CBS Mondays @ 10pm ET
INTELLIGENCE is a dramatic thriller starring Josh Holloway as a high-tech intelligence operative enhanced with a super-computer microchip in his brain. With this implant, Gabriel is the first human ever to be connected directly into the global information grid and have complete access to Internet, WiFi, telephone and satellite data. He can hack into any data center and access key intel in the fight to protect the United States from its enemies. Leading the elite government cyber-security agency created to support him is Director Lillian Strand, a straightforward and efficient boss who oversees the unit's missions. Strand assigns Riley Neal, a Secret Service agent, to protect Gabriel from outside threats, as well as from his appetite for reckless, unpredictable behavior and disregard for protocol. As the first supercomputer with a beating heart, Gabriel is the most valuable piece of technology the country has ever created and is the U.S.'s secret weapon.
Starring Josh Holloway (aka everyone's favorite bad boy Sawyer from "Lost"), "Intelligence" is a mishmash of other genre fare that, thanks to the rugged charisma of its leading man, might just be more than the sum of its parts.
Holloway plays Gabriel Vaughn, the U.S. government's most powerful secret weapon. Instead of trying to make artificial intelligence more human, the government decided to try making humans more like computers. And so "Clockwork" was born -- the code name for this generation's Manhattan Project -- which gave rise to Gabriel, the man with a chip on his shoulder and in his head. This chip gives him full access to the information grid, and the most exciting parts of the pilot are the undeniably cool scenes of Gabriel interacting with the chip, whether it be using security cam footage to recreate a bombing or incorporating satellite intel to help him take out some bad guys. The effects are top-notch for television, and the action is excitingly choreographed, especially a memorable shootout in a paintball maze.
As Gabriel, Holloway is a blast to watch. An ongoing subplot involving the whereabouts of his possibly-terrorist wife give the actor more to do than just kick asses and take names: he's also great as the tortured, brooding soul seeking to find and clear the name of his one true love. Marg Helgenberger ("CSI") is all steely determination as Gabriel's no-nonsense boss Strand, who sometimes gets so caught up in the importance of the weapon that she forgets about the man it's inside -- although she ultimately has Gabriel's best interests at heart. And Meghan Ory ("Once Upon A Time") is a feisty presence as Riley, the Secret Service agent Strand assigns to protect Gabriel...although why Strand thinks one model-thin woman is sufficient to protect her biggest asset rather than a fully-equipped SWAT team is a mystery unanswered in the first episode.
If shadowy government agencies, advanced technology, sarcastic heroes, cold bosses, badass sidekicks, and a kidnapping plot all sound derivative to you, you'd be right. Outside of the visually-arresting chip sequences, there's very little here that we haven't seen before. And yet, whether it's because of the magnetism of its star or the capable direction and high budget of the pilot, "Intelligence" still manages to seem like a promising new show. It will be interesting to see how the writers continue to explore the possibilities and limitations of the chip, and how they incorporate its capabilities into every episode's plot. (And how cool would it be to see a crossover between this and "Person Of Interest", CBS' other advanced technology crime/action show starring a "Lost" alum?)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjgObuY_EOk[/youtube]
