I loved this pilot and anxiously await the next installment. I really appreciated having to think and pay attention, I thought the acting was top notch across the board (the most I've ever liked Dana Delaney or Ron Perlman) and the plot was intriguing and leaves this one with a lot of places to go. I felt for a father trying (and failing) to cope with the loss of his son. We see a man who has done bad things trying to change (and it will be a slow process) and STILL making mistakes. The sense of doom as Pernell and KD hurtle down a path the audience knows they shouldn't take, and then the twist at the end leaves you saying "Now what?!"
I think it is interesting that most of the one-star ratings reviews I read complain about one of two things: 1) It's too pro-Christian or 2) It's too anti-Christian. Which is it? Maybe it's not so clear cut as that. At no point did I feel like this was supposed to be a champion of either camp. It's just the frame for this particular story. Flawed people grasping at any reason they can find to justify their actions. This didn't change any view I already have about Christianity or religion in general.
There are plenty of unlikable people here (as in every good story) but plenty, also, who I am rooting for as well. They don't go about things the way I would--but I already know how THAT story plays out. I want to have an experience far from my own and far from the expected.
It's not for everyone--nothing I seem to really enjoy is. Deadwood, No Country For Old Men, Breaking Bad, Assassination of Jesse James, Chopper, Animal Kingdom. This series has a lot of potential and I hope Amazon gives it the chance to grow and expand on what is an excellent beginning.
Enjoy.
