Resurrection Review: Season One, Episode One – “The Returned”

First Aired March 9th, 2014.

Nobody likes that feeling when they wake up not knowing how they got where they are. Eight-year-old Jacob (played by Landon Gimenez) wakes up in a field in China seemingly unable to talk and looking like he just came from a little league game.

Jacob is shipped back to the US and, under the care of Immigration Agent Martin Bellamy (played by Omar Epps), it’s determined his family lives in Arcadia, Missouri. Martin takes him to the home of Henry and Lucille Langston (played by Kurtwood Smith and Frances Fisher), but their son Jacob drowned 32 years ago. Photographs and DNA prove that the little boy, for whatever reason, is who he says he is despite it being scientifically impossible. Once over their initial shock, the Langstons are overjoyed to have their son back.

My initial expectation of the show was that it would focus on several different characters brought back from the dead, similar to The 4400, which featured many characters. Instead, Resurrection focuses primarily on just one family, which I like. Why? Because it really allows for the emotions of everyone to shine through. I particularly like the reactions of Pastor Tom (played by Mark Hidreth), Jacob’s childhood friend, and Dr. Maggie Langston (played by Devin Kelley), Jacob’s cousin who was only a baby when he died. The signs that something might be wrong with Jacob (seizures and an overactive appetite) are lightly touched upon, which works here because, for the premiere, the focus should simply be on his return.

Jacob’s resurrection also brings into question the death of Maggie’s mother, who drowned the same day as Jacob but wasn’t brought back. Jacob remembers seeing a man by the river that day, so Martin and Maggie begin to investigate, thinking there may be foul play. Their investigation only leads to the discovery that the man was having an affair with Maggie’s mother. However, the autopsy photos and the flashback that shows Jacob drowned after trying to save her suggest there is more to this mystery.

Jacob’s return sparking a murder investigation is an unexpected twist that I think works very well. Eventually, the show will need to move on to plots other than how great it is that he’s back and tying his resurrection with a murder is a great way of accomplishing that. Martin as a character, so far, appears to be very one dimensional, and he has a thin connection to the main storyline, so it feels as though he has one foot out the door already.

In the episode’s final minutes, another man (played by Sam Hazeldine), who was set up as a mysterious stranger, is revealed as Caleb Richards, the formerly deceased father of local Elaine Richards (played by Samaire Armstrong). I feel that this second resurrection is meant to highlight the fact that, so far, everyone who has come back has been from this one town. This may be the direction of the entire season. Hopefully, we’ll not only discover why these people are coming back, but what it is that makes this town so special.

This is definitely a strong start for Ressurection and it has the potential to be a great show. I’m excited to see what happens as the season moves forward.

Quotes/Thoughts

“I’ve been preaching the miracles of God for ten years. Now one happens right in front of me I can’t believe?”

Jacob is surprisingly good at playing games on smart phones.

“There’s got to be some sort of explanation.” “I don’t know, this wasn’t exactly in my medical boards.”

I’d personally be happy that Jacob is addicted to grilled cheese and not brains.

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