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Introduction
It is hard to say whether Scream is simply another example of Hollywood’s dependency on cashing in on familiar franchises, or perhaps MTV siphoning, little by little, off of what makes ABC Family interesting and just making it their own version of hip and with better music. Either way, the sole reason I watched the pilot was Bex Taylor-Klaus, who I became familiar with thanks to watching House of Lies, and I can’t say whether being a fan of her may be enough to keep me watching. For more on the pilot of Scream, look below.
Review (with Spoilers) – Below
Characters & Story
For those familiar with the original movie, there are a lot of familiar scenes and the pilot does heavily borrow from the movie franchise. This can be seen within the first few minutes as Bella Thorne, as Nina Patterson, basically reenacts Drew Barrymore’s part in the original, but with a modern update dealing with webcams and cell phones. From there, though, it seems the show then tries to keep you guessing by hinting at ways a character could die, like one character Brooke (Carlson Young) dying due to a garage door, but with ever hat tip to the original film, you will see an attempt to try to keep you guessing. Question is, though: will you care enough to want to find out who is the killer?
Praise
Honestly, as much as I adore Audrey (Bex Taylor-Klaus), and like the fact she has a character exploring her sexuality with this seemingly nice girl named Rachel (Sosia Bacon), it is hard to really get into anything else really offered. Mind you, it is just episode one, but even with the touch of diversity by including someone of the LGBT community, and an Asian character named Riley (Brianne Tju), there isn’t much here to really push the idea that this show deserved to be made.
I will say, though, to give a 100% compliment, with knowing what is likely to happen, and with characters like Noah (John Karna) playing such things up by using the Scream franchise’s self-awareness, if you do let go any expectations and try to enjoy yourself, you just might.
Criticism
However, if you are like me and liked the original film franchise, and maybe even the unnecessary sequel with Emma Roberts, this show is really going to lead you to believe that maybe MTV should stick to reality shows, comedies, and stuff like Teen Wolf. For while Scream does seem like something made for MTV, since the characters didn’t take themselves too seriously in the films, it is hard to get into a show with the most generic characters you can find. I mean, set aside the leads are all mostly white and well-off, but add in that between their acting or the writing, it is just hard to really get to that point to accept the show for what it is. I mean, granted, the Scream films are about making fun of slasher films but without punch lines but for whatever life Noah sort of help breathes into the pilot near the end of the episode, there comes the issue of not really wanting to invest in anyone.
After all, what makes shows like Game of Thrones or even horror movies so exciting or infuriating? It is the one you care about dying. Which, as of now, if Emma (Willa Fitzgerald) were to die, it seems deserved for she is whiny and such a basic, good girl with bad friends trope, that her death would almost be welcomed; Kieran (Amadeus Serafini), who I guess might be the cute side to Noah’s serial killer fanatic, is another generic character since he is portrayed as hot, mysterious, and the new kid in town; and I could go on and on breaking down how mostly everyone feels as disposable as paper dolls, but then I would feel the need to take a week off again.
Overall: Don’t Watch
I know it is very unfair to judge a show solely by its premiere episode, but like with the “Skip It” tag used for movies, I try to use the “Don’t Watch” tag sparingly. However, when it comes to Scream, while I like Audrey and Noah, and maybe this show could prove me wrong, I honestly think between the expectations which come from the source material, combined with either weakly written or acted, characters, there isn’t much to view here. Watch the original films, maybe even the one which came out a few years ago, and keep it stepping.
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I wasn’t that impressed initially either, but once I realised the show does not take itself seriously in any way it became quite enjoyable. I think you should give it another chance and you might be surprised to find it more fun than you first thought. Lots of crazy twists and turns to keep any viewer guessing until the very end.