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Haunted
Episode 1.01, "Premiere"
Written by Rick Ramage & Andrew Cosby
Directed by Michael Rymer
Air Date: 09.24.02
Well, it's official - I hate Tuesday nights. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that I love them a little too much. Last year I was caught up in both 24 and Smallville, both of which were obviously on at the same time.
So you can imagine my chagrin when I saw previews for Haunted and thought it looked pretty damn interesting. There was simply no way I could watch three shows on at the same time, so I tried to avoid the promos. But they kept on seeping through, so I finally decided to watch the premiere hoping that it would suck so I could just forget about the show in good conscience.
It didn't. In fact, that premiere episode of Haunted was pretty damn good. For those who don't know about this show; the premise revolves around a police officer who dies and is brought back, but not before he gains the ability to see fragments from the other side. It's a concept that's been used with varying degrees of success for a long time now. From Flatliners to Jacob's Ladder, all have wondered what would happen if a man was caught between the worlds of life and death.
Obviously this means Haunted is a show that relies on the horror genre, one of the trickiest genres to successfully master. I myself happen to love this particular genre in all of its myriad forms, from slasher flicks ala Jason X to true thrillers like Fallen or The Exorcist. So I think I can come at this show from a fairly knowledgeable perspective. And why Haunted isn't exactly spine tingling, it does manage to give a fairly creepy atmosphere which really helps define it amidst the clutter of programs out in TV Land.
As far the leads go, Mathew Fox is more then capable as Frank Taylor. Now I never watched him much on Party of Five, largely because I never watched Party of Five. But he manages to bring a truly grizzled sense of humanity to the role, coupled with a refreshing sense of vulnerability. His reunion scene with his son is actually touching, and as the child fades into blackness quite eerie as well.
The supporting cast never really gets fleshed out, but there is potential. To begin with there's the clichéd former partner Marcus Bradshaw, who will continue to break the rules to help his friend but still complain about it. Think Danny Glover from Lethal Weapon, but he's not yet too old for this shit. There's also the former wife Lynn Collins, who still cares for her husband. She also works for the DA's office, meaning that she will constantly be kept in Frank's world by necessity. The marriage was ripped apart by Frank's guilt over the loss of his son. And why a self destructed marriage where the partners still love each other isn't fresh ground, it can still be fertile if handled correctly. Perhaps the most interesting supporting character possibility lies in Simon Dunn though.
Dunn is the child killer who Frank tracks down in the beginning of the episode, and it's his stabbing of Frank which leads the main character to death's door to begin with. Dunn is dead now, killed by Frank's own hand. And yet his ghost will live on, continuing to plague Frank throughout the series.
This built in antagonist is an interesting concept, and could be used quite effectively if played out right. Obviously Dunn can't hurt Frank directly, but he can apparently alter perception of things in small ways. And Frank has no defense against this, since there's no way for him to fight a ghost (well unless he gets a young priest and an old priest stat). This psychological battle could provide great drama, and I look forward to seeing how they play this angle up.
So it was an interesting premiere, not marked by any originality, but it can definitely forge ahead with what it has created. That will be the trick though, managing to maintain the creepy atmosphere of the series why being able to build on its own mythology.
One thing to remember is that this show is dark, not just the atmosphere but also the content. With the first plot revolving child killers and pornographers, one gets the feeling that this show won't be about hugs and bunnies. In the end though, it'll be the darkness that will help illuminate this show against the competition. I can't honestly call it a better show then 24, but if Smallville's lackluster season premiere (UM's note: Steve Dougherty may have something to say about that) is any indication then Haunted should thrive. Then again, what should happen and what does happen have very rarely been similar things.
Episode Rating: 7.5 out of 10
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