nurse Pam and Hope Davis as a schoolteacher with unorthodox testing methods who prove to be the two standouts among the universally great cast.
There’s never mistaking Wayward Pines for anything other than an M. Night Shyamalan production. There are so many countless twists and turns which may seem random, but all connect to a bigger purpose. Nothing ever happens by chance during Wayward Pines, and it’s incredible how Shyamalan and the showrunners manage to keep the mystery and tension alive throughout the ten episodes. A number of scenes where loyalty and honor towards the town are questioned border on the disturbing (particularly for a network series), yet echo the director’s provocative methods of storytelling.
Beyond that, Wayward Pines draws heavily on Shyamalan’s theme of the warped utopia and the need to escape from modern-day society in an effort to retreat to a simpler existence. The combination of serenity and uneasiness among the streets of Wayward Pines, masking something bigger than perhaps even man can comprehend, calls mind some of the filmmaker’s most telling moments in film.
Wayward Pines’ debut seems perfectly, if curiously, timed. What, with all the buzz surrounding the revival of the landmark series Twin Peaks and the runaway success (and subsequent cancellation) of Under the Dome, the show does fit into the current landscape and audience’s tastes. In fact, it fits almost too well. The only real element Wayward Pines seems to lack is a reason to exist, especially with both aforementioned shows on people’s minds.
Despite any notions of Shyamalan and his fellow producers trying to capitalize on any kind of theme, Wayward Pines manages to stand as its own entity thanks to its continuously unfolding plot, which goes to places no one can see coming and an assortment of interesting characters, EACH of whom have dual personalities and hidden agendas. It’s these elements which makes Wayward Pines captivating enough until the startling conclusion.
The Package
Two featurettes accompany the release of Wayward Pines, both of which, though short, do manage to give some insight into the origins and making of the series.
The Lowdown
The series has been done in much better fashion in the past, yet Wayward Pines still carries enough mystery, action, and subtext to make it a worthwhile watch.
