NBC’s new show, “Revolution,” is a post-apocalyptic science fiction television drama that asks the hard-to-imagine question: What if one of our most important power sources disappeared?

Despite its People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite New TV Drama, and the fact that powerhouse writer and director J.J. Abrams produces it, “Revolution” does not seem to have reached the masses to the same extent as many other new shows have.

I’m just going to go ahead and blame this on the advertising team. Other than a few commercials in the weeks leading up to its premiere, there was really no push for publicity.

The teaser on the Internet Movie Data Base website reads: “We still don’t know why the power went out. But we’re hopeful someone will come and light the way.”

This teaser becomes clear when, at the start of the pilot episode, we are immediately thrown into a post-electricity world and introduced to the Mathesons, the show’s central family, and we soon find out that it’s not all fun and games in this society. The Monroe Militia (a dictatorial regime) now runs the country with an iron fist. Additionally, we discover that Ben, the Matheson patriarch, is keeping an extremely important secret.

Conflict immediately arises when Monroe militiamen show up to capture Ben and fight against the entire neighborhood that is trying to protect him. In the end, Ben is shot through the heart with an arrow and the militiamen take his son, Danny, hostage. Ben stays alive just long enough to give his trusted friend Aaron a curious pendant and instruct his daughter Charlie to find her Uncle Miles in Chicago to help her get Danny back. So, off Charlie goes, accompanied by Aaron and Ben’s girlfriend, en route to Chicago for Uncle Miles and Philadelphia for Danny.

Each episode presents a new and dangerous task or obstacle Charlie and the gang must overcome so they can continue with their journey. These challenges provide insight into each character’s strengths, fears and morals, and test how far they will go to survive.

The enemies they encounter and the obstacles they face in each episode are extremely unpredictable and so full of suspense that you may find yourself rubbing your eyes during commercials from staring at the screen for too long.

The most distinct and important aspect of “Revolution” is its flashbacks. Every flashback helps put into perspective what life was like for the characters pre-blackout. Aaron, for example, was a former Google Inc. executive and multibillionaire – we get to see the character contrast of confident and successful pre-blackout Aaron versus sweaty and mostly unhelpful post-blackout Aaron.

The flashbacks also reveal important details regarding the relationships between characters. We find out in the middle of the pilot episode Miles is, in fact, the best friend of Sebastian Monroe, the Monroe General, and was a founding father of the Monroe Republic.

In addition to providing character and relationship insight, the flashbacks also help viewers learn more about the over-arching plot question: How did the lights go out in the first place? We soon learn that Ben’s pendent is much more important than he originally reveals. If the Monroe Militia discovers what it can do and learns how to harness its power, its enemies better watch out.

But enough show promotion — the advertising team should pay me for doing their job.

To sum it up, check out “Revolution”if you want a show that will make you clasp your hands and say “Wow” while the credits roll down the screen. Who knows? Maybe “Revolution” will become more popular than “Homeland” and “Girls” this year, and you can rave to all of your friends that you were the one who discovered it first.

Published on February 3, 2013 at 10:17 pm

Contact Jackie: jigrossm@syr.edu