This one could not have been better than it was: the rather short but costly to produce pilot episode for a proposed ''Mercy Reef'' series (quickly renamed Aquaman, when it went on sale on iTunes - the title it always should have had) was intriguing, well-done, full of interesting sub-plots involving a wide-array of solid supporting characters. This was truly considerably better than, say - the Smallville pilot? Or that most recent pilot they gave Mr. Moulton's creation, with Adrianne Palicki in the lead role... Yes, the same Adrianne who plays a Siren in this great pilot right here! Yes, folks, believe it: the Aquaman pilot undeniably was better than those two other pilots - one officially a failed one while the other begat a drawn-out series that probably ran for way too long as it was... (Just ask Tom Welling!)
Justin Hartley is Aquaman - much moreso than the cool guy who portrayed the role first and subsequently in various Smallville episodes. It is sad to see so many uninformed individuals nowadays claim that the Justin Hartley Aquaman footage they stumble upon on YouTube, for instance, is ''fake'' and that he only ever was Green Arrow on that other show - well, no, he was not! He was Aquaman first and this show was a GO until the merger that gave birth to the CW network made it impossible (although the real reason was budget concerns for each episode, if it was to continue forth. Yes, the haters will find it impossible to believe it, but this pilot here was indeed one of the most expensive to have ever been produced, ALL-TIME! If it had been as cheap to produce as The Big Bang Theory, Entourage or, indeed, the first five seasons of Smallville, AQUAMAN would have been ongoing - but under the more poetic title of ''Mercy Reef'' most certainly...)
It is ironic to note that Justin was replacing the first choice for the part here -I forget his name, sorry- and that, later on, he also got ditched for the part of Arrow when Smallville ended and Arrow spun-off into his own series - a cheap one to produce, you've guessed it, which is why it is still going as we post this here. Thus, now, neither role is officially ''his'' in many people's minds - as even Aquaman became that guy from American Idol's exclusive part, and it was him (Alan Ritchson - now I remember this one's name - alas) delivering the most profound lines written for the character of Aquaman but also for any super-hero on television - ever (veritable sermons about the significance of being a hero in today's world, what it means to the masses and well-being of the entire planet; Arthur Curry was effectively teaching the wet-behind-the-ears Clark Kent how to act... Super!) and it was all through Alan Ritchson's mouth, not Justin's.
People also marvel at the fact that Ving Rhames refused to be a part of another Mission Impossible fiasco - but accepted the part of Aquaman's mentor in this (at the time, sure-to-be ongoing) series. Why marvel at this when it is obvious that Ving had a better role in this one than he ever would have had playing second fiddle to Cruise? The dynamic between young AQ and McCaffery here was producing excellent dialogue and it would have been far greater than what we had seen going on between Jonathan ''Duke of Hazzard'' Kent and Clark: alas, we will never see the rest of it now.
Lou Diamond Philips' participation was also stunning quite a few - for no reason, too. After all, the Man From Atlantis himself was interested in the part of Aquaman's adoptive father: Patrick Duffy had been quoted saying that he very much loved the whole ''wink- wink'' aspect of the thing, in an interview given to TV Guide. They couldn't work it out contractually, that's all - so Lou stepped in and was immediately seen anchoring a solid supporting cast here that included many recognizable faces, most notably Daniela Wolters (now Deutscher) as Atlanna, Aquaman's mother, and Rick Peters as Agent Brigman - sort of a cross between Fox Mulder and some sort of precursor to... Agent Coulson? (See why I waited so long to review this - hindsight is always 20/20!)
The pilot's storyline itself is much more than the summary blurb says here, too: there is considerably more going on than just a young Florida Keys dude finding out he can breathe underwater! In fact, the story set up here would have made for several seasons of great adventure, as it incorporated elements of mystery, supernatural, mythology and more! Aquaman is, after all, not a mere super-hero but much more than that: through his links to the sea and Atlantis, he immediately becomes a larger-than-life force of nature, modern mythology personified at its best especially in these times of ecological concerns. Most so-called ''fans'' fail to see that - and that is just so sad. Thankfully, the pilot's writing team were not so blind and they cooked up a fascinating plot involving the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, a bit of an X-Files feel to it, mythological creatures waiting in tow (for sure - one shows up here and she was but the first emissary) and then we have a young Arthur Curry discovering his true nature and awesome heritage.
This would have been a great TV series - and we can easily call it the greatest genre TV series that never was, beyond ONE SINGLE EPISODE...
Buy it on iTunes! (I'm sure it's still there!)
And see you when this gets revived as... a major motion picture (but James Cameron needs not bother to volunteer to direct; nor should Marky Mark bother to audition for the part!)
