June 11th, 2006 on USA
Basically a recap to the first 19-episodes of the series (much like the "Sorting out the Dirtly Luandry" specials produced a couple times a year for DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES), it's main puprose is two fold: a) to bring new viewers completely up-to-date on all the important plot points throughout the series, and b) provide a refreshment course to the seasoned fans, and open their eyes to plot devices and foreshadowing they might not have picked up the first itme around.
The episode is rather evenly split 22 minutes for the first season and 23 minutes for the second. While the first season is only half the length as the second, this speical uses that time to condense the pilot and to introduce all the major characters, setting up the flow of the entire series. The last 23 minutes that focus on seaosn 2 provide information on the mythology as well as tracing the steps that led up to the Holey War that Jordan Collier prodicted (the major focus of season three).
While this isn't an episode in the stricted of sense, I don't see how many people (fans and non fans alike) could progress without watching. Like I previously said, it brings up many different points tha tmay not seem important at the moment but may seem to be major plot key's for the upcoming 12 weeks.
To put it mildly, I was rather annoyed by tonights episode. I mean, I understand better than most that season premiers are typically not the best of episodes ("Buffy" is the perfect case study), but tonights episode of The 4400, was't just boring, but it bordered on annoying and arrogant as well.
Last August when Isabelle was walking around the 4400 center naked aging 30 years in about 2 minutes, needless to say I was intrigued and it seemed like a rather interesting premise that I assumed would be be the ground storyline of the third season (as Isabelle has been more or less the focus of the entire series). Too bad within thirty minutes that whole premise feel flat on its face. I am really annoyed with this new character, I know that mentally she is still around two years in age and still trying to figure everything out and make vital connections (by the end of the episode she had the brain function of a 15 year old), but her persona just has something off about it (even her parents where weird around her). And waht the hell is with the suicide attempts? And then when her attempt would have ment something (and not actually kill her) she backs down. I also have to mention that I really liked the character Lilly, she was one of the more interesting of the 4400s because her story had yet to be told, she was left a mystery. All we knew about her was that she disappearing in 1993, has a daughter from her first mariage, and is Isabelle's mother... she hadn't had the time to be developed into a third dimensonal character, and they killed her off without that very vidal story arc. FYI to the writers, if you want your audience to care when you kill off a character, make sure you developed them enough where it will actually hit the audience emotionally, and not just confuse them.
Besides the Isabelle/Lilly aspect of tonight's episode I couldn't help but feel like the episode was so over thought through that it just imploded upon itself. The prospect of all the 4400s developing new abilities and learning how to control them is really cool and interesting, but they are coming dangeriously close to mimicking another (and much more loved/popular) series aroubd people with genetically enhanced abilities, that can either create one hell of season (especially since the war has finally, officially began), or fall falt on its face.
I do have to say that I really did enjoy tonights C and D storylines though, the ones involving Maya and Tom. I really do feel for Maya, being 10 years old and already knowing what your entire future is has to be a burden that seems impossible to live with... could you imagine living your entire life feeling like your stuck in a looped rerun? Personally, I would go crazy. And Tom's escapist mental vacations with his Wife, those are really awesome (who would honeslty mind being able to spend 10 years in Paris with your wife, and in reality only aging several seconds?). But what might seem awesome on paper, might not have great aftereffects... something I expect to be explored either later this year, or next year (assuming their is going to be a 'next year' at this point).
My final bone that I have to pick with about this episode is the lack of almost half of the principal cast. I understand the writers trying to develope their new 'Isabelle' and professor characters, but what about Jordan Collier and Kyle Baldwin, not to mention the others? These two are arugably the more important characters to the series evolving story (atleast in the first two seasons, along with Maya), and yet they where completely absent tonight, depsite their major cliffhangers at the end of season two. Needless to say I am less than impressed so far, but then again it was only the first episode of the season, but things really need to start picking up.
C-