CBS's new show Threshold, which premiered with a two-hour movie on Friday, is a show I wanted to like more than I did. The cast is great. There are a lot of intriguing elements to be found in this show, but at the same time some things about this show kind of bugged me.
Carla Gugino of Spy Kids and Karen Sisco stars as Dr. Molly Caffrey, a brilliant contingency expert. One of her contingency plans, codenamed "Threshold," is put into play when a small naval ship comes into contact with an alien object. J. T. Baylock (played by Charles S. Dutton) runs a government faction that is responsible for dealing with this situation. A crack team of people is assembled (against their will) to work on this. They include Nigel Fenway (Brent Spiner), a brilliant microbiologist and "aging hippie," Arthur Ramsey (Peter Dinklage), a master of communication and language, and Lucas Pegg (Robert Patrick Benedict), a top-notch engineer. They are joined by Cavennaugh (Brian Van Holt), who helps provide protection for the team.
The object in question is an indescribable floating thing that folds into itself while flashing bright light and emitting an unusual sound. Most of the crew on the ship has disappeared when the Threshold team arrives on the scene. Only one member has survived and he definitely has some issues. A mysterious image is burned onto the electrical equipment in the ship. Three of the team members, Molly, Lucas, and Cavennaugh, all watch a video of the object and are affected by it, similar to how the crew members were. Over the course of the double-length episode, various things are revealed about the object and how it affects people. The sound it emits apparently causes peoples' DNA to mutate and makes them have unusual dreams about "trees made of glass." The lone survivor found on the ship develops superhuman powers such as appearing and disappearing at will, gaining extra strength, and resisting multiple gunshots. There are also other survivors from the ship who have also gained the same abilities. The end of the episode has people being drawn to an element of the alien signal...and they don't know why.
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Article comments
1 - Joanie
I'm still confused about how they're going to keep this premise running for an entire season. And, if they can do that, how will they extend it to a second?
2 - Bob A. Booey
This show won't work, but Carla Gugino is way hot. I've always liked her and she's holding up well for an older broad.
I'd give it to her fortissimo.
That is all.
3 - Cass
I thought the "alien" ship/portal/whatever was creepy. It made me feel ill. Too much movement on the screen, I guess.
4 - Tvqueenz
Boy, I was so bored when I watched this show. I saw the plot a mile away. I don't know how they'll last the entire season, to tell you the truth because I'm not even interested to know what's the mystery behind the mysterious symbols!
5 - Hannah
Give me a break!! For one thing, the main scientist didn't even figure out something is wrong with her, when she had the same crystal dream as the guy who went crazy and started axing people. *rolls eyes* And another, she looks like a barbie! Gosh! Direct gun shots didn't phase the man-turned-alien but a hit on the head knocked him down. ohya. that's reaaall realistic. He ran and ran and ran to escape, and then you learned that he could just disappear. So why all the running? Pure stupidity in my opinion.