To be honest, I won't be at all surprised if there isn't a second season of The River. Like the season itself, last night's finale really failed to live up to its potential (or even impress for that matter), and while I thought the episode initially showed a bit of promise, it ended up, as it's oft to do, falling pretty flat.
We begin with interviews (an addition I quite enjoyed, actually). Each of the crew members relays their experiences aboard the Magus--their joys over Emmet's return, the promise of a successful film, their feelings about returning home—and then Lincoln gets shot in the throat and dies. I'll admit; I didn't see that coming. And for a split second I was almost ready to allow myself a small glimmer of hope; ready to praise the writers for a pretty ballsy move. But then I remembered what show I was watching and knew Lincoln had to be back before the next commercial break.
Sure enough, Jahel tells the crew it's more than possible to bring him back from the grave, and through a black magic ritual, she's even successful in doing so. Well, almost successful because, naturally, Lincoln's return can't just come without a terrifying phenomenon, c'mon. Anyway, Jahel essentially brings back a version of Lincoln that's possessed by the spirit of the Boiuna, which apparently is not only the region of the river they're in, but also the god of all demons. (And if horror alone is bad for me, then adding demonic possessions into the mix just adds a whole other level of freaky I really hate venturing into. Luckily for me, The River is on a major network, and its presentation was mostly TV-friendly, so here's hoping I'll remain nightmare free.)
To read the rest of the review, visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/the-river-1-8-row-row-row-your-boat/
We begin with interviews (an addition I quite enjoyed, actually). Each of the crew members relays their experiences aboard the Magus--their joys over Emmet's return, the promise of a successful film, their feelings about returning home—and then Lincoln gets shot in the throat and dies. I'll admit; I didn't see that coming. And for a split second I was almost ready to allow myself a small glimmer of hope; ready to praise the writers for a pretty ballsy move. But then I remembered what show I was watching and knew Lincoln had to be back before the next commercial break.
Sure enough, Jahel tells the crew it's more than possible to bring him back from the grave, and through a black magic ritual, she's even successful in doing so. Well, almost successful because, naturally, Lincoln's return can't just come without a terrifying phenomenon, c'mon. Anyway, Jahel essentially brings back a version of Lincoln that's possessed by the spirit of the Boiuna, which apparently is not only the region of the river they're in, but also the god of all demons. (And if horror alone is bad for me, then adding demonic possessions into the mix just adds a whole other level of freaky I really hate venturing into. Luckily for me, The River is on a major network, and its presentation was mostly TV-friendly, so here's hoping I'll remain nightmare free.)
To read the rest of the review, visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/the-river-1-8-row-row-row-your-boat/
