Summary: Men in a helicopter do a robbery and fly over Navajo land. A grandfather, Hosteen Tso, sees the helicopter and starts feeling sick. He goes to see a healer but is murdered, along with the healer's granddaughter Anna. The murders are investigated by police officer Joe Leaphorn who knew Anna. He is forced to call in the FBI, and they are suspicious since the helicopter from the robbery flew over Navajo territory. Joe has a new deputy, Jim Chee, but he is secretly an FBI agent looking for the helicopter. Joe's wife Emma tells him to check up on a pregnant girl, Sally. He sends Chee and his number two Manuelito to investigate. Manuelito discovers that Sally's mother has some sort of witch powers. They are hiding a man that neither cop discovers. Joe discovers that Hosteen's water was contaminated, a result of the helicopter crashing in a nearby lake.
The Good: I enjoyed this pilot. The concept of the show is interesting. It's a typical mystery and those are always fun to uncover. This episode has the unique niche of spotlighting the Navajo people, which I really appreciate. Native American people have long been overlooked in film, so it is fresh and significant to see a notable TV show centered around them. This gives the show a memorable identity as it takes place in a reservation area and takes the time to incorporate some Navajo traditions, creating a unique sense of worldbuilding. I can't attest to its accuracy, but considering that the show is being developed by Native Americans, I do expect that this is fairly accurate. I appreciate the attention to detail. Thankfully this show does include a lot more than just something for Native Americans to enjoy. So far, this show isn't just pandering to Native American people, and it seems to be telling a good story. The characters have been intriguing so far. I like Joe and I think that he is an effective main character. Zahn McClarnon is an excellent actor, and he plays this tough, yet witty and intelligent officer brilliantly. Joe is not perfect and this episode intriguingly hints at a dark past (see: The Unknown), but he embodies character traits that make it easier to connect with him. The supporting cast is less spectacular (see: The Bad), but I was interested by Jim Chee. Chee immediately makes a decent connection with Joe, but we get a strong reveal that he was an FBI plant all along. This reveal is a bit predictable, but it is no less effective as an early shake-up in the story. It also makes perfect sense, explaining away Chee's strange arrival without any prior communication. I'm pleased that this twist was not withheld for a long time and that the show got it out of the way quickly. I'm curious about Chee as he seems to be an interesting character. Evidently he still has some ties to his heritage, so I wonder if that will be a cause for some inner conflict where he may have to choose between the FBI and the Navajo people. I was gripped by his introduction scene. Chee is supposed to be a Navajo native who cares for his people, and yet his introduction has him happily speeding along and ignoring a family in need of help on the side of the road. Perhaps he is a more sinister character than what meets the eye. I like the minor detail that Hosteen's sickness was due to contaminated water, but he thought it was because of the helicopter, which is technology he did not understand. A perfect portrayal of how humans tend to fear other cultures that they do not understand and view their practices as supernatural in nature. The Bad: The supporting cast concerns me a little bit. Manuelito has been flat so far, and I'm concerned that she may end up being a forced strong female type without any depth. I definitely hope not. The FBI agents were another red flag for me. This show should avoid painting caucasian people in such a bad light as that can make things feel rather one-dimensional. The show has done a good job of pointing out the subtle prejudice against the Navajo people, but it abandons its subtlety a few times. The FBI agents is one such case, as these people are condemned as moustache-twirling racist villains in this first episode, and that is a boring way to handle these characters. Giving depth to both sides would make for a much more interesting show. While I enjoyed this episode, this was not the most exciting pilot ever. The pacing is methodical and there isn't much excitement here in terms of action and thrills. This show isn't coming out of the blocks swinging. The Unknown: What is the significance of the opening robbery? Did the people get away with it? How did the helicopter crash in the lake? Why? What happened? How does the crash tie into the murders? Who is the murderer? Why kill Hosteen so brutally? How did Anna die without any noticeable cause of death? Why was the grandmother spared? Why is she unable to speak? Was witchcraft involved? What's the significance of the missing token? The token was the glasses, so what is the importance of that? What's going on with Sally? Who is her mother? Is she a witch? Is she involved with this robbery? Who is the man they were hiding? Is that the father of Sally's child? Is he involved in the robbery? What happened in Joe's past? Clearly he had some sort of connection with Anna. What was it? Anna's father suggested that Joe let someone else die before. Who? Why is Joe so reviled? Was he involved in this death? Why is he viewed as a traitor? Where do Chee's true allegiances lie? Will he betray Joe further down the line? This episode showed us recurring dead dogs. What is going on with that? Best Moment: Chee ignoring the family in need of help suggests some depth to this character, and it got my brain going more than any other scene in this episode. Character of the Episode: Joe. Conclusion: This was a good pilot that did a lot of things right, even if it was unexceptional. I'm curious to watch more of this show. Score: 62
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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