"Pilot"
Airdate: February 5, 2000

Adding to NBC's supernatural Saturdays is The Others, the newest paranormal drama to hit the television airwaves. So what makes it any better than the rest? Well, as the show has been advertising proudly to the press -- that it was created by feature writers, Mike Ferris and John Brancato (The Net, The Game); that it has future episodes to be directed by such big shot feature directors as Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters) and Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre); and that this Dreamworks production is being scrutinized under the watchful eye of the most powerful man in Hollywood, Steven Spielberg (no examples necessary).

But what truly excites me is that The Others is being overseen by the crown princes of genre television, Glen Morgan and Jim Wong (X-Files, Space: Above and Beyond, Millennium). However, the first thing of note is that Morgan and Wong's names are entirely absent from this first episode's credits. This is because they were not members of the original creative team -- they decided to join the series on the strength of the already completed pilot.

So, I eagerly set aside my Saturday night to sit down and watch it. Now here I am, feeling like I've just stumbled out of some warped, hybrid world of Ray Bradbury and Roma Downey. As trippy as that sounds, that's not necessarily such a bad thing. At the same time, I wouldn't exactly call it paradise either.

The Others introduces a troubled college student named Marian Kitt (Julianne Nicholson) who has been having haunting visions of a dead woman in her bathtub. Both she and her roommate thinks she's going nuts and in no time, her visions become the talk of the campus. This draws the attention of a professor of folklore and mythology, Miles Ballard (John Billingsley), who informs her that the girl who lived in her dorm room the year before her had killed herself -- and was found in the bath. He invites Marian to a meeting with a group of "gifted" misfits he hangs out with, all of whom claim to have varying degrees of psychic ability.

Enter The Others. Whilst lounging around on a sofa, each member gets an obligatory introduction and statement of weird power. There's Mark Gabriel (Gabriel Macht), pretty-boy empathetic medical intern; Satori (Melissa Crider), pretty-girl psychic; Warren (Kevin J. O'Connor), a batty seer; and Albert (John Aylward), a grumpy, old blind man with a sixth sense. Elmer Greentree (Bill Cobbs) rounds them out, doubling as a medium and spiritual leader of the group.

Unfortunately, all talking heads and no accompanying visuals will makes Jack a very dull boy. Shelly Johnson's first-rate cinematography, moody lighting and the Tim Burton-inspired production design can only do so much around a living room table. These intros lack energy. Take Albert for example, who claims to have visions in a `negative' image -- dark appears as light and vice-versa. We never get to see this! Or Mark the Empath, who tells Marian about how he saved his dog from impending death as a child. Is that supposed to be a compelling story? Please. The guy can will people back to life, and all he gets is a headache to show for it! Poor Marian has to deal with a shemp look-a-like from The Evil Dead taking over her body -- not only trying to slow dance with her but drown her as well!

It is Marian's higher-stakes, emotional struggle that sold me on how the Others work; how they are willing to help each other (good thing seeing as she's the nominal lead of this series, eh?) and because of her character, the final quarter of the pilot delivers. The imagery in a climactic afterlife sequence -- an underwater, fast-slow-fast TV commercial style (with Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling thrown in for good measure) -- are strong, contrasting images from the manic hospital room and well... pretty damn cool, and a whole lot more interesting than anything else in the pilot. There is a bond made between Elmer and Marian here is melodramatic to say the least, but because of Cobb and Nicholson's performances, it equally strong. Now she's one of them.

The conclusion of the episode however, ends with a weak, feel-good coda. This is where the Touched By an Angel vibe seeps in. The group gathers together for Elmer's 84th birthday party. Together, they blow out all the candles on top of an enormous cake, and proceed to yuck-it-up like one big happy family [of psychic freaks] as the camera pulls away and fades out. The audience's feelings at this moment? Warm and fuzzy? Hrmmm... after being assailed for one hour by chantings of "My killer's dead! My killer's dead!" and a ghost who, as it turns out, just died by accident? In this case, more like lukewarm.

As The Sixth Sense showed us, dead people sure have a harsh method of trying to deliver messages to their loved ones from the afterlife! But where a strong theme of love followed through in that film, it isn't quite working yet in The Others. There's just not enough balance. The scary, shock stuff works wonders, the light-hearted is dull and cringe-worthy. One half of the cast is great, the other half still have some convincing to do. The show's material all seems to be there, but like Marian's so-called channeling powers, it's still raw and needs some developing.

Alas, that's the nature of the television pilot, I suppose. It ain't that easy to pitch forward a bunch of new characters, establish relationships, tone; drop them into a coherent narrative and then leave just enough rope for an audience to want to climb back up for more every flippin' week -- in one episode. Especially on a Saturday night, when I would much rather be watching Hockey Night in Canada.

All top-notch work requires a gestation period. Try to think of The Others as a newborn baby -- dozy, gunk covered, kind of ugly. Just wait a couple months. Then, that bambino will give you sleepless nights, albeit completely worth it because suddenly, an amazing little personality has developed, worthy of your anxieties and love. In other words, put your trust in the tried, tested and true talents of Glen Morgan and Jim Wong and give The Others that chance to even out.

-- Julie Ng

The Others airs at 10pm EST/8pm MNT, Saturdays on NBC.

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