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Episode Reviews

Missing Pilot

Missing is a new ABC spy drama staring Ashley Judd as ex-CIA super-agent turned soccer mom as she tries to find her missing son in Europe.

Created by Greg Poirier, Exec produced by Greg Poirier, Grant Scharbo, Matthew Stillman, and Steve Shill (who received an Emmy for directing Dexter), Missing is a mystery spy drama thriller that doesn’t hold back in terms of action and intrigue. The cold open itself involves the assassination of Agent Paul Winstone (Sean Bean), husband of the show heroine Former-agent Rebecca Winstone (Ashely Judd), and throughout the pilot, there is more than enough hand to hand combat action that reminds me of the days of another classic ABC spy drama Alias.

Rebecca Winstone (Judd), while retired for 10 years, is the personification of the most dangerous type of agent you could imagine. Not only is Winstone an agent so heavily redacted her file only contains two paragraphs, she is also a mother scared for her son. As one of her former contacts said, “God help whomever has your son” which sets the tone of her attitude. Ten years retirement didn’t mean her skills were lost, and the show gives us plenty of evidence to that as she mows though bad guys with a vengeance.

We have had a long string of fairly terrible spy dramas, and it has been 6 years since Alias. Missing fills this missing genre well by centering completely around Winstone and whatever former contacts she can find, creating a very intense atmosphere similar to the Bourne series. Unlike recent spy dramas though, there is no question as to the heroine’s weekly objective. This is not a spy mission a week series, but a welcome season/series long quest to find her son that plays out like a spy novel.

I just worry about two things. If the show does well and lasts many seasons, will we spend many seasons chasing down her son without any real movement in story? If the show ends quickly, will we end up without any resolution as to his fate? Shows like these work well when they have a predefined length, and I hope the writers get the opportunity to bring this show to the potential it deserves.

Other Observations

  • “I was a boy scout, and den mothers do not kill ex-SISDE assassins.”
  • Who is following her? Is he part of the kidnapping (probably)? Is this a big play to lure her out?
  • Was her son the original bomb target?
  • Russian Intelligence killed her husband. Wouldn’t that have been some type of…incident to diplomatic relations?
  • 235@W’ – 23 Is his Jersey Number, 5 is the 5th largest organ the heart, at W prime, being Rebecca Winstone is the prime of the house. or… “I Love You”

By Kien Tran

Based in Dallas, Texas, Kien Tran is an avid television enthusiast. After spending hundreds of hours wasting away on a couch, he decided to actually do something creative with his hobby and created this very blog.

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