Out of the gate Parallels is off and running. A man's quick efforts to pack as headlights roll into frame is the first glimpse of the ride you are in for. That ubiquitous `Braaam' sound blares; confirming. Typically this digital call indicates when something totally rad is about to happen.
Enter los hombres malos.
50's style trench coats, hats, suits and ties. They look like government types except one guy looks like he is unaware of how razors fundamentally work. A quick hop onto IMDB reveals this may be a signature of the actor himself. Why that's World High Diving Championship winner of the 94' Bronze, Danny Cosmo. He also did the stunt coordination. He and his buddies are about to do something naughty and the heat they are packing suggest `These boys ain't from 'round here.' Mr. Cosmo, or the `stranger' as he is billed bellows, `CARVER!'
Looks like they are not here for pie and refreshments.
Welcome to Parallels. The pacing goes well although the look and feel tell you, you are on the way to watching one fun show, it looks like Parallels for the time being is considered a short movie with all of the earmarks of a Pilot.
Parallels wastes no time in introducing the first contender, (pun intended). Ronan Carer we learn is a semi-professional fighter with a temper (Mark Hapka). He is not afraid to get a little bloody. `Ronan' Really? This is seriously about as bad as it gets. Aside from some mi nor squabbles about the trope of characters not believing the supernatural or science fiction phenomena they witness, the characters themselves behave with fair competence most of the time.
When Ronan gets a weirdly distorted sounding call from his father urging him to go home and to go to a building he has never heard of at exactly 6.19 PM, we're ready to see what happens next.
Parallels plays by the rules of the movies and shows that have already dealt with traveling between alternate Earths, and it does it well. Certainly you can't go world hopping alone, players 2 and 3 are ready to hop in; little sister Beatrix (Jessica Rothe) and next door neighbor Harold `Harry' (Eric Jungmann) tag along. Turns out Sis received the same message from Dad. Harry, well it looks like he and Beatrix have some history. He claims he's there for `moral support'. One suspects comedic relief, a lot of Harry's lines add much needed levity to some otherwise heavy situations.
What happens next sells the show. A room full of graffiti reveals that maybe when Dad would take off every now and then with his `jump' bag packed, he may not have been just taking business trips to Chicago. They are surrounded by esoteric messages, ‘Found an Earth where all babies are born as twins' `Earths 53, 181, and 726 are all extinct.' a burger wrapper on the ground says, `Dragon Burger.'
There are dangling threads and new ideas galore to explore here. By the time weird lights flash and weirder sounds shake the building, the hunger for what comes next delivers a fun and scary romp. Again Walking Dead comes to mind. Bad people are compelling even when a show has gadgets and weird world shifting; it’s the villains that make the show watchable. Again Parallels delivers.
Because the characters have different skill sets, their group starts to take shape. Ronan, the obvious Muscle, Beatrix who later underscores that she was accepted but had not enrolled into Princeton provides the Brains. Harry who appears to be living at home with his Mother is actually a Public Defendant. Party established.
Watch this movie, borrowing from shows like Walking Dead, Parallels gets its thrills and its dangers from ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Unlike Sliders, the dangers are more visceral and readily apparent. With luck, Netflix will realize they have a winner on their hands. Look for a masterful performance by Constance Wu who plays the mysterious but fun loving world hopping Polly. Michael Monks puts in a chilling yet sympathetic effort as the enigmatic `Tinker'.
One star being an Abysmal failure, Five being the zenith of what all other shows should strive to be. It warrants a solid 4. However because it is a movie right now, as a stand alone it may read as fairly weak given a lot of its punch comes from it' potential.
