6 Awesome Things About Revolution

A new series by JJ Abrams is bound to get people on the internet talking, and ever since Revolution first aired last Monday, there have been a lot of complaints about the show. Ranging from valid (the acting is rough) to just silly (why is the power out?). From just the very first few minutes, or even just by knowing who is involved, it should be apparent that the complete answer to that question will not come immediately, and that the answer to that question is the core of the story.

Since everyone has focused on the negative, I want to look at the positive side of Revolution. TV shows can get through it, and have in the past. Buffy The Vampire Slayer had terrible production quality, even at the time it was released, yet we look back and love it for all of the other reasons.

So, to focus on the positive side of things, I've compiled a list of the 6 Awesome Things About Revoution. Click through the jump for the list and warning, there are spoilers ahead.

1) Things are moving quickly.

By the end of the first episode, we already know that there is *some* electricity, and that more than one person has access to it. And by the end of the second episode, we're already reunited with someone that we thought we saw the last of. Questions are being answered, or at least touched upon, pretty quickly.

2) Questions are not a bad thing!

As silly as some of them are, it's great to have a discussion about why the characters in a post-apocolytic power-less world are traveling by horse instead of bicycle, or why they have nice clothes, or why did batteries stop working… instead of discussing who was kicked out of the house on EVERY OTHER SHOW. The idea of a world without my iPhone and my refrigerator is perhaps the worst thing ever, but it might be worth it to assure there would be no more reality TV talk.

3) A Kill Bill level battle scene in each episode.

"Uncle" Miles Matheson might as well be nicknamed "The Groom". Dude has single-handedly taken out a small army of militia soldiers twice now, using whatever he can get his hands on. The level of violence is really high in this show, and it's awesome to see they didn't soften it up for prime time tv.

4) The rules are being re-written.

Without electricity, chaos has taken over. But, a militia has formed and they have some pretty intense laws. The first, is that owning, firing, or selling a gun is punishable by death. Very much the complete opposite of the formation of America, with the continuous debate of the right to bear arms. In a scene where a gun-owner is killed by the militia, we also see that he has an American flag, which is a big no-no in Revolution-land.

5) The cast is mostly unknown or little known actors.

Some people would see this as a negative, but it's so refreshing to watch a show and let the creative side take the lead. There are a few people we've seen before, Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Zak Orth (Wet Hot American Summer, but it's mostly newer faces. A few episodes of rough acting will be worth it in the long run as the actors settle in and they start to fully become the characters.

6) It's made for geeks without being The Big Bang Theory.

While the Big Bang Theory laughs at geeks, Revolution embraces their interests. The have been nods to geek culture, with Miles being an older Han Solo at the very top. If you've ever wanted to see what happens to Han Solo after all of the power goes out and he cannot fire his blaster anymore, just watch Revolution. There have also been subtle (hopeful) references to The Stand (Randall Flagg), Hunger Games (survival/weapon choices), and the producers even compare it to Lord of the Rings ("The idea that it’s a very epic scope and a very intimate focus." - Eric Kripke).

Revolution airs Monday nights at 10 on NBC. Complaints follow on Twitter immedately after.