With its official pilot airing back in January, Touch quietly slipped into the FOX Thursday schedule on March 22 with its second episode. And while it's currently being praised by critics for its uniqueness and refreshing use of Keifer Sutherland, I'm not so convinced it's as praise worthy as of yet.
While on the surface it may seem a bold new concept, Touch is actually like several other television shows and movies mashed into one. Part Early Edition, Tru Calling, Knowing, and Crash, the show is the brainchild of Heroes creator Tim Kring, whose penchant for high concept, continent-hopping stories is on full display once more. Like the first season of Heroes, Kring's ability to tie many separate lives together is stunning, but whereas Heroes had Sylar as a common threat, Touch simply has the "aha" moment at the end of every episode when everyone somehow connects. While the pilot episode surprises you when every plot weaves together in a touching way, the second episode did not hold that same surprise, despite having the exact same structure.
And that's where the problem arises. The structure of the show is nothing we haven't seen before. Funny enough, it is most comparable to Heroes, with its opening and closing narrations, discussion of high-brow philosophical concepts, its inclusion of a highly intelligent child with an extraordinary gift, and a massive scale for its story. The difference, however, is the emotional attachment, or at least achievement, found in both. Heroes, at least in its first season, allowed the audience to watch the characters grow and learn more about themselves with each new episode. And while a good number perished suddenly and shockingly, there was an attention to character development that a serialized story over the course of a season or the series allowed. But with Touch, that character growth is limited to Martin and Jake Bohm (Keifer Sutherland and David Mazouz, respectively), and the few other recurring characters, including Clea Hopkins (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Professor Arthur Teller (Danny Glover). News broke recently about Maria Bello joining the cast as a series regular who has a daughter like Jake, but that still only makes it around five characters we can follow throughout the show. With each episode focusing on brand new individuals and their eventual collision, it feels like every episode will be like a capsule-sized version of a season of Heroes. The excitement of Heroes was how everyone would eventually collide, but Touch rewards that with every episode, not allowing any tension to build or relationships to blossom. Instead, we are immediately gratified with every episode by seeing characters of the week reach their goals and go home.
To read the rest of the review, and more Movie, TV, and Game reviews, visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/touch-1-1-pilot-and-1-2-113/
While on the surface it may seem a bold new concept, Touch is actually like several other television shows and movies mashed into one. Part Early Edition, Tru Calling, Knowing, and Crash, the show is the brainchild of Heroes creator Tim Kring, whose penchant for high concept, continent-hopping stories is on full display once more. Like the first season of Heroes, Kring's ability to tie many separate lives together is stunning, but whereas Heroes had Sylar as a common threat, Touch simply has the "aha" moment at the end of every episode when everyone somehow connects. While the pilot episode surprises you when every plot weaves together in a touching way, the second episode did not hold that same surprise, despite having the exact same structure.
And that's where the problem arises. The structure of the show is nothing we haven't seen before. Funny enough, it is most comparable to Heroes, with its opening and closing narrations, discussion of high-brow philosophical concepts, its inclusion of a highly intelligent child with an extraordinary gift, and a massive scale for its story. The difference, however, is the emotional attachment, or at least achievement, found in both. Heroes, at least in its first season, allowed the audience to watch the characters grow and learn more about themselves with each new episode. And while a good number perished suddenly and shockingly, there was an attention to character development that a serialized story over the course of a season or the series allowed. But with Touch, that character growth is limited to Martin and Jake Bohm (Keifer Sutherland and David Mazouz, respectively), and the few other recurring characters, including Clea Hopkins (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Professor Arthur Teller (Danny Glover). News broke recently about Maria Bello joining the cast as a series regular who has a daughter like Jake, but that still only makes it around five characters we can follow throughout the show. With each episode focusing on brand new individuals and their eventual collision, it feels like every episode will be like a capsule-sized version of a season of Heroes. The excitement of Heroes was how everyone would eventually collide, but Touch rewards that with every episode, not allowing any tension to build or relationships to blossom. Instead, we are immediately gratified with every episode by seeing characters of the week reach their goals and go home.
To read the rest of the review, and more Movie, TV, and Game reviews, visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/touch-1-1-pilot-and-1-2-113/
