Falling Water: Season 1/ Episode 1 "Don’t Tell Bill" [Series Premiere] – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

Overview

Three people all missing one person each. Is the key to saving that person their dreams? Much less this mysterious rich man named Bill Boerg?

Trigger Warning(s):
Suicide

Main Storyline

A trend spotter named Tess (Lizzie Brocheré), a detective named Take (Will Yun Lee), and a risk and security management for a financial firm named Burton (David Ajala) all have lost someone. From what it seems, through dreams and working with this billionaire odd man named Bill Boerg (Zak Orth), they may be able to get this person back. However, there seems to be a monster in all of their dreams, including what may very well be Tess’ child. What does the monster represent and what does the child, and what are their connection to these disappearances or our protagonist possibly losing their minds?

Low Points

Their Everyday Lives: Tess spots trends that make people money and, as a person, is an eccentric who looks like she is about to fall off the deep end. Take is your everyday police detective who just seems to know how to find trouble. Then there is Burton. He too has a nose for trouble in his occupation and is also dealing with a troubled relationship in which he loves her but she can’t reciprocate. Perhaps to someone, this may sound interesting, but believe me when I say it was so boring that on Amazon Prime I took long enough to finish this that it timed me out a few times.

Doesn’t Get Good Till The End and That Is Just Shock Value: A house explodes, someone shoots themselves, Tess goes into a dream world! Sadly, most of this doesn’t happen until the second half of the episode and the end. Until that point, the show moves along sluggishly and it’ll make you wanna rewatch the trailer to see why in the world were you interested in this show in the first place? Though, even with the gunshot and explosion, they don’t feel like they are things which fit in with what was going on. Granted, the explosion matches the weird occurrences that happen with the character involved but, at the same time, they felt like an alarm clock to wake you up. To possibly leave you with some positive feeling that, in a last minute save, may convince you to return for episode 2.

On The Fence

Tess Seems Interesting as Does this Dream Hopping: Due to Tess being the sole person who got to do any dream hopping, thanks to Bill stalking her, she was the only one character who brought something interesting to the pilot. Granted, her dishelved, I look like I don’t have my stuff together look helped, but that’s a dime a dozen. Honestly, and truly, I think her being the one who introduced us to the idea of visiting, or intruding, on another’s person’s dreams is what pushed her into being some form of a highlight. Though, of course, one should also note Andy (Lou Taylor Pucci) making it seem he has learned more about dream hopping than Tess can currently fathom helped quite a bit.

Overall: On The Fence (Stick Around)

Once the sci-fi and mystery elements really kick in, I think we could have a nice and trippy show here. However, if the writers decide to do as they did with this episode, and just do the occasional big bang, be it of a gunshot or explosion, to wake you up from your indifference, then this will just be another show which had potential and wasted it. So, if you are willing to stick around so the show can get its footing, I think you can be entertained by this. However, if you need to be sold from the get go then I doubt you’ll make it more than 15 minutes.