The River "Magus; Marbeley" Review

Oren Peli, the mastermind behind the 2009 film Paranormal Activity, originally wanted to film The River as a movie. Steven Spielberg swooped in to suggest Peli think about The River as a series. Peli thought about it, consulted a friend, and figured out a way to make the story into a long-form narrative. The visual tricks made popular by The Blair Witch Project, and used by Peli in Paranormal Activity, are present throughout the two hour premiere of The River. The visual style's refreshing. The freaky magic of the Amazon is intriguing. The premise is enough to maintain a loyal fanbase.

Dr. Emmet Cole disappeared six months ago somewhere along the Amazon River. Cole hosted a travel show titled The Undiscovered World, in which he explored the world with his family. The world loves Emmet Cole. Public memorials sprung up once search-and-rescue teams declared him legally dead. Tess Cole, Emmet's loving wife, is the lone woman who believes her husband's alive. Tess convinces her mopey and moody son, Lincoln, to join her, and a camera crew, to find Emmet Cole and the rest of his crew. Within fifteen minutes, we're in the Amazon, tracking down Emmet's personal beacon. Within 30 minutes, a pissed off spirit is unleashed on the boat. The pacing is refreshing. Each character's introduced quickly and effectively. We have the childhood sweetheart of Lincoln, Lena, who happens to know more about Emmet than his son and wife. There's a soulless film producer who’s more interested in the shots than the safety of everyone around him. The cameramen want the best shot because excellent photography can lead to more lucrative positions in the industry. The private security guard, Captain Kurt, is a hard-ass with a permanent scowl on his face. Emilio and Jahel are the only South American residents on the journey, and the only ones tuned into the freaky reality of the Amazon River.

Narratively speaking, the first two episodes of the series aren't particularly revolutionary or inventive. The only inventive aspect of The River is its borrowed visual style from its big brother film. "Magus" introduced the essentials: the characters, the mythology, and the weekly format going forward. There were elements of mythology shrouded in mystery, such as the 'ghost friend' of Jehel, in addition to odd videos featuring Emmet Cole, in which he watched his hands burn, and indulged in other 'magic.' Indeed, magic is the most used word in the "Magus." Lincoln begins the series as one who doesn't believe in magic whereas his mother does. The idea of magic extends to the belief that Emmett's survived. By episode's end, Lincoln commits to the idea that magic exists along the Amazon and that they need to explore it.

"Marbeley" is the second episode in the two-part premiere. Jehel is briefly possessed by the spirit of Emmet Cole, who delivers a message to his wife. The team anchors the boat to march through the jungle in search of Emmett. The tapes provide an indication for his possible geographic location; however, the jungles are freaky. The team stumbles upon a Colonial graveyard. A couple dozen dolls hang from the trees. Weird stuff ensues. Lena remembers an old ghost story about a little girl who drowned trying to save her doll from the river. The girl's mother went away for a bit for reasons I forget. Ever since her death, she's haunted the jungle as a lonely spirit, who's said to drag people into the river to be with her. The ghost story's incredibly sad. There's a scene in which Lincoln returns his old stuffed animal to a tree, in hopes of appeasing the spirit, but the stuffed animal keeps dropping from the tree. I interpreted the action by the spirit as a message to Lincoln about keeping the doll because the spirit understood the importance of any ties to one's parent (I should mention "Marbeley" is entirely about Lincoln's complicated relationship with his dad). I thought the story was effectively cool and emotionally rich. If each week packs in the entertainment with an honest and earned emotional story then The River should be a consistently good show throughout its short eight episode run.

There's plenty of story to tell about the characters. Lincoln and Emmet barely spoke in the year prior to Emmet's disappearance. Tess cheated on her husband with Clark, the producer. Lena, a cameraman’s daughter, had a childhood bond with Lincoln that caused Emmet to remark the two will someday marry. Lena, though, had a bond with Emmet that transcended the bonds his own son and wife had with him, which complicates relations between the characters. Jehel and Emilio are the liaisons to this crazy world we don't entirely understand. Clark and Capt. Kurt are motivated by selfish reasons. Kurt's working for a mysterious group who are invested in the permanent absence of Emmet. Clark witnesses Kurt stating this but opts against informing the others, and even insists on Kurt remaining on the journey. Clark's the soulless reality TV producer whose dedication to producing a classic documentary will definitely backfire badly.

Everyone's eager to compare any new genre show to LOST. Critics, though, compared The River to The X-Files. I haven't seen enough X-File episodes to comment. The River is definitely not LOST though, which is good, and it's not trying to be. Michael Green's running the show on a weekly basis and is a writer I have tremendous respect for, as well as admiration. The two hour premiere had unintentionally silly moments. The intense denouement of "Magus" probably would be more effective on the big screen with a big screen budget. I liked the quiet quality of the second episode. The River will try to balance both in future episodes. I hope they pull it off. The show should be fun for the next six weeks. I think I'll stick around to write about the rest of the season.

Other Thoughts:

-Tess, Lincoln, Lena, and Emmet's dramatic back story reminded me of a major plot thread in David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. Specifically, Lincoln reminded me so much of Orin, and Lena as Joelle, and Emmet as James O. Incandenza, that I distracted myself thinking of their story, and how complicated, dysfunctional, and sentimental it is. The symbolism of Marbeley, Lincoln's stuffed bear, reminded me of James O. Incandeza's gesture towards his OTHER son, but I won't reveal specifics in case any reader plans on reading Infinite Jest.

-Michael Green & Zack Estrin co-wrote the second episode. Estrin last wrote for ABC's No Ordinary Family. Oren Peli & Michael R. Perry got the story credit for episode one. Michael Green and Michael R. Perry wrote the teleplay. Jaume Collett-Serra directed both hours.

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