The Paranormal River Ride

The new season of television is coming to an end and there are several shows that have gone the way of the Playboy Club, there are other shows that have captivated the general audience. For example, The New Girl and 2 Broke Girls have received some consistent viewership and solid fanfare as has Homeland. And even though AMC, Showtime, and HBO have changed the TV platform forever, I need to say that the most riveting show is on basic television. While that used to be a norm, the ability to get away with more has led to the power swaying from network TV and made it a necessity to buy cable television. That said, there is a show which, as of right now, has potential to last a few seasons and possibly exceed the average, short lived thing. The most underrated show of this new season has to be The River. Created by Oren Peli, the dude that gave us Paranormal Activity and reinvented a style lost after the Blair Witch Project. This show is simply riveting.

The River is a blend of drama, horror, a thriller, and special effects, and has somehow incorporated all of these into a found footage TV show. The show follows a wife and a son on a mission to find the missing piece of their family. Her husband/his father was once a famous TV personality similar to Steve Irwin, minus the stingray. Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) hosted an outdoor TV show where he explored every aspect of nature from the animal world to greenery. After sharing essentially his entire life with the world, he went on 1 last mission and never returned.

Although alienating his wife, she had a feeling that he had never truly died and that he was simply lost in the abyss of the amazon. Their mission, paid for by Emmet Cole’s old TV producer who decided to exploit the families’ hole in their life in order to make a final show, was to retrieve the missing doctor a la HEART OF DARKNESS or Dr. Livingstone. Besides family, the rest of the crew includes the producer, camera men, the mechanic and his creepy daughter, a hired gun as their protection, and a former colleague.

Each episode has a different theme, with horror being the general under layer. But unlike most shows in this genre, they have done a great job of including a meaningful plot, and developing (although it could still use some goddamn work) the characters. The writers should watch Lost to learn character development. As an individual who appreciates a good scare, I must say that this show does the trick. Upon watching, I am immersed in the lives of these individuals, even those who dislike supernatural or science fiction have gotten into this shit. Who would have thought homemade style filming was more than just for documentaries and porn?

Besides the obvious goal of provoking fear, it contains beautiful forest scenery that even the least adventurous individual would appreciate. Each episode stokes a deep fire to get up and travel to the most remote forests in the world, unlike the burning resulting from a one night stand with a swamp doggy. At the minimum, more due to a lack of financial means and a stable job low paying job, I would take a trip to the everglades or a River Boat Gambling trip down the Mississippi after watching this show. That said, if I ever had a chance, I would travel to the Amazon and experience a world that mixes high amounts of beauty and danger, often at the same time.

Another aspect about The River that makes this show so goddamn great is that they've done a great job with special effects. A lot of horror TV shows go beyond their limitations and it shows, but these producers and the writers understand the limits of a television budget. When needed, the effects are done well enough to not sidetrack your attention from the theme, idea, or situation taking place on the show whereas, in the past, the viewers had a hard time seeing past the terrible computer graphics or rubber looking fucked up monsters on shows like the 90's Land of the Lost. For those who now want to start watching, here is a list of the original characters as I do not want to be a spoiler to those who still need to take trip.

Dr. Emmet Cole- The celeb and the man that everyone is looking for was deemed dead months before the voyage only to be the focal point of a wild goose chase. Was it him who set the location beaker off?

Tess Cole-This strong leader of the expedition and the widow is seeking closure to what had been a rocky marriage.

Lincoln Cole- Intelligent Research doctor takes the trip more for his mother than the man who alienated him. Is this gonna man take the leader role away from his mother?

Lena Landry-The daughter of a missing camera man, and confidant to Emmett Cole, she is searching for answers of her own. Why was she so important to Dr. Cole?

Clark Quietly- The Producer of Emmett’s original show wants to milk everything he can from this family by filming the search party. Is he also trying to get a lost love back?

Captain Kurt Brynildson-the Security was hired to keep the family safe but does this Russian ex-marine have ulterior motives?

Emilio Valenzuelo-The head mechanic. A pretty obsolete character. Why is he so controlling of his daughter?

Jahel Valenzuelo-The daughter of Emilio and has grown up a mechanic under the Cole family. Does she truly have a gift when it comes to understanding the supernatural.

Andreus Jude Poulain (A.J)-Camera man and the token black guy. Not important.

A river runs through it. And you need to get on it before the current leaves you behind.

- Kyle