Comic-Con 2012: ‘Revolution’ Panel

Power is everything! Though you won’t be able to check out the pilot of NBC’s ‘Revolution’ until it’s debut on Monday, September 17, we were on hand at Comic-Con 2012 to both preview the first episode, and speak with its cast and crew, including ‘Twilight’s' Billy Burke, ‘Supernatural’ creator Eric Kripke and former ‘Breaking Bad’ star Giancarlo Esposito? So, what did we think?

We won’t give away too much of the pilot, but suffice to say things begin in the modern day, when all of Earth’s power mysteriously disappears in an instant, leaving millions stranded on the freeway, and planes dropping from the sky left and right. We’re given the impression this isn’t a natural phenomenon, predicted by Danny Matheson (Graham Rogers), but the cause won’t be made clear just yet.

The narrative then moves 15 years in the future, where the remains of humanity have comfortably adapted to a world without power, but face new threats from corrupt militias and warring governments.

Chief of which is Giancarlo Esposito’s Captain Tom Neville, who strodes into town looking to take Danny Matheson back with him to the mysterious General Sebastian Monroe. A scuffle ensues, in which Matheson’s young son is abducted, thus beginning a quest for Matheson’s daughter Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) to find her brother, as well as her mysterious uncle Miles Matheson (Burke), who may have some kind of light to shed on the cause of Earth’s power-loss.

It’s certainly a bold, and ambitious concept, well played and carrying great potential for further stories, but we’ve been burned by too many high-concept sci-fi dramas failing on network television to think ‘Revolution’ is going to catch on with everybody. The pilot is very strong, and we urge you to tune in on September 17 to enjoy it as much as the Comic-Con 2012 audience did.

Some other tidbits we learned:

• Eric Kripke says that the mythology will move forward at an aggressive pace, and not leave lingering questions for as long as other shows (cough, ‘LOST’) might. He also compared the story to a Joseph Cambell story, or even ‘Lord of the Rings’ or ‘Star Wars’ set across America, as a kind of epic, on-the-road journey.

• Esposito’s Captain Neville is certainly a stand-out character, one who the actor believes was once a weak person who dreamed of becoming a stronger man. After the blackout, Neville sets to using his skills in ways that make him a much more personally powerful person. However, his machinations come from a place of good, looking to preserve order in the world.

• There will be several different storylines, and while mythology is important, the core concept is about the characters, their freedom, and their drive to reunite as a family.

Be sure to keep it here for all the latest, and be sure to check out ‘Revolution’ when the pilot episode airs on NBC September 17! Remember, plenty of twists lie in wait!