First look at Cult “SPOILER”

By: Chele

If you think Matt Davis left it all on the table during the last season three episodes of The Vampire Diaries, you would be wrong. He saved a little something-something for Cult which he’ll be starring in beginning the new year. A sneak peek at the mid-season’s psychological thriller assured that not only will Davis’ fans be pleased, but so should The CW.

The show within a show, CULT, is featured on the new series also called Cult. Robert Knepper stars in CULT, which can be seen on the new television show Cult starring Matt Davis. Got it? Excellent! Knepper, as Billy Grimm, is the charismatic (read creepy as hell) leader of a fictitious cult that, according to script, preys on lost souls, including the once-lost-now-found-and-wanting-pay-back Detective Kelly Collins, played by Alona Tal, formerly of The CW’s Supernatural. In real T. V. land, Davis, as journalist Jeff Sefton, gets pulled into the CULT subculture by his own once-lost-now-found-oh-shit-what-did-I-just-find brother, Nate. The knot that ties the two shows together is the lovely Jessica Lucas, who plays Skye, a researcher for the show CULT. See wasn’t that easy? What you get out of the mix is the rabid fan base of CULT role-playing (we hope it’s play, right?) what they see/perceive on the show in real life.
Okay, so the show is not easy to describe. And I can’t describe it at this point, anyway. Not allowed. Everything I’ve just told you can be determined by watching Cult’s trailer and giving a good read on IMDB. What I can do is give you my impression. The concept is alternately “cool as hell” and “haven’t we seen this urban legend before?” The acting is pretty good, with Matt Davis bringing up the grading curve. Everything appears very tight and scripted, down to the directional eye movements. The pace is fast and a little confusing at times, but I will allow that the concept would otherwise be difficult to showcase in an hour.
I liked it. I wanted to love it, though. I hope, now that it has been officially picked up, that they will rework a few things and consider re-cutting the first episode. To my knowledge, Cult is the first real psychological show that The CW has ordered. It would make sense to do it right and make it the best possible specimen they can for an audience over-stuffed with supernatural-themed shows. They have a great hook into the Vampire Diaries fan base with Davis; now give them something to sink their brains into, rather than just their teeth.