The pilot is fantastic. The best pilot I’ve seen in ages. I laughed, I cried, I had feels, I had anger, I had romance attacks. I highly recommend watching the pilot, even if you don’t watch any more episodes than that (though it will be difficult not to!). I think all the episodes are still up for free viewing on CW’s website, so get on it! Seriously, I’m linking you to this pilot because it’s worth your time.
So, basic plotline is that an alien race called the Atrians left their home planet because it was dying and accidentally crash landed on Earth in September 2014. Obviously they landed in Louisiana because that is where anything ever happens these days in TV shows. The humans panic and go all shoot before asking questions, despite the exceptionally innocuous nature of the Atrians approach, and a battle ensues. Cue Roman as a wee thing (6 years old) being told to run away by his dad (who is the Atrian leader, we later learn). Roman runs away and hides in Emery’s family’s shed. Emery is also 6 and somehow sneaks out of the house multiple times that night without her parents noticing despite that an alien spaceship just landed about 10 miles from their house and their young daughter is sick. After Roman and Emery share a moment or two in the shed, the National Guard busts in and shoots Roman dead. Or so Emery thinks.
Ten years later the Atrians have been living in an internment camp called The Sector this whole time and Roman’s dad has worked with the government to create an integration program for high schoolers. Seven Atrians will attend the human high school. Since most of the humans hate the Atrians, you can imagine it went about like this…
And of course Roman isn’t dead and of course he immediately recognizes Emery, despite that she doesn’t at all look the same and is standing in a massive crowd of people on the balcony. But, cue Romeo & Juliet theme that is intrinsic to their core plot (er, at least that is what we think based on the title).
It’s all very well and good. Themes of love overcoming hate, people and aliens coming together in an allegorical way, etc. Except that the pilot introduces Emery as someone who is sick and has just gotten better. Like long term stay in the hospital sick. Like it’s her first day of high school even though she’s 16 kind of sick. While she was in the hospital for the last four years, she befriended Julia, who is in the hospital because she is terminally ill with cancer. WHOA, WHAT? This is a CW show?! Julia super hearts all things Atrian, despite being stuck in the hospital for always, and is totally excited that Emery’s first day ever in high school involves Atrian integration.
Beyond one of the main characters being terminally ill, the pilot surprises by making the popular girl be pretty normal and not seem to have a real clique of “mean girls,” but rather a combination of guys and girls who sort of make up the background as extras. She’s nice to Emery on her first day, inviting her to the big party. I mean, sure Emery is smoking hot, but it’s a CW high school, so everyone is hot. Even geek bestie Lukas is hot. And let’s not even talk about Grayson who was the new guy last year and is basically Edward Cullen.
Yeah. Pretty much. The actor’s real name is Grey. I don’t think I could believe life was real if I was on a date with him. He doesn’t seem real, does he?
I don’t want to dive too deep into the show, because I’m hoping everyone will watch it and I don’t want to give away any plot twists, but I will definitely say that the show is not about Roman and Emery’s romance. It’s truly about the convergence of two species on one planet and how to integrate cultures that are literally from different worlds. It’s still unclear if Roman or Emery is the main character, but both feature as if they are equally the lead.
It’s a CW show, so of course it has the usual problems: extremely public and never punished underage drinking by high schoolers, parents just completely disappearing from plotlines as if parents don’t exist in real life, slightly too long looks and moments cued to indie pop music, all the 16-year-olds look like they’re in college, and blatant racial division in the “good” and “bad” guys (at least with the Atrians, like seriously with the trags, CW?). Also there is that sci-fi futuristic thing everyone does these days…see-through screens. Um, sorry, but that is never going to happen, not even in 2024! We already have that technology, but no one wants to sacrifice their privacy by making the screen see-through. I get it from a visual standpoint, and even from a “in the classroom” standpoint, but on everyone’s cell phone? No way!
All in all though, I’ve read some interviews about what to expect, and it sounds like the season is going to unfold to be even bigger than it already is looking to be, plus it sounds like they have multiple seasons planned for story arcs. So, that’s good. I like it when things have been planned. The acting is solid, the costumes are fun, the Atrian culture is interesting, and there is plenty of eye candy. See…
Roman (Matt Lanter):
Grayson (Grey Damon):
Drake (Greg Finley):
Lukas (Titus Malkin, Jr.):
Uncle Castor (Johnathon Schaech) #unf:
Haha, random nude photoshoot, apparently. The internet is full of gems!
Anyway, tune in next Monday and let me know what you think about Star-Crossed. I can’t get enough! Are you already watching? What’s your favorite thing so far? Are you so sick of Terri but also feel for her?
