The Crossing Season 1 Review

Episode Guide

Pilot
A Shadow Out Of Time
Pax Americana
The Face Of Oblivion
Ten Years Gone
LKA
Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream

Had The Crossing released 10 years ago, it could easily have been a big hit. There’s a mystery-laden plot line, some well placed plot twists and enough intrigue to keep you engaged until the finale. The problem is the plot line feels like a recycled blend of other more interesting shows that have taken these concepts and fleshed them out into fully fledged, successful shows. It doesn’t help that some of the acting on display is painfully bad, highlighting the crux of problems in this unremarkable sci-fi series.

The story begins in present day America with a quiet coastal town forever changed when 47 people mysteriously wash up on shore in the middle of the night. Right at the heart of the issue is our protagonist Sheriff Jude Ellis (Steve Zahn) who, along with Agent Emma Ren (Sandrine Holt), set out to find some answers.

As the government begin to get involved, the refugees declare they’re from the future – 150 years to be exact – and have come back to stop a future war from happening. As the story progresses, it turns out the group may not be the first to make the jump back in time. Mixed in to this is a loosely developed story around a killer virus and genetically enhanced humans referred to as Apex.

The problem is none of these plot lines are particularly original. Building a mystery around people appearing from another time has already been done in The 4400. A rivalry between two groups from the same time period mirrors the story in fellow sci-fi show Travelers and a plot around viral outbreaks speaks for itself in terms of originality. As the episodes progress there’s an increasing desire to try and shock with plot twists and action but this actually backfires midway through with the questionable decision to remove one of the most interesting characters for the sake of building a cliffhanger ending.

When you take the unoriginal plot line and contrived shocks out of the equation, The Crossing doesn’t really offer anything substantial enough to keep your interest through to the finale. The characters are distinctly average, archetypal and lacking in real quality writing. Some of this could perhaps be forgiven if the performances were on point but vast swathes of The Crossing feel forced; characters monotonously deliver their lines and randomly mix in sporadic bursts of exaggerated exasperation that really takes you out of the moment and the story.

Most of The Crossing’s issues stem from the sheer lack of originality and this is one of the biggest issues with this sci-fi mystery series. With a more engaging, fresh story line it would be easy to look past some of the character flaws and acting but because The Crossing stubbornly retreads familiar ground, the spotlight highlights other elements of the show much more closely. There will inevitably be those who take to this one and that’s great; there’s certainly enjoyable elements to The Crossing but those looking for something new and off the beaten track certainly won’t find that here.