4 out of 5

Developed by: Chad Hodge

Twisty-turny Twin Peaksy book adaptation?  I’m already on edge.  The quirk of TP felt so natural; most that have followed in its wake generally get tagged with being ‘Lynchian’, which can be a compliment but also essentially means you’ve failed to do your own thing.  Now let’s toss M. Night Shyamalan’s name into the mix.  I actually haven’t seen enough of M’s flicks to have an all-out negative opinion of the dude, but it has been true that what I’ve seen aside from Sixth Sense and Unbreakable has been rather disappointing.

Now the show is definitely guilty – in a non-complimentary way – of going for Lynchian, and it’s the main reason Wayward Pines isn’t seamless.  Author Blake Crouch admitted to the homage, but it still comes across a bit heavy-handed on the show.  Regarding M. Night?  …Well, his involvement may have been highlighted by his haters, who can say, but the look and pacing of the show are pretty stellar.  Shyamalan didn’t write or direct anything here, only executively produced amongst three others, but whatever resources he may have marshaled or guidance he offered greatly assisted in bolstering my viewing confidence in the series, thanks to – from the very first episode – Wayward Pines’ assured presentation.  (Unless he was pushing the Lynchian angle, then, y’know, boo.)  The quirk is also effectively weighed in by our narrative anchor: Matt Dillon as Ethan Burke, a CIA agent on the hunt for some other missing agents, car accidented and waking up in the oddball Wayward Pines.  Burke knows things are clearly off and refuses to fall in line, taking a stern, straight-forward approach – believable for his station – in attempting to conquer the constant strangeness he sees, such as Pines’ residents refusal to discuss the past, and requirement to always answer a ringing phone.  And then, of course, the Reckonings, carried out by town sheriff Arnold Pope (Terrance Howard), during which rule breakers are… executed.  Publicly.  Such a peaceful town.  Burke’s intelligence in his approach is appreciated, as is the show’s dedication to not doubling back on itself: once mysteries are revealed, they stay revealed.  This makes the ultimate conclusion of the series (season?) satisfying, because it doesn’t hinge on cheap reveals.

But the show still stumbles with its Lynch-ness.  About halfway through, when puzzle pieces begin to click in place, a lot of that stuff just sort of disappears because we don’t need it anymore.  It’s one of those magical movie-isms where it seems like all characters become aware of something at the same time, but thinking back on any of those initial question marks tends to cheapen them as the red herrings they are.  There are explanations, but it doesn’t fully solve why a whole town is okay acting bonkers, except that it makes for better TV.  Still, given my initial trepidations toward Wayward Pines, as well as “event” series in general – since they generally end up giving into the temptation to earn a second series partway through – the show makes an impressive splash thanks to solid production design, patient scripting with believable dialogue, and a core cast that really sells their characters’ mixtures of befuddlement and fear.