Is Revolution Starting To Lose Steam?

Tracy Spiridakos as Charlie

I've had my issues with NBC's Revolution, yet I keep on watching. The show is a hybrid, in a way, of the shows Jericho and The Walking Dead (mostly Jericho). Though I doubt the show's creators would admit it, Revolution owes heavily to them. I won't explain why here, I guess that is for another post.

Despite the non-originality of Revolution, I have been watching since the premiere. I was initially intrigued when Giancarlo Esposito (formerly of Breaking Bad) was cast (which, sadly, was a spoiler for me since I was not caught up with BB at the time), and naturally, I like the looks of newcomer, Tracy Spiridakos (I am such a one trick pony, I know). J.J. Abrams' involvement hinted that I might be into it, as well. But now, after seven episodes, the show is coming to a crossroads. I'm getting a little bored with where it is going.

This week's episode, The Children's Crusade, was especially bad. While Charlie and the gang continue to make their way to Philadelphia (?) to try and rescue Danny, they stumble upon a group of kids surviving on their own. The kids' leader had recently been picked up by the militia, and they wanted to rescue him. For some odd reason, Charlie volunteered to go on a borderline suicide mission to retrieve the kid, despite him being a total stranger.

On the one hand, this is ridiculous. These people are living a virtually lawless society, without any real government. Violent militias force most people to live in fear. But Charlie is somehow willing to risk her life to save a stranger when her brother's fate is still an open question. On the other hand, from a viewer's perspective, we do learn what happens to orphaned kids in this new world. It adds a layer to the overall picture, which is helpful. It also paints a fuller picture of Miles Matheson's past. He was, at one time, the head of the militia. It was under his leadership that many of the child soldiers' parents were killed.

Elizabeth Mitchell as Rachel Matheson

But did we need 30 minutes of show time to help us realize what an asshole Miles is/was? I think we already know that. The only really interesting parts of The Children's Crusade were the reveals about the pendant that can turn the power back on. Through a couple of flashbacks, we now know that Charlie's parents did know why the power went out, how it happened, and how to make it come back. But, with Dad dead, only Mom (Elizabeth Mitchell) knows the truth. She is being "held" by the militia, and apparently, has been for quite a long time. To me, this is the only really interesting part of the show, at the moment.

I would recommend to the writers of Revolution three things to bring me back to the fold:

1. Focus less on Charlie's adventures on the road, and keep the focus on the pendants and the real story of the loss of power.
2. Don't just hint at Miles' past, let's have a flashback. How did he become so powerful? Why did he leave? How was he never caught by the militia while Charlie found him in a matter of minutes?
3. Put Charlie in a bikini or something more revealing/skimpy. Did someone say ratings spike?
4. Have Elizabeth Mitchell's character, Rachel Matheson, killed off. I've had issues with Mitchell since Lost. She just rubs me the wrong way.

So there's my two cents. I can see myself watching this one for a while. I've lasted this long. I stuck with V for the entire run and that show sucked. Hey, wasn't Elizabeth Mitchell in that one, too?