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4/29/05 When I first heard rumors of a new NBC 'limited series' (aka miniseries designed as pilot for potential TV series ala The 4400) called Revelations, admittedly it did sound like a cashing in on the current fad for mystical/biblical stories such as The DaVinci Code and the Left Behind series. But what can I say? I'm a sucker for mystical/biblical stories. But to be equally honest, I was still smarting from the cancellation two seasons ago of the brilliant but unsuccessful ABC series Miracles. That, in my never-to-be-humble opinion was the great meshing of mystery and mysticism, foreboding and feeling, spirituality and sensitivity. So Revelations had a lot to live up to. And now, three episodes into the six-episode run, I can say that Revelations has left me resoundingly... bored. With such strong source material, you'd think something with the title of one of the most dramatic books of the bible would be anything but dull and yet... it is. Taking only the vaguest notions from the biblical version of portents of the End of Days and the symbols of the Christ and Anti-Christ, David Seltzer (The Omen) has managed a thriller with no thrills, a chiller with no chills, and an uninspired story of spiritual inspiration. The story is about Dr. Massey, a scientist whose daughter was killed by a Satanist, and the nun, Sister Josepha, who tries to convince him it's all part of the foretold End of Days. So they run around the world looking for the reborn Christ baby, while the Satanist plots to kill both Massey's stepson and an oracular child. Okay, decent enough set up, but that's all that's happened in three episodes! And after three hours of a deadpan Bill Pullman, an overly earnest Natasha McElhone and a WAY over the top EEEEEVVVILLL Satanist guy... frankly the End of Episodes can't come quickly enough! By contrast, I've been treating myself to the just-released on DVD complete 13-episode series
of Miracles. I was concerned that after
two years off the air, Miracles might not
be as good as I remembered it to be. It was better. Especially in comparison to Revelations.
Where Revelations fails is in creating strong characters that the viewer is immediately
drawn to or interested in. And Miracles
strength was definitely in its characters. From the complex Paul Callan, who joined the
seminary and sought to discover miracles for the church but found only hoaxes and scientific
explanations, to Alva Keel, Paul's over-educated, emotionally tortured mentor who seeks the
young man out after he leaves the church. Along with former cop/single mom Evelyn, the three
uncover more magic than Paul could have ever imagined or explained. Some initially described
this show as 'X-Files with heart'. To me, it's far more a spiritual successor to
Millennium in its search for meaning in
an increasingly dark and confusing world. Though Miracles
only lasted a few episodes on the air, watching the continued growth of the characters and depth
of the stories set out in the DVD set (which contains all 13 episodes including 7 that never
aired in the U.S.), reminds me why I watch TV: for fascinating characters in compelling stories
that challenge me and make me care about them. Miracles
does that with aplomb. Revelations does not. Skip the NBC 'limited series' and go treat
yourself to Miracles on DVD to discover
that God Is Now Here.
 Miracles on DVD 
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