Going in, I did not expect much from this Pilot but I did get enough to have made it worthwhile to have watched it but not quite enough to have made me want to go through watching the rest of the series, especially knowing that it was later discontinued.
Among this Pilot's strengths was the suspense held throughout a great deal of it concerning who President McCallister was between Jack McCallister (Matt Long) and Bobby McCallister (Logan Lerman). Without spoiling it, I'll only say that the reveal near the end of the episode as to who President McCallister is pleasantly plays against our expectations drawn from the history of the US President J. F. Kennedy.
Another strength of the episode, albeit a weird one, lies in the romantic connection between Jack and Courtney Benedict (Jessica Paré). Avoiding spoilers, I can only say that you'll never guess who Courtney falls for and marries in the end.
Besides these, Christine Lahti's performance of Grace McCallister stood out the most among the main cast and I'm confident that those interested in this series will have many a good laugh and enjoyment watching Grace.
A noteworthy mention among the guest appearances is Amber Heard (and she's largely the reason I watched this Pilot). She features very briefly as Liz, a classmate of Jack's that comments about Courtney Benedict during lunch break in school just before Jack makes his first meeting with Courtney. Although not much can be said of Heard's performance here given the brief screen time she gets, she does manage to capture the viewer's attention with her charming voice and captivating look (magnetic personality, blonde, pink crop top, and a white shirt). As such, one cannot miss to wonder whether she would have made for a better Courtney Benedict than Paré does - especially considering that Paré's performance comes off as somewhat flat and regular. Needless to say, Heard was just at the start of her career so the director may not have wanted to bet on her for as big a role as Courtney, and even the small appearance as Liz - among about other four or so appearances that she made in about 2 movies and 2 series that same year - would have left a significant mark on her resumé.
I recommend this Pilot strictly to those interested in American political dramas and comedies. Beyond this audience, I'm afraid that there's not much more to look forward to in the series to make it worthwhile for others to go through the enjoyment of watching the Pilot.
For fans of Amber Heard, her appearance in this episode may make it worthwhile to watch it if only to see her in one of the earliest moments of her career.
Among this Pilot's strengths was the suspense held throughout a great deal of it concerning who President McCallister was between Jack McCallister (Matt Long) and Bobby McCallister (Logan Lerman). Without spoiling it, I'll only say that the reveal near the end of the episode as to who President McCallister is pleasantly plays against our expectations drawn from the history of the US President J. F. Kennedy.
Another strength of the episode, albeit a weird one, lies in the romantic connection between Jack and Courtney Benedict (Jessica Paré). Avoiding spoilers, I can only say that you'll never guess who Courtney falls for and marries in the end.
Besides these, Christine Lahti's performance of Grace McCallister stood out the most among the main cast and I'm confident that those interested in this series will have many a good laugh and enjoyment watching Grace.
A noteworthy mention among the guest appearances is Amber Heard (and she's largely the reason I watched this Pilot). She features very briefly as Liz, a classmate of Jack's that comments about Courtney Benedict during lunch break in school just before Jack makes his first meeting with Courtney. Although not much can be said of Heard's performance here given the brief screen time she gets, she does manage to capture the viewer's attention with her charming voice and captivating look (magnetic personality, blonde, pink crop top, and a white shirt). As such, one cannot miss to wonder whether she would have made for a better Courtney Benedict than Paré does - especially considering that Paré's performance comes off as somewhat flat and regular. Needless to say, Heard was just at the start of her career so the director may not have wanted to bet on her for as big a role as Courtney, and even the small appearance as Liz - among about other four or so appearances that she made in about 2 movies and 2 series that same year - would have left a significant mark on her resumé.
I recommend this Pilot strictly to those interested in American political dramas and comedies. Beyond this audience, I'm afraid that there's not much more to look forward to in the series to make it worthwhile for others to go through the enjoyment of watching the Pilot.
For fans of Amber Heard, her appearance in this episode may make it worthwhile to watch it if only to see her in one of the earliest moments of her career.
