Intelligence

Disclaimer: I have never watched Chuck before, although I do know of the similarities between these two shows. The clear draw of Intelligence would be in the main cast that they had assembled: Josh Holloway and Meghan Ory.

Pilot: A fairly interesting new addition by CBS to the multitude of procedurals that are out now, and this is clearly not going in the same comedic vein as Chuck did with a similar concept. Like all pilots, this one was exposition heavy, not only because the creators and producers have created a "new superpower" and now got to clearly define its powers and limits, but also because the setting is unique: US Cyber Command (and yes, it is a real thing). But as with all series these days, even procedurals, there has got to be an over-arching mythology that keeps its core audience reined in, and here we have "What happened to Amelia?". Welcome back to the small screen Sawyer! We have missed your smirks, thankfully this time round Josh Holloway is squaring off with an equally snarky and sassy Meghan Ory. These two have much better chemistry than Sawyer and Kate, and this first 42 minutes have clearly set their relationship boundaries and given them both a simple complexity in characterisation that should nicely continue on. Here's hoping that these two are more like Elementary's Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, or Sleepy Hollow's Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie, than one of the many recent failed pairings which got so boring quickly (here's looking at you The Blacklist). Marg Helgenberger's role is a lot like her ex-colleague Laurence Fishburne's in Hannibal, in that they both are superiors to the series' protagonist and serve as exposition and narrative tool with possibly some secret lurking in the back, waiting to pop up during Sweeps. And like Hannibal, there is a fair bit of FX-heavy evidence rendering, though here, Hugh Dancy triumph over Holloway in the acting department. The actual storyline in the pilot is predictable and derivative, so the story has got to get a lot better. Even the ending was expected. That has got to improve to keep the audience tuned in. As for procedurals go, this has the potential to be more fun like Alias than straight-laced and boring, IMO, like Persons of Interest.

Episode 2, "Red X": Now that was fast! Way to hook the audience but sadly the ending just missed the mark. Did not expect to actually see Gabriel's wife in the second act, much less so have Gabriel meet her face-to-face. And then that outcome...let's just say without a body, I think Zuleikha Robinson will still make more appearances in the future. If that is the end of the "mythology" then the creators got to quickly come up with another good one. Although it seems this may just all me a ploy that Lillian is orchestrating. Let's hope the next episode can hook us in some more, because just relying on the chemistry between the two leads, and gratuitous Sawyer topless scenes, are not enough to sustain a loyal audience. Elementary has its Moriarty and Sleepy Hollow has Katrina. Also, the scenes where Gabriel is using his "superpowers" are ridiculous with everybody standing around, and so far there is nothing really "super" about his "superpowers". A hacker could do most of what he has done so far.

Episode 3, "Mei Chen Returns": The exposition-credits are here to start. How annoying. The main attraction so far remains the chemistry between Ory and Holloway, but that can only last so far as the plot continues to evolve and other sources of drama intervenes. The wife-thingy could had been so much more, even if she remained dead, there could have been so much more drama to be had from a widower's grief, but instead, with just a few words from Red Riding Hood and the Axe-man is back in the game.

Episode 4 - 6: These few episodes have confirmed that the show is riding on the chemistry of its two leads, and I sure hope they keep it platonic. They have to re-introduce the wife again. Helgenberger is getting interesting, and there seems to be a trace of the start of some sort of intelligence arc as the show finds it footing.