Now that DVD's are available, it is perhaps time to take another look at "Surface". If only the series were available as Blu-ray, since it's major virtue is cinematography!
First of all, an alert: It's difficult to know how to review this series, since it comprises two different story lines which are of enormously different quality, that of scientist Daughtry (Lake Bell, and her sidekick Rich played Jay R. Ferguson) and that of fourteen-year-old Miles (played by 15-year-old Carter Jenkins in his earliest strong role). If you want to enjoy viewing the series, it is important to know this in advance. On the other hand, throughout, the production values and cinematography are excellent and sometimes superb. Neverthelss, because of the wide differences in quality between the "Miles" story line and the "Daughtry" story line, you may find yourself fast-forwarding through parts of the latter.
Before long, it becomes easy to tell which story line was artistically important to directors Jonas and Josh Pate. In early episodes, Miles and his buddy Phil (Eddie Hassell) are slightly immature freshmen whose lives are innocently altered, then eventually turned upside down -- by a unique amphibian lizard-like animal which they adopt and which rapidly grows in size, intelligence and finally in puzzling, powerful... talents. The protagonist of this story line, Miles, becomes increasingly affected by an eerie sense of proprietorship and of protection toward "Nim", the unique "new vertebrate" which at first seems purely a pet and quickly becomes infinitely more to Miles and to the scientific world.
As astounding changes occur as the fifteen episodes develop, and it becomes more and more apparent that the story line of Miles and his relationship with Nim are to large extent rather a surprisingly successful vehicle for Carter Jenkins than an integrated part of the overall plot development -- and the cinematography becomes more and more devoted to this goal -- it becomes more and more clear that the Miles story line is primary and the Daughtry story line falls to an almost negligible level of quality.
At few points can we say of "Surface" that the plan and the writing are much more than middling dramatic science-fiction, but those who find themselves impressed by the production values and cinematography as the fifteen episodes develop -- and the acting in the Miles story-line -- will be amply rewarded by perseverance to the end.
First of all, an alert: It's difficult to know how to review this series, since it comprises two different story lines which are of enormously different quality, that of scientist Daughtry (Lake Bell, and her sidekick Rich played Jay R. Ferguson) and that of fourteen-year-old Miles (played by 15-year-old Carter Jenkins in his earliest strong role). If you want to enjoy viewing the series, it is important to know this in advance. On the other hand, throughout, the production values and cinematography are excellent and sometimes superb. Neverthelss, because of the wide differences in quality between the "Miles" story line and the "Daughtry" story line, you may find yourself fast-forwarding through parts of the latter.
Before long, it becomes easy to tell which story line was artistically important to directors Jonas and Josh Pate. In early episodes, Miles and his buddy Phil (Eddie Hassell) are slightly immature freshmen whose lives are innocently altered, then eventually turned upside down -- by a unique amphibian lizard-like animal which they adopt and which rapidly grows in size, intelligence and finally in puzzling, powerful... talents. The protagonist of this story line, Miles, becomes increasingly affected by an eerie sense of proprietorship and of protection toward "Nim", the unique "new vertebrate" which at first seems purely a pet and quickly becomes infinitely more to Miles and to the scientific world.
As astounding changes occur as the fifteen episodes develop, and it becomes more and more apparent that the story line of Miles and his relationship with Nim are to large extent rather a surprisingly successful vehicle for Carter Jenkins than an integrated part of the overall plot development -- and the cinematography becomes more and more devoted to this goal -- it becomes more and more clear that the Miles story line is primary and the Daughtry story line falls to an almost negligible level of quality.
At few points can we say of "Surface" that the plan and the writing are much more than middling dramatic science-fiction, but those who find themselves impressed by the production values and cinematography as the fifteen episodes develop -- and the acting in the Miles story-line -- will be amply rewarded by perseverance to the end.