I have to disagree with the only other current reviewer.
I genuinely cared about the characters stranded in the water. It actually moved be to tears when they were rescued.
The flashback to childhood comforts scenes were creative, original and engaging.
As an accomplished long distance swimmer and boater, I have often imagined my self in their shoes (life jackets). When you are many miles from shore, all the swimming skills in the world are not going to help you at all. You are totally at the mercy of the relentless sea, quite literally out of your element!
As to the first reviewers problems with the boats passing the stranded folks by, he/she has probably not spent a lot of time on/in the water. A swimmer or floater, even one with an orange life jacket is not nearly as visible as a much larger boat that sits far higher out of the water. I cannot count the number of times I've saved my own life while long distance swimming in lakes by flipping over on my back and sending sprays of water high into the air with my legs and feet to alert approaching boats of my presence. I do the sidestroke, so it's only my head gliding through the otherwise undisturbed surface of the water. It's very realistic that only when the black actor removed his life jacket and brandished it above his head and the water that the group was noticed. I was silently rooting for him to tread water like mad and fling it much higher than he did.
I have watched another episode which not only didn't inspire me to write a review, but I can't even remember which it was. I will try to seek out the other episode another reviewer of the series mentioned as his/her favorites along with this one: "Faces". Until then, at least, I'll withhold any rating for the series per se.
To all the people dissing the good-looking mostly unknown cast: we were all much more attractive when we were young. I know I was, and many of my contemporaries were too. People who need to be able to put forth extreme athletic efforts and endure things that those of us who are now old fogies are not up to any more will tend to be a lot younger. This naturally tends to make them more comely. Again, I find this a quite realistic aspect of the series.
Based on this episode alone, I would have to conclude there is much potential here, and I am looking most forward to uncovering it. Please give it a chance. I know I am going to.