Day Break - Episode 1: "Pilot"

Sigh, I’m going to miss superheroes. How about we move on to a supernatural element that is rarely repeated because the only notable instance of it is a perfect movie? The same day repeating itself. We were enamored when it showed itself in Groundhog Day, fanboys were enraged when the device was reused in the infamous Endless Eight arc of the Haruhi Suzumiya anime, and only I remember the Fox original movie 12:01 featuring Martin Landau, which had the exactly same plot and came out the exact same year as Groundhog Day, but it didn’t star Bill Murray, now did it?

So really, what was Fox thinking when it released Day Break, a time loop story that was guaranteed to be way less funny and at least 10 times longer than that superb Ramis classic? Probably that it had dreamboat Taye Diggs in it, and who could complain about that? So let’s watch the pilot, in which we are guaranteed that someone will say, “What?”

0:40 Really, we are going to start this with the main character staring at an alarm clock? Yeah okay.

1:15 Adam Baldwin is in this?! Oh man, I hope he acts all gruff and bristly.

2:29 So far, not a single character has spent a moment on screen while wearing clothes. I’m okay with this!

3:56 Jeez, Taye, use a crosswalk! It’s dangerous running across the road like that.

5:24 This guy went back to his apartment before going to work? What time does his day start?

7:17 OH CRAP THE SWAT TEAM!

7:46 Taye Diggs hates that camera.

8:14 Holy crap it’s the Asian guy from the Event! (Will the circle be unbroken?)

10:21 I’ve been on the phone all morning while walking down a hallway. My life is practically a Sorkin drama.

11:16 Those guys are bad guys. You can tell because the camera zoomed in on them while eerie music played.

12:44 Oh no there are wounds on his arms I guess!

13:27 But, we’re on the eighth floor now, so wouldn’t you be meeting us DOWN on four oh never mind.

14:10 OH DANG, he’s been sleeping with his ex-partner’s ex-wife? Man, Taye, I’m kinda thinking you might be in the wrong here.

16:09 Guys, I think you are setting up way too much extemporaneous material that he can remember later to recall it is actually the same day. I think him being arrested for a murder he didn’t commit would stick out pretty well in his mind.

17:04 Did they kidnap him and take him in the LaBrea caverns? What the hell?

18:37 Man, these bad guys are kinda the worst. I want to kill them too.

19:35 Babe! I got you babe! I got you babe!

20:41 Oh my, my gun belt is on the floor like it…usually would be. Okay, so, that’s not conclusive.

22:25 Man, they made the day repeating itself super terrifying, but at least he caught on really quickly.

24:30 HAHAHA! He beat the shit out of this guy based on, as far as he knows, a DREAM he had!

25:29 And…Jenga, I suppose.

27:06 Holy shit that was impressive. He wiped out and was back on his feet in .5 seconds.

27:52 Isn’t that always the way? You leap onto a subway car to flee for your life and it goddamn stops.

29:01 Question. How the shit did he got off the train? There are no escape hatches on those things.

30:32 Hang on…how did his answering machine call him on the phone? What the heck?

32:41 It’s official, Adam Baldwin is going to be playing the part of Ned Ryerson in this particular incarnation. (bing)

34:11 It’s funny because there is no tomorrow! Ho ho! See you in the morning!

34:28 The Latin Disciples? Is that the lamest name for a gang?

35:48 Hey, it’s still a TV show set in Los Angeles. We got to go to a club, eventually.

36:16 Wait, so they regularly make a practice of throwing guys off roofs that they bothered to set up a landing pad?

36:52 His older brother who’s really into LEGO sets agrees.

38:00 I am going to laugh every single time he ends up back at this quarry!

39:06 Hang on, this Big Bad is really familiar. Bald white guy, gravelly voice, no nonsense…It’s Mike from Breaking Bad! (Editor’s Note: It’s totally him!)

40:16 How did he trick himself into waking up before his alarm went off?

41:04 Ah, he’s going out to the country with his girl! I hope they don’t die in a car accident!

Verdict: That was actually pretty exciting! I kinda want to know what is up with the shadow organization that seems to follow Taye’s every move, and the cause of the repeating effect, and it is refreshing that Taye just kinda RUNS with the idea that the day is repeating itself. He immediately goes to work with the info he acquired, no full day wasted on confusion, just straight Taye kicking ass. Go Taye.