Pilot (17 Sep. 2012)

Ben Matheson returns home to his Chicago apartment in a panic telling his wife that the electricity is about to go out. Before it does, he manages to contact his brother Miles and also to ... See full summary »

Director:

Jon Favreau

Writers:

Eric Kripke (creator), Eric Kripke

Stars:

Billy Burke, Tracy Spiridakos, Giancarlo Esposito

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Burke	...	Miles Matheson
Tracy Spiridakos	...	Charlie Matheson
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Captain Tom Neville
Zak Orth	...	Aaron Pittman
David Lyons	...	Sebastian 'Bass' Monroe
Anna Lise Phillips	...	Maggie Foster
Graham Rogers	...	Danny Matheson
JD Pardo	...	Nate
Tim Guinee	...	Ben Matheson
Maria Howell	...	Grace Beaumont
Elizabeth Mitchell	...	Rachel Matheson
Brian Allison	...	Rider
Nelson Bonilla	...	Marine Guard
Michael Duisenberg	...	Stern Soldier
Allan Graf	...	Caleb

Storyline

Ben Matheson returns home to his Chicago apartment in a panic telling his wife that the electricity is about to go out. Before it does, he manages to contact his brother Miles and also to download something from the Internet. When the blackout hits, it's a global phenomena - and permanent. Fifteen years later, Ben is living with his children Charlie and Danny is a small rural village. Life is good, even without electricity, until Capt. Tom Neville of the local militia arrives to arrest Ben. Several are killed in the ensuing skirmish and with her brother Danny taken prisoner, Charlie sets off for Chicago with two others from the village, Aaron and Maggie, to find her Uncle Miles.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 2012 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kripke Enterprises, Bad Robot, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many characters in shows usually have names that describe their character or are references to their characters inner self. For example; Miles Matheson, who is "good at killing" is a soldier. His first name, Miles, is a derived name from Latin, where Miles in Latin means soldier, or legionnaire.

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Goofs

15 years after everything turns off, several city skylines are shown. The image for the St. Louis skyline, looking from Illinois, is reversed.

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Quotes

Aaron Pittman: Yeah. I used to work at this place called Google.
Charlotte 'Charlie' Matheson: That was a computer thing, right?
Aaron Pittman: Now... it's nothing. $80 million in the bank, and I would trade it all right now for a roll of Charmin.

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

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Soundtracks

"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
(uncredited)
Performed by AC/DC
Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott

User Reviews

No originality here.

Having read S.M. Sterling's Emberverse series, I was anticipating this premiere, in spite of it have no official connection to the series, the obvious similarities made me curious. Suffice to say, the premiere killed the curiosity...and I now know the only similarity to the Emberverse series is the underlying premise -- the lack of electricity.

The premiere did not make me want to watch another episode...because the writers haven't given us a reason to care about the characters. They wanted a Katniss Everdeen...they have a sulky brat brandishing a weapon that she can't reload fast enough to stay alive. They wanted mystery and intrigue regarding the original event...and so they borrowed from "Jericho"? There's nothing original here...I'll be very surprised if this lasts more than another couple episodes.