***Start by reading the note at the bottom if you ever read my “Willing Suspension of Disbelief: A weekly dose of the cult, obscure, and underrated films that everyone should watch!” column…***
So earlier this week, as my friend Liz and I were hanging out having a vegan taco night, I told her I had a show that she might really enjoy. Unsurprisingly, she had never heard of it…because very few people actually have (especially considering it aired on FOX)! However, after an episode or two, I had her hooked. And rewatching the show has simply reminded me of how much I love the show and how you should all go check it out!
Point Pleasant was a little known television show that was cancelled in March 2005 after only 8 episodes because FOX expected it to put up American Idol type numbers (Which is pretty stupid because Idol’s numbers are not reachable by almost any show and the show’s debut was the highest rated new drama debut on FOX in over three years amongst 18-49 years old and was the highest rated debut overall since 24 debuted in November 2001). Executive produced by Marti Noxon (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame), Point Pleasant is the story of Christina, a young girl who wakes up on the shores of Point Pleasant, NJ in the middle of a violent storm. She is taken in by a local family and the trouble begins brewing.
Once Christina arrives in the town, all hell begins to break lose, and everyone around her seems to find some sort of trouble, as friends become bitter rivals, people fall prey to their inner demons, and strange occurrences and accidents happen all over. All the while, Christina is searching for her mother, who once lived in the next town over and was helped by the local Catholic Church.
Soon after Christina discovers that she bears the mark of the beast, she begins to have visions of terrible death and destruction in the town brought about by her own doing. She learns the man that raised her was actually working for her real “father,” none other than the Devil himself. Soon the Devil sends in an aid to help Christina reach her destiny of taking over the world and destroying it.
In short, Point Pleasant is about the battle between good and evil, literally, as the minions of Satan and devotees of God work to win “the final showdown,” which is taking place in the town of Point Pleasant. It may be a mixture of Twin Peaks and the OC, but the cliffhanger endings to each episode leave you wondering whether Christina will be able to overcome the evil inside of her and reject her father.
While I watched the show every week that it was on, it took until the 6th episode to really get me hooked. It was at that point that the show started to get astonishingly great. But, they cancelled it after only two more could air. However, once I had watched the entire series in the DVD set, I was stunned that the show would not be coming back. I felt that, after watching the last few episodes of the show, this series was probably the first time anything had even come close to matching the brilliance that was Twin Peaks. And, as the series concludes, you are left to wonder what will happen to the town of Point Pleasant and the people in it. Will good triumph over evil? Or will Christina show her true colors and allow Satan to rule the earth? (And, not to give out too many spoilers, but at some points she is so fucking bad ass it is AMAZING!) Sadly, we will never know, but I still urge you to go check out this show. You won’t be disappointed.
***Note: a good portion of this was taken from an article in a column I used to have entitled “Willing Suspension of Disbelief: A weekly dose of the cult, obscure, and underrated films that everyone should watch!” However, I did attempt to update where necessary***
No comments:
Post a Comment