But first, some ground rules: Im a huge fan of both Kings work and the Thomas

Jane movie, but since this is a based on, Ill be reviewing it on its own merits
instead of playing comparisons. Im going to end up spoiling details about the
episodes, so please keep that in mind as you read this. Ill try to put up some
kind of subtle reminder when the spoiler zone starts.

My ratings system is based on a 1-9 (with half-increments) John Cusack scale,

with a 10 Golden Cusack score reserved only for incredibly rare and special
circumstances because hes my pop-culture spirit animal.

So as promised

THIS IS THE POINT WHERE YOU SHOULD STOP READING IF YOUD RATHER AVOID SPOILERS!

From Spikes own words:

Based on a story by Stephen King, Spikes The Mist centers around a small town
family that is torn apart by a brutal crime. As they deal with the fallout an eerie
mist rolls in, suddenly cutting them off from the rest of the world, and in some
cases, each other. Family, friends and adversaries become strange bedfellows,
battling the mysterious mist and its threats, fighting to maintain morality and
sanity as the rules of society break down.
So applying the first episode model I mentioned earlier, heres how The Mist held
up:

Introducing Characters: So, were introduced to about nine characters in the first
episodeand thats where this wave of Under The Dome dread is coming from, because
it feels like they fell out of the dramatic cliche tree and hit every branch on the
way down then only barely had their fall cushioned by the leaves from said tree.
See if you recognize these character types from any other shows youre currently
watching (cliffhanger-ish questions added on purpose for melodramatic effect):

?Kevin Copeland (Morgan Spector): Husband and father whose desire to be the cool,
understanding dad to his daughter brings him into direct conflict with his wife,
who he views as being over-protective and smothering. Does he have what it takes to
make the tough decisions, even if theyre not popular?

?Eve Copeland (Alyssa Sutherland): Wife, mother, and rebellious teacher whose
desire to protect her daughter and keep her safe ends up distancing her from her
daughter and puts her into direct conflict with her husband. Can she start seeing
her daughter as a person and not just her child before its too late?

?Alex Copeland (Gus Birney): Smart, loving daughter trying to survive her teenage
years in a small town and with parents working to keep the family together. Shes
an individualist who walks her own path and befriends those that society considers
weird and different. Can she balance being who she wants to be with what her
small-town social circles want from her?

?Mia Lambert (Danica Curcic): Pill-popper with a past, she wont hesitate for a
second to break the law to defend herself and get whats rightfully hers. Even if
that means killing in self-defense. But can she be trusted?

?Bryan Hunt (Okezie Morro): Soldier who wakes up in the woods with no memory and a
dog that may or may not be his. Hes seen firsthand what the mist can dobut will
anyone believe him? And does he know more than even he realizes?

?Jay Heisel (Luke Cosgrove): Big man on the Bridgeville Central H.S. football
team and son to the towns sheriff, is he the stereotype everyone thinks he isor
is he hiding a secret? And after a tragic night, can he be trusted enough to tell
the truth?

?Connor Heisel (Darren Pettie): Town sheriff and a man more than willing to cross
the line for justice even if it takes him beyond the law. Hes willing to do
anything to protect those that he loves, but will that loyalty blind him to the
truth?

?Adrian Garff (Russell Posner): The town freak living his life in defiance of the
close-mindedness of the town around him and best friends with Alex, viewing her and
her parents as his second family. Will he be able to find it within him to help
save a town thats shunned him repeatedly?

?Nathalie Raven (Frances Conroy): Neighbor and spiritual naturalist who tolerates
her neighbors, but seems much more at peace being left along to her flowers and
trees. When the mist arrives and shes faced with tragedy, just how far will she go
to make sense of the growing madness around her?

See what I mean? Now again, granted, its only the first episode and we have a ton
of time to work with to mix up the dynamics. But Im worried that it could end up
like Under The Dome with a collective group of cliches that the storylines could
never rise above the mediocrity. I hope Im wrong about The Mist, because it feels
like it has some serious potential.

Spikes The Mist Review: Solid Start But With Some Dome Concerns

Establishing Backstories: One thing about this The Mist? Youre surprised these
people havent gone at each others throats well before the mist started blowing
through town. Eve is fighting the school district and other parents to be able to
teach sex-ed properly. Kevin and Eve are fighting over how to raise their daughter.
Alex is fighting her parents to be seen as a young woman and not a child. Bryan is
fighting to get his memories back and be understood. Mia is fighting to stay alive
and get her life back. Adrian is fighting to establish his own identity and live
his life without fear. And on and on and on and on.

This isnt going to be a matter of a very bad situation breaking very good people:
these are people whose issues have had them teetering on the edge for a while,
anyway. The mist forces them to confront their inner demons and make some hard
choices. I think the series has a great opportunity to delve more into the moral
ambiguities that each character will be faced with, moving it away from (hopefully)
having just another good guys vs. bad guys dynamic.

Spikes The Mist Review: Solid Start But With Some Dome Concerns

Introducing The Big Bad: No complaints here. I think they did an excellent job of
keeping the mist mysterious while giving us some horrific examples of what it can
do. The fact that our characters are in different parts of the town when the mist
descends upon Bridgeville only adds to our appreciation of just how massive this
threat is and how worse its going to get.
I particularly like their practice so far of not showing us a lot and letting the
viewers use the sounds and their own imaginations to personalize the horror. One
sticking point? The mist seemed to move a helluva lot slower as the episode rolled
along compared to how it was shown moving when Bryan was running from it.

Spikes The Mist Review: Solid Start But With Some Dome Concerns

Showing How All Of That Starts To Converge: For the most part, I like where they
positioned things storyline-wise by the end of the first episode. The first wave of
primary characters have been introduced, weve learned their backstories, we know
whats coming, and now we get to see how they all connect.

Kevin, Adrian, Mia and Bryan decide to work together to get somewhere safe and back
to their loved ones in a scene reminiscent of The Walking Dead; Eve and Alex find
themselves trapped at the mall (giving me a slight Dawn of the Dead vibe) with
Alexs alleged rapist Jay (more on that in a minute); Nathalie loses her husband
tragically and finds herself seeking sanctuary at the local church; and others
continue to wander the streets looking for cover.

The Mist adds an additional layer of tension and concern because on one hand, we
want these people to find each other (the whole safety in numbers concept); but
on the other hand, we know that theres a really good chance that the dangers
coming from within might end up eclipsing the unknown dangers facing them in the
mist.

(On a side notenot sure how I feel about the Alex/Jay rape storyline moving
forward. Im a big believer that no topic should be off-limits when producing art,
but it needs to be done with respect and understanding for opinions and experiences
of others. Im giving the writers some time to tell their tale as we all should
but I really hope that it doesnt end up going the way I think its going to go.
Ill hold off on sharing that theory until after the third episodepromise!)

Conclusion: Even though it has some rough
The Mists run for them to be able to fix
the kind of roadblocks that have derailed
understanding that I reserve the right to
after the seasons over, I give the first
Cusacks:
edges to it, its still early enough in
a few of the things I mentioned and avoid
other series in the past. With the
go back and re-examine my initial review
episode of The Mist a score of 6-1/2

Spikes The Mist Review: Solid Start But With Some Dome Concerns

Join me next when we take a look at the second episode of The Mist, Withdrawal:

Episode Two Summary: The Mist has settled over town as Eve, Alex, and other
mallgoers try to manage the rising panic. Meanwhile, Kevin, Adrian, Mia, and Jonah
venture out into the mist to get to Kevins family.