Incorporated Pilot Review
The “sci-fi” network, SyFy recently premiered what one can only assume they hope will be their latest hit, Incorporated. The show takes a high concept script and tries to spin it as a high-class thriller that doubles as a crime drama. Sort of.
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The pilot opens to a tense interrogation before it reverts to three days earlier when we meet Ben Larson (Seam Teale). The year is 2074, and Ben is a young and successful business exec. Married to the boss’s daughter, every outward appearance puts Ben on the fast track in this corporate world. But it’s Laura (Allison Miller) who urges her husband to distrust everything her mother (Julia Ormond) does or says.
We soon learn Ben is not everything he appears. His real name is Aaron. Aaron is from the outside world beyond the safety net known as the “Green Zone” where he masquerades as Ben. He has infiltrated this world as an undercover operative to uncover the secrets of the corporate world. Most specifically, he’s working to find someone who was once very dear to him.
Futuristic stories have an uphill battle to climb. At least in my viewing experience, this is true. They opt for one of two things; either they begin with intrigue or flop in mammoth proportions. Behind the scenes, this pilot has the powerhouse names of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck acting as producers. Perhaps this will earn Incorporated a full season, and looking beyond its famous names, the story surpasses expectations.
Incorporated boasts a concept that’s emotionally frightening in ways its peers are not. The world is sleek, sophisticated and seems void of morality with exception to the people fighting for mankind; people like Ben who are implanted in the “big bad” world of the corporation (which now essentially rules the world after a series of disasters). Personally, I don’t agree with all of the inferences of this script. That being said, this wasn’t enough to stop me from being entertained.
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Some of the content surprised me given this airs on a network originally known for “fun” sci-fi series. (Including the sci-fi police drama, Continuum, and fairytale-esque miniseries Alice and Tin Man.) The fresh-faced cast helps to sell the characters without asking us to liken them to others although Teale reminds me (at times) of Theo James. Speaking of those characters, I found many of them endlessly fascinating. Ben, as the primary character, proves to be quite interesting, but Laura’s backstory is also teased. Of course, there is also the mystery surrounding who Elena is (the woman Ben is searching for) and her brother, Theo.
Those of us who enjoy a dystopian drama (akin to Colony or any of the YA adaptations) might find Incorporated a show worth giving a chance. I fully expect to give this a 3-5 episode stretch before giving my final rendering. There’s a surprising amount of romance or at the least the promise of a good one, which makes the story all the more multifaceted. Plus the tech? It’s really cool.
In conclusion, the pilot is well produced, acted and intrigues enough without revealing “too much” of the complexities that are sure to come.
Incorporated airs Wednesdays on SyFy.
Content Note: There are 3-5 uses of the f-word. There’s some violence. One scene takes place in a debauchery-ridden strip club-like setting. There are also a handful of crude and suggestive comments. The pilot is rated TV-14.
Photos: SyFy
OVERALL RATING
“Hello, Gorgeous.”
ROMANCE RATING
“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My
feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me
to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
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