The World's Common Tater

4400 premiered last night at 9 on CW. I watched it this morning.

The Premise

This is a remake of The 4400. 4400 people who have disappeared over the last century suddenly reappear with no idea what happened and no sign of aging.

Short Recap

4400 begins in 2005. Detroit Lawyer Shanice is going back to work after maternity leave. When she arrives outside her office, her car radio glitches, a green light appears and she is sucked away toward the light. She then drops into a park in Detroit along with the other 4400. In this episode we meet:

• Claudette – a civil rights activist from Mississippi
• Andre – a Harlem doctor from the Harlem Renaissance
• Reverend Isaiah – from a televangelist family in the 1990’s
• LaDonna – a 2015 reality star
• Mildred – the recap on TV Line says she is from the ’70s
• Hayden – a teen who doesn’t speak

The 4400 are taken into the custody of the Department of Homeland Security and treated like prisoners. They are guarded. They aren’t allowed to leave or contact anyone. Among those called in to interview the 4400 is parole officer Keisha, who is dating the DHS agent in charge, and kind-hearted Jharrel, who has personal reasons to want answers about the missing.

Shanice escapes, with the help of Mildred’s new mysterious powers and tries to find her family. Claudette finds she also has new mysterious powers. We end the episode with the 4400 still prisoners and more questions than answers.

Tater’s Thoughts

I thought this was a very good first episode. We met who I assume will be the core of the 4400. We got an idea of who they are and where they are from. We got some insight into why Jharrel wants to help the 4400 connect with their families and why Keisha is more by the book. We got a glimpse of the powers that a couple of the 4400 now have. I assume we will see more in the coming episodes.

I read some comments on the TV Line recap, always a mistake, and several people complained that the show was “woke” and that they will not watch it. I thought the reasons for their complaints were the strength of the show. Taking Black people from various points in US history and dropping them in 2021 could lead to some very interesting stories once they are allowed out into the world. It also gives them a good reason to realize they need to hide their new powers from the government in fear of what would happen to them if they are discovered.

The story is interesting. The cast is very good. I will be adding it to my viewing schedule.