The Purge TV Series - Review

Some Background on my Addiction

For those that don't REALLY know me, I watch A LOT of television. Most would say an unhealthy amount, and I don't disagree. It has always been a part of my life from a very young age. I usually watch almost all the new shows that come out at least once or twice to see if I like them. This leads to my DVR usually being nearly full. Currently it is sitting at 4% free, and this is at the end of the summer before the new fall season even begins.

A lot of the time I let shows pile up as it is hard to find enough time to watch everything I record. A sampling of the shows currently saved on my DVR; Lethal Weapon (9 episodes), Superior Donuts (12 eps. This has already been cancelled!), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Full season 21 eps.), Counterpart (8 eps.), American Ninja Warrior (11 eps.), World of Dance (3 eps.), Lucha Underground, and much more.

Yes, it is a wide and varied bit of shows. When the new fall TV season begins I will often be recording 10 or more hours a night. Of course this means I have to start binge watching much of what I currently have or else the new stuff won't have anywhere to go.

Anyway, now that you know I have a problem I would like to move onto the point of this post.

The Purge TV Series

I just started watching the new USA Network series The Purge. Horror films are also a big part of my life. I currently have two books out. They are both trivia books all about the Friday the 13th and Halloween movie franchises. The third that I am working on goes back to the TV addiction, it is a Twilight Zone Trivia Book and Encyclopedia. With horror being such a big part of my life you might think I have seen all of The Purge movies, but I haven't.

I have just felt they aren't the type of horror film that I normally like, so I have just never made the effort to watch them. You might find it strange then that I would watch a TV series based on the same premise as the films. Well, as I mentioned, I have a problem! Plus USA usually brings great new television to their network, so I figured I would give it a chance.

Another thing that the USA Network does is create great buzz surrounding their new shows. Below is the first trailer they released for The Purge.

Purge Shopping Channel

Of course the trailer wasn't enough. They then launched a unique set of commercials that aired leading up to the series premiere. In these commercials we discovered the fictional Purge Shopping Channel and some rather unusual products, including; Purge Greeting Cards, Purge Away industrial strength cleaner, Purge Candles, and my personal favorite seen in this video The Purge Cake Cutter set. It is my favorite because I am pretty sure a certain politician of today can be seen at least once among the action figures, and I find that hilarious, and scary at the same time.

The Purge: Episode 1: What is America?

Another great thing about the USA Network is that they have actually made the first episode of the series available for free on YouTube. I do not know if this is something that will continue, but for now it is a great option for anyone who doesn't have the network. I am sharing the full episode video now before I give any spoilers so you can decide on your own if you want to watch it first, or just read on.

My Review of Episode 1 and the Series in General
BEWARE SPOILERS AHEAD

Before beginning my review I would like to share one more video. They also released a behind the scenes look at the series featuring excerpts of interviews with the show Creator and Executive Producer James Demonaco and Executive Producer Jason Blum.

They talk about the character development they can now do in a 10 hour TV series that cannot usually be done in a 90-120 minute film. I think this is what got me hooked right away and has caused me to decide to write what will be a series of review posts about the series. At the moment, I plan to do a weekly episode review for the entire series, and at some point probably add in reviews of the films which I think I might watch now.

We get introduced to many characters in this first hour of the show, and we are given flashbacks to see further into their lives. While recent TV history has shown that shows with frequent flashbacks can easily and quickly fail and be cancelled, it seems The Purge does this in a great way. A way that in just this first episode has furthered the story line so much.

The Siblings

The first characters we meet are Penelope and her brother, and former Marine, Miguel. He has been away and was searching for her at some sort of rehab center/shelter. She has run off to join a weird cult who send off young people once they reach a certain age to become sacrifices, called "givers", on Purge night. He sets off to find and protect her.

They have had a rough life since their parents were killed on a Purge night. When we meet them it is unclear if he has just returned from a deployment or perhaps from prison. My hunch is it is the latter. She is preparing for Purge night by showering with the fellow cult members as well as taking care of other preparations. Her and a large group of around twenty members get loaded onto a bus to head off into the night and meet their destiny of being givers.

This cult believes that the givers only purpose in life is to be victims of the Purge. They are to sacrifice themselves to allow those who need to purge the chance to let out their aggressions and allow them a release.

The Corporate Boss

Next up we meet Jane Barber, the powerful boss at a financial company named Ryker Moore Equity. She is forced to work on Purge night. Luckily though the company arranges to have the 38th floor of the building sealed off from the outside world. There is armed security in place to guarantee the employee's safety. Jane and about a dozen employees have to close a big deal by morning.

Jane is very preoccupied about something. At first we think it might be her mother who is in the long-term care of a hospital. We later find out that it is because she is paying someone off to perform some sort of service for her on Purge night since she is stuck at work. (Seen in the photo) It isn't immediately clear what she wants done, but I am guessing it has to do with her boss portrayed by William Baldwin.

The Young Couple

We are next introduced to Rick and Jenna a young couple on their way to a huge Purge Party being thrown by one of the richest men in the world, Albert Stanton portrayed by Reed Diamond. They say they despise the Purge and the only reason they are attending is to try and coax Stanton to fund their business which will build houses for the less fortunate.

There is one really big catch though - It seems Rick and Jenna formerly brought a third person into their marriage, an attractive woman named Lila. It turns out things in the threesome took a turn and Rick became a little too involved with Lila causing problems in their lives. Did I mention that Lila's last name just happens to be Stanton? She is the daughter of Albert, but certainly she won't be at the party as she is supposed to be off on a trip halfway around the world. Surprise, she is indeed in attendance and looking more stunning than ever.

At the Purge Party Jenna meets one of the maids named Catalina who helps her find some Tylenol. I mention this because I am pretty sure she is going to have an important role in how this all plays out. Then just prior to Commencement, which is what the beginning of Purge Night is called, things take an unusual turn. The maids all come out with trays full of masks that everyone is supposed to wear. The masks are of serial killers like David Berkowitz aka The Son of Sam, cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, Manson Family member Susan Atkins, and other infamous people from history. Mrs. Stanton refers to them as, "Those that paved the way, and purged before it was legal."

Commencement

We do not get very far into Commencement in this episode, just sort of a sneak peek I guess you could call it. We see some random Purge acts taking place in the streets - a man being whipped, a car being overturned, and more. We then join Penelope on the bus where the Good Leader Tavis chooses who is first to "give". They let him off in a parking lot where there is a group of Purgers patiently waiting. They then sit on the bus chanting and watching what is about to happen. Arthur is the chosen one, he walks out into the middle of the lot and smiles while praying. He then realizes what is about to happen and you can see the fear rush over him right before the Purgers make their move. The others on the bus watching have a variety of looks on their face ranging from total glee to sheer terror.

I loved how they did this scene. Once the attack begins all we see is the shadows of Arthur and the Purgers on the side of the bus. We can see the axes swinging repeatedly, but there is no gore and guts all over the place. In horror, often times the unseen terror is much more effective than the in plain site blatant horror, blood, and violence. This is one of the reasons the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remains the favorite horror film for me, and many others. Many expect that film to be a non-stop blood bath, and are then very surprised how little gore is involved, and just how terrifying it still is.

My Final Review

In case it isn't already clear, I loved this debut episode of The Purge. The character building is great and leaves you with tons of unanswered questions about the past. Thus far it doesn't depend on gore and blood to be involved in the violent acts that are taking place like so many horror films overdo nowadays. Overall it seems like there is a deep story line, another thing often lacking in the horror genre.

I can already tell that there will be many other story lines as well. Some for characters I have already mentioned like the corporate boss Don Ryker (Baldwin), Albert Stanton (Diamond), and Catalina, but also for many I haven't mentioned like employees vying for the same V.P. job, Alison and Mark.

One character I am hoping they develop some more is Good Leader Tavis. She is portrayed by actress Fiona Dourif. You horror fans that are reading will probably recognize her last name. She is the daughter of horror icon Brad Dourif. He is most-famous for providing the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise. She has previously appeared in a couple of the Child's Play films alongside her father, as well as in the vampire series True Blood. I would really like to see her character go somewhere in this series. I guess we shall have to wait and see.

I would recommend you start watching now so you don't fall behind. It might not be healthy to binge The Purge nine weeks from now. The USA Network seems to have another hit series on their hands, albeit a dark and twisted hit series.



All photos and videos courtesy of the USA Network, The Purge TV, and YouTube.