Believe - Pilot

The concept of 'Believe' is interesting. A girl with supernatural abilities needs to be protected against the big bad world. Does this sound familiar? Yes, 'Touch' had a similar concept and 'Firestarter' by Stephen King is also very much alike. So, as a King, and Sutherland fan, I was almost forced to watch 'Believe'. Unfortunately, I wasn't charmed by the pilot of the series. I thought it was a boring and hardly exciting copy of the previously mentioned series.

In this first episode, we see Bo (Johnny Sequoyah), a beautiful young girl who is singing a song in the car. Due to a fellow road user, the car crashes and Bo's foster parents are killed by a kind of Terminator-like lady named Moore (by the way, she doesn't return to the series). Because of this event, as a viewer I understand that the girl has to be special and someone would do anything to capture her. Gradually, you come to understand that Roman Skouras (Kyle MacLachlan, 'Desperate Housewives') is the person who wants to capture Bo. He seems very rich (private plane) and hopefully the following episodes will explain why he's after Bo.

Meanwhile, the priest Milton Winter (Delroy Lindo, 'The Chicago Code') visits the death row inmate Tate (Jake McLaughlin, 'Crash'). Tate has just half an hour left before he will be executed and Winter gives him the opportunity to escape. But Tate does have to do something in return; he has to work for Winter. It's not a surprise if I say that Tate escapes and, reluctantly, works for Winter. Tate is not a kind man. He is rude, arrogant and in general unpleasant and ungrateful. As a viewer, I immediately dislike him, which puts a damper on the festivities. Even Bo, the cute girl, does not evoke any emotions. She doesn't make me feel sympathetic towards her.

Winter's team, “we don't have weapons since we're the good guys”, has one other employee, Channing (Jamie Chung, 'Once Upon a Time'). Channing obviously doesn't agree with Winter's choice of using Tate as a babysitter for little Bo. We get to know a little more when we see a video of Bo. She has a clear gift for telekinesis (moving objects with your mind), levitation and steering animals, but she also 'senses' people (clairsentience). This is where 'Touch' steps in. Bo does talk, but just as Jake Bohm, she can get off a bus any time to go looking for something. It becomes clear that we're dealing with a girl who has supernatural abilities.

As said before, the pilot of 'Believe' didn't get stuck in my mind. I have no idea whether I want to keep watching 'Believe'. Maybe Tate and Bo will develop a special connection, which could ensure a plot twist for 'Believe'. The camera footage is sometimes messy and the music isn't great either. Johnny and Jake are trying to make the best of their characters, but they don't really succeed yet. To me, this series is a case of doubt and for now, I'll put it on ice. Perhaps I'll watch it when I've got nothing left to watch.

6 points for a mediocre start.