I decided to watch all ten episodes of Wayward Pines in one sitting and really enjoyed it. I’m going to need to read the trilogy ASAP! Wayward Pines gave me Orwellian creepiness, apocalypse by evolution and evoked the suburban horror of The Stepford Wives and the institutional horrors of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Throw in a dash of I Am Legend, a pinch of the inevitable pessimism of Planet of the Apes, and you have Wayward Pines. The obvious metaphor between our struggle to balance freedom and safety made Wayward Pines really work and evoked a lot of historical events.
Don’t stay away because of the stink of late M. Night Shyamalan’s work. Wayward Pines is like an apology for The Village. I really love that it is a single season series. Finally we’ve taken a page from the BBC. I adored that both sides were right and wrong simultaneously.
Wayward Pines isn’t perfect. It is never revealed how and why certain people were chosen to live there. I know that a mountain is an impressive barrier, but it is not insurmountable-talk to Hannibal. Invasions can still happen. I understand the secrecy, but everyone is so creepy and aggressive in the beginning that it almost seems like they are working against themselves. Still I’m willing to sign a waiver because overall Wayward Pines was compelling and riveting.
Wayward Pines has a stunning cast. If anything it was too perfect because when I saw Toby Jones, I immediately thought that the secret behind Wayward Pines was Hydra. I am so excited that Carla Gugino got to be in something without being topless-I still miss Threshold. I have no real, strong memories of Matt Dillon before Wayward Pines, but he balanced his role with toughness, a sense of humor and vulnerability. I haven’t seen Shannyn Sossamon since A Knight’s Tale. I’m always happy to see a Whedon cast member get work though Reed Diamond was under utilized. I have never seen Hope Davis give such an against type performance. Honestly Melissa Leo rules the world. Can we just put her in any project that she wants to be in.

SPOILER

If man is going to devolve into aberrations, why fight it? I know that there were contributing environmental factors, but evolution is a slow process. Aren’t you just postponing the inevitable unless you always freeze a bunch of people to defrost at a certain point? Also I wanted to know more about the Abbeys. I know they weren’t supernatural, but they did look a bit like vamps from The Strain without the projecting forked tongue. They had the frightening appeal of zombie (who wants to be eaten alive…shudder) with more restraint because they were wise enough to not chase someone if they hadn’t finished their meal.
Also what a terrifying thought: the man who can save mankind thinks that the ark should be a suburb, and mankind’s future tastes are dependent on what he thinks is good and bad. Can you imagine how awful the food is?!? Being good in one area does not mean that you’re good in others. Not everyone can be Michelangelo or da Vinci.