Genre: Comedy/Drama
Airs Tuesdays at 9pm on CBC
jPod, based on the Douglas Coupland novel by the same name, is one of the more highly anticipated TV programs for the CBC winter season in the young adult demographic. Following the fictional lives of the misfit inhabitants of the jPod [an accident of the Y2K bug], the show is wacky and spunky, the hallmark of Coupland’s works. This, however, works against the show in a number of ways. The pilot starts [rather abruptly] into the midst of action with an all-too-brief introduction to the characters. The result: flat characters that seem just a little too fake. This leaves the viewer with an emotional disconnect with the characters and the show, and a general sense of confusion as to the direction of the show. The set pieces used just weren’t convincing [i.e. did not exude geek!] and who can actually believe that there’d be that much snow in Vancouver [I, for one, don't]. Most audiences may find these to be rather big turn-offs for a first impression. Still, the show is redeemed by a strong cast and some very witty, Couplandesque dialog. The plot, while non-existent at the moment, will inevitably emerge and reward the faithful who continue to watch it weekly.
The pilot may not have been the best first impression for the series, but it has potential. The writing and acting are strong, all it needs is a bit of time. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be tuning in next week even if you’re not.
A few of my own impressions on the show:
- it’s pretty much following the story in the book so far, with similar character development.
- it was actually filmed in Vancouver recently; one added line was about the “first snow in Vancouver since Reagan was president”
- it doesn’t need to ‘exude geek’; EA pods don’t ‘exude geek’ either…
You’re right about all those points. [I read the book when it first came out, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.] However, I just felt it didn’t translate to the screen as well as I imagined it would. Perhaps I just had a different expectations…
[...] been a few weeks since I wrote my initial impressions to jPod [found here], and with a few more episodes under the belt, this would be a good time to fully weigh in on the [...]
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