By Jason Apuzzo. A few weeks ago we posted about NBC’s new series The Event, which seems to feature a variety of narrative elements with political overtones. Specifically, we analyzed the extended trailer for the series (above), and picked out these prominent elements from it:
• Heroic, charismatic young black President.
• CIA conspiracy involving illegal detainees.
• A secret detention facility in Alaska
• Some sort of 9/11-type event (i.e., world-changing, clash-of-civilizations-type encounter)
• A 9/11-type suicide attack with a plane targeting the President
Since that time, there’s been a considerable amount of on-line speculation on the series. Much of this has to do with the fact that NBC showed the pilot episode of The Event at Comic-Con. See reviews of the pilot episode here, and a review of the pilot screenplay here.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
The most interesting thing that’s been ‘spoiled’ about the series is that The Event may be another of the many sci fi invasion projects we’ve been posting about here all summer. New York Magazine recently let the cat out of the bag on this one (see here and here). The key element tipping everybody off to the sci-fi component of the series seems to be that the airplane seen hurtling, kamikaze-style toward the President at the end of the trailer above (and at the end of the pilot episode) apparently vanishes into thin air, ostensibly as a result of some advanced/alien sci-fi-type technology. This mid-air vanishing of the plane, however, is not the series’ ‘event’ itself according to the show’s producer, but merely indicative of things to come. For more details, you can find out a lot about the show at a new site called The Event Log.
We’ve been talking all summer here at Libertas about how science fiction projects are currently becoming the ‘accepted’ medium by which filmmakers in both Hollywood and the indie world are dealing with our current wars, and domestic political anxieties. Indeed, I had what I considered to be a very interesting exchange recently on this subject with my friend Patrick Goldstein over at the LA Times. It appears that The Event may be continuing this overall trend of ‘politicized’ sci-fi.
One of the really interesting bits of speculation on the new series concerns the nature of the ‘detainees’ in the series’ Alaska detention center – the same center that our heroic young President fights the CIA in order to open. [I’m trying to image where NBC got that plotline … but I just can’t think of any real world examples. :)] Much of the speculation centers around whether the detainees are either: human visitors from the future, aliens, or human visitors from the future who’ve had contact with aliens.
The leader of this group of detainees is a sober-looking, middle-aged woman named ‘Sophia Macguire’ (played by actress Laura Innes; she’s in the trailer above). Here’s a little insight, from someone who’s written a few screenplays: whenever you have a sober-looking, middle-aged female character named ‘Sophia’ (a name meaning ‘wisdom’) you can rest assured that this character will be used within the storyline to impart some choice nugget of wisdom to the main hero – in this case the President. It’s usually a sure thing in these types of stories.
So expect The Event to present a scenario for its viewers in which the ‘wisest’ character in the show, who knows the most, is a detainee at a secret CIA facility. Well! Isn’t that an interesting plotline in our post-Guantanamo world?
We don’t know many details about this Sophia Macguire character other than what’s in the trailer, but below is a very interesting transcript of a fake, ‘top secret’ document on The Event that some NBC employees (dressed as Secret Service Agents) were handing out at Comic-Con. This is apparently to be considered the ‘official’ backstory for The Event [emphasis below mine]:
TOP SECRET UMBRA
Date: July 21, 2007
To: Agent Simon Lee
From: Blake Sterling, Director
Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Department of State
Subject: Inostranka
The facility at Mount Inostranka remains a top priority to our national security. Recent events surrounding the facility must be remedied immediately.
Handle the first with extreme urgency. A breach of protocol has resulted in the escape of …….. The Agency must seek and extract the escapee to trade for information. The Mission allows for acceptable collateral damage.
Ever since 1944, ……. them, The Agency has maintained complete secrecy surrounding the detainees and the facility;….survivors that were apprehended, one demonstrated to be their leader and is……….. Sophia Macguire can not be allowed to communicate with anyone from outside the facility and must be monitored at all times. She must be questioned about the disappearance of……
Even though we have suspected substantial differences…..the source……have we been able to pinpoint to believe the detainees are…..leads the Agency……but we need further information. For this cause,…….
Valid information is still required to confirm……must not allow any further information to be leaked.
Execute orders immediately. A team led by General Whitman will be joining you in Alaska tomorrow.
No action is to be taken in updating the President. This information is on a need-to-know basis and the President should not be briefed on the existence of the facility. This must remain a matter for the intelligence services, which have been managing this without interference for decades. And as you know, we have our reasons.
These recent developments are all unquestionably related to increased activity among the detainees. The Agency needs you to address this, immediately.
By authority of: Blake Sterling
Signature: B. Sterling
Note that this Sophia character “can not be allowed to communicate with anyone from outside the facility” and “must be questioned about the disappearance of” something/someone. In other words: she knows a lot.
My guess here? Looking beyond the series pilot, my sense is that Sophia Macguire and her fellow detainees, who have apparently been in captivity in Alaska since 1944, are some sort of human time travelers who’ve had alien contact. [I assume they’re human because if they were aliens they presumably wouldn’t let themselves be captive for 60+ years!] As a result of this contact, they have insight into advanced technologies that allow them to do things or comprehend things like … planes vanishing, and perhaps the extending of lifespans.
So what we have here, ultimately, is the following: the mythologizing of people in a CIA detention facility, who might actually be ‘wiser’ than we are, and who are possessed of esoteric insights we cannot fathom – i.e., how planes vaporize in thin air, so to speak. And the heroic Obama stand-in is there on the spot to free them.
What a charming gift NBC’s giving us, just on the heels of the 9/11 anniversary. Thanks, NBC, but I think I’ll be watching V instead.
Posted on September 12th, 2010 at 2:10pm.
My God…I can’t believe they’re sinking this low. Thanks for ruining my chili dog.
I didn’t mean to ruin your lunch! Blame it on NBC.
Remember when “The West Wing” premiered? Just about the time that Clinton got into big trouble and needed a little help from his state run media minions. Let’s see, which network was that again?
Yes, I’m trying to remember but I just can’t recall. 🙂
Absolutely zero clue being unveiled here. The script was written in 2006 by a writer who had nothing do with NBC. The president is a Cuban-American. The pilot was shot last March. And more FACT, the executive producer was the EP of 24 – the most “pro-torture” network show ever. Geez, you guys really need to learn things before writing.
What, exactly, have you ‘refuted’ here? Nothing. Your comments are completely beside the point. Watch the trailer.
I haven’t had to watch the trailer, I’ve seen the entire pilot. What I am refuting is that the show is some type of leftist kumbaya conspiracy. We don’t know what the motivations are of the detainees led by Sophia. We also don’t know if the show’s creators are intending to have the POTUS character be naive and dangerously idealistic or someone more nuanced.
The last thing I am refuting is the insinuation that the show is some form of a response to the current political climate. I think the long network lead-times undercut that. I mean, who knew that ’24’ would premiere the same month as 9/11, and shouldn’t that have been considered more of a ‘charming gift’ – a show recreating a terrorists – as there is at this point no indication that the detainees at Inostranka are terrorists. (By the way, in my opinion, ’24’ was a perfect cathartic gift to the American people at the time.)
Final thought – I have a peeve for broad generalities, and you post was just that.
Walter, you seem like an intelligent guy … but you’ve got to be kidding me, right? You actually are suggesting that this show is not “some form of a response to the current political climate”? A show featuring the following elements:
• Heroic, charismatic young black President.
• CIA conspiracy involving illegal detainees.
• Some sort of 9/11-type event (i.e., world-changing, clash-of-civilizations-type encounter)
• A 9/11-type suicide attack with a plane targeting the President
… is not at least in some measure a show that is “a response to the current political climate”? It’s difficult to take you seriously when you say that, unless you happen to simply not be keeping up on current events.
Incidentally, the comparison to “24” makes little sense here, because the 9/11 attacks took everybody by surprise. The subject matter they’re riffing off in “The Event” has been in the news for a long time. Incidentally, I can also tell you – because “24” creator Joel Surnow is an acquaintance of mine – that the people behind “24” always knew they were riffing off of current headlines. It’s silly for you to suggest that’s not what’s happening here – much sillier than my speculating about it.
The information you are posting is pure speculation and the NYT source of his blog has been refuted by The Event’s creator Nick Wauters — so it looks like your facts-checker dropped the ball. It not only is old news — it’s old “wrong” news. However, Nick Wauters said “nice try”. I’ll leave it at that.
No, actually you’re getting the facts wrong because we’re talking about New York Magazine, not the New York Times. And nothing’s been ‘refuted’ by Wauters, at all. Read here:
http://theeventlog.net/2010/08/30/new-york-magazine-steps-into-eventful-pile/
As for whether this is speculation … of course this is speculation! That isn’t much of an insight on your part.
There was an interesting article in the New York Times recently how television has more innovative and adventurous story lines than what’s released in movie theaters today. For which I mostly agree however not on the Old Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC). All they’re doing is pushing a left wing infantile agenda that’s obvious to anyone that has a pulse. For the readers of Libertas “The Event” is yet another example of that agenda. Tedious
People, do not be DECEIVED by these evil beings who kidnap and probe people, and brainwash them on top of that. I have rebuked one of these beings in the name of Jesus. These things are just evil spirits manifested in the flesh. They will obviously say that they have created the world’s religions and humankind. Do not believe the illusion! Believe in Jesus! I know that I might sound like a crazy Bible nerd or something else, but please at least look into what is being brought to the table. Like I said, I and many others have rebuked these gray’s or whatever you want to call them. They are not extra-terrestrial, they are inter-dimensional (the Bible calls them demons, or the Nephilim, giants that inhabited the earth thousands of years back).
Here is a MUFON investigator that has counseled many abductees, and this is what they have to say….
http://www.alienresistance.org/ce4.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnMHZy0orDU&feature=related
Jason, why would you include the spoiler in the title of the post?
Because the show looks obnoxious, and I’m rooting for its failure.
Look, I like what you’re doing here, generally, but that’s weak. It would have been nice to be given the option of not having the premise spoiled just by visiting LFM to see what you’re writing about today. It’s common courtesy.
Are NBC’s viewers given the option of opting out of the show’s politics?
Wow, you challenge everyone that has an opinion that different than yours. The O’Riley of the net! I think I’ll watch anyway.
If you read this site on a regular basis, Brian, you wouldn’t be saying that. In any case, you’re obviously free to watch the show – no one’s stopping you.
Good speculation Jason! I searched ‘the event’ and aliens’ and I found your comments. Yeah, I agree with your predictions. I also like how you debate- very mature and logical responses- you keep a cool head- I like that.
Hey, thanks, Carolyn – that’s very kind! I do try to keep a cool head – although my friends and family would probably argue otherwise. 🙂
First time to your site. Good reading. Checked out the show last night. Predictable and swiss cheese handling of the story. NBC, in my opinion is not the network to handle this type of show. In your opinion, is it possible to pitch television and motion picture concepts to someone such as Robert Kosberg or others. I developed quite a number of concepts, have no outlet. Any thoughts? Peace… Seth…
Thanks, Seth, I appreciate it. I wish I had good advice to give here. I know a few TV writers, some exceedingly successful, and the reality is that they spend almost all their time pitching projects – with, ultimately, very few ever achieving traction. It’s a hard road to take in terms of breaking into the industry, with low odds of success, because TV shows are by their very nature large commitments for the few networks able to afford them.
An interesting thing that people are doing nowadays is going the webseries route, in order to ‘prove the concept’ of a show. Ironically enough, I’ll be posting about one such excellent, if low-budget effort in that direction today – so stay tuned.