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BACK TO POP CULTURE
September 12, 2021: It's time to head back down that rabbit hole with a short-run, little remembered science fiction show from 2005 called Surface. At first blush, the series' premise — "There's something in the water..." — sounds familiar. Over the decades, there's been plenty of popular entertainment centered around the mysteries of the deep, although rarely on television. I should probably note at this point that Surface was not so much a teen show as a show which heavily featured teens. Granted, it's a subtle distinction but I'm including it in my list because of the impressive way teens were portrayed. |
Surface starred Lake Bell as Laura Daughtery, a California-based marine biologist who stumbles upon a new species of marine life. Afraid that this new form of megafauna will be exploited or destroyed before it can be properly studied, Dr. Daughtery attempts to keep it under raps. Especially since the U.S. government appears to be taking notice. Keeping things quiet turns out to be tricky however, as some kind of larger biological emergence is taking place. On the East Coast, a fourteen-year-old named Miles Barnett (Carter Jenkins) has found a bunch of glowing egg-sacs floating in a lagoon near his home. With his best friend Phil (Eddie Hassell), he takes one of the eggs home and successfully hatches it. The newborn is a limbed, semi-aquatic animal which seems surprisingly intelligent and emotionally bonded to the boy. The third individual pulled into the deep sea mystery is an insurance salesman named Richard Connelly (played by Jay R. Ferguson, who played Ponyboy the TV show The Outsiders, which I previously reviewed). Connelly's interest is perhaps more revenge-driven, as his brother was accidentally killed by one of the behemoths during a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico.
During its very short run, the show flipped between these characters and the government agents pursuing them, slowly pulling together the threads of a TV mystery that had solid writing and good performances. The CGI creature effects will look cheesy to those watching the show today, but blame it on the limited technology of the time. If you can get passed that, Surface is a good time on the high seas and a pleasant departure from the usual monsters-from-the-deep themes.
Beginning with 1957's Creature from the Black Lagoon, movies and TV shows usually presented mysterious aquatic life as ravenous, mindless predators — no doubt a by-product of our natural aversion for the water. This was particularly true in the late 1990s and early 2000s with films such as Deep Blue Sea (1999), Deep Rising (1998), The Cave (2005), Croc (2007) and The Host (2006). So it's notable, even laudable, that Surface featured a female scientist, an average Joe, and a teenage boy who were curious — as opposed alpha-male soldiers, explorers, and exploiters who were just killers. By taking a more thoughtful approach to the subject matter, even flirting with actual science and marine biology, Surface attempted to flip our view of the ocean depths. In this sense, its DNA is more closely related to The Abyss (1989) than any of the aforementioned films.
Aside from its ambitious premise, Surface was laudable for its portrayal of teens — particularly the character of Miles. Carter Jenkins was only fourteen at the time the show premiered and a relatively newcomer to acting as well. Yet he gives a strong, often nuanced portrayal as a less-than-serious-minded teen who becomes fascinated, protective and then enmeshed with the new lifeforms he's discovered. Surface's writers gave the character of Miles a lot of important things to do on-screen, which allowed the character to hold his own with the adult characters. Additionally, Miles's interactions with Phil and his older sister Savannah (Leighton Meester), are both authentic and amusing.
It would’ve been interesting to see where the creators intended to take Surface had it survived past its first year. It’s a little difficult to imagine because, as I wrote about Whiz Kids, the show's premise didn’t seemingly lend itself to diverse plot lines. Perhaps they would have eventually gone with the whole Kaiju/monster thing, but that would have surely ruined the show. In the end, audiences didn't stick around to find out. Despite good critical reviews, Surface tanked after only fifteen episodes.
Surface pops up on streaming services from time to time, but as of this writing I couldn't currently find it on any of them. It is available by fee through Amazon Prime.
Beginning with 1957's Creature from the Black Lagoon, movies and TV shows usually presented mysterious aquatic life as ravenous, mindless predators — no doubt a by-product of our natural aversion for the water. This was particularly true in the late 1990s and early 2000s with films such as Deep Blue Sea (1999), Deep Rising (1998), The Cave (2005), Croc (2007) and The Host (2006). So it's notable, even laudable, that Surface featured a female scientist, an average Joe, and a teenage boy who were curious — as opposed alpha-male soldiers, explorers, and exploiters who were just killers. By taking a more thoughtful approach to the subject matter, even flirting with actual science and marine biology, Surface attempted to flip our view of the ocean depths. In this sense, its DNA is more closely related to The Abyss (1989) than any of the aforementioned films.
Aside from its ambitious premise, Surface was laudable for its portrayal of teens — particularly the character of Miles. Carter Jenkins was only fourteen at the time the show premiered and a relatively newcomer to acting as well. Yet he gives a strong, often nuanced portrayal as a less-than-serious-minded teen who becomes fascinated, protective and then enmeshed with the new lifeforms he's discovered. Surface's writers gave the character of Miles a lot of important things to do on-screen, which allowed the character to hold his own with the adult characters. Additionally, Miles's interactions with Phil and his older sister Savannah (Leighton Meester), are both authentic and amusing.
It would’ve been interesting to see where the creators intended to take Surface had it survived past its first year. It’s a little difficult to imagine because, as I wrote about Whiz Kids, the show's premise didn’t seemingly lend itself to diverse plot lines. Perhaps they would have eventually gone with the whole Kaiju/monster thing, but that would have surely ruined the show. In the end, audiences didn't stick around to find out. Despite good critical reviews, Surface tanked after only fifteen episodes.
Surface pops up on streaming services from time to time, but as of this writing I couldn't currently find it on any of them. It is available by fee through Amazon Prime.
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