González’s character is still a total mystery at the end of the first episode – Seth sees her only as a young woman in the wrong place at the wrong time, but Richie has already witnessed a hallucination of her vampiric Santánico Pandemonium persona. The actress makes for formidable eye candy, and her line delivery is surprisingly smooth, but I’ll have to wait until she’s given more to work with later down the line before passing judgment.
As Texas Ranger Freddie Gonzalez, who has vowed to follow the Gecko brothers “to the gates of Hell” by episode’s end, Jesse Garcia turns in a solid, if not particularly exciting performance. Unlike with the Gecko brothers, there’s a definite danger that the character might start to wear on the nerves if the series doesn’t give him strong material to work with. In the premiere, however, Gonzalez is mostly harmless, and the actor seems adept at handling himself during the episode’s action sequences. Don Johnson also shows up to chew the scenery as grizzled Ranger Earl McGraw, though it’s unclear how large a role he’ll play in the rest of the show. Given how great a fit he is in the role of a tough-as-nails veteran, hopefully Rodriguez and the other writers will find a way to work him into the remainder of the season. However, the character’s arc in the first episode suggests that Johnson’s stint may have been a one-off.
The pilot was directed by Rodriguez, so there are plenty of terrific angles at play (with some recalling both the original film and Rodriguez classic El Mariachi). Perhaps the most exciting aspect of From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series so far is how cinematic it feels. The direction, lighting and production values are all top-notch, the scripting is remarkably strong and none of the acting detracts from the idea that we’re watching ‘event’ television.
There may be a noticeable decline in production values after this first episode, or the series may suffer from Rodriguez handing the camera over to directors like Nick Copus (Nikita), Eduardo Sánchez (The Blair Witch Project), Joe Menendez (The Brothers Garcia) and Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead). For now, however, the story is unfolding at a lively but unconstrained pace, and the potential for genre-mashing greatness seems high.
Though the series has absolutely massive shoes to fill, and it’s entirely likely that devotees to the original will at first dismiss From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series as an inferior retread, I’m really looking forward to watching Rodriguez and co. weave a new tale out of familiar parts. Whether the series will be capable of standing toe-to-toe with the original or not, one thing’s for certain: it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
