Tell-Tale TV Series Premiere Panels: Containment

The CW’s latest show is being marketed as a limited series, and it’s easy to see why. Containment follows what happens when Atlanta is under attack of a deadly virus. We catch a glimpse of what happens on Day 13, and it’s not pretty.

Now, the question becomes: “how did we get there?” To answer that question, Containment goes back to Day 1. We meet the lives of those who will soon be quarantined, the lives of those who will be in charge of trying to cure the virus, and the lives of those tasked with keeping the peace.

Our panelists are:

• Lauren Busser, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Caralynn Lippo, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Christine Laskodi, associate editor for Tell-Tale TV
• Allison Nichols, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV

Give it to me straight — what did you think of the premiere?

Lauren: I liked the premiere. They presented some very likeable and very human interactions between the characters. I liked seeing different people in different walks of life. I liked seeing the way the CDC handles the situation. While it did present some really interesting relationships I feel like 90% of the plot of this episode I could have gotten from the trailer and promos. It is a series and stories have time to grow, so unlike a movie where they could have packed all the good bits into the promo, I think Containment has more to show us. Episodes like this are one of the reasons why I am not quick to judge pilots and prefer to see a couple of episodes before I give a final verdict on most shows like this.

Christine: I really loved it. It reminds me SO MUCH of Stephen King’s The Stand, which is my all-time favorite book. I agree with Lauren, that trailers gave a lot away, but in this case, I don’t really mind because the trailer is what made me WANT to watch. (Also, I really liked Chris Wood on The Vampire Diaries, and I was willing to follow him anywhere!)

Caralynn: I liked it more than I expected to! I was expecting just another zombie/virus outbreak show, but this was much more than that. The way the story unfolds (jumping back and forth from Day 13 to Day 1 and back again) was an interesting and smart choice. They set up a lot of different people to get invested in, so I already feel anxious about their survival odds, which is a sure sign of being into a show.

Allison: I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Virus shows aren’t really my thing, mainly because I feel like they’ve kinda worn out their welcome, but this one immediately grabbed my attention. I’m glad that the pace was slowed down to where we could watch how everything happened. I’m not super attached to any of the characters yet, but they did throw like 15 people at us at once.

What’s the show’s biggest problem?

Lauren: The premise of Containment is so large and it has so much potential that I am not sure I can pinpoint a problem from this episode alone. From this episode alone, I think it’s the fact that they present a lot of legal speak really quickly. We got a lot of information about the virus, and how it is transmitted, and the stakes are upped really quickly. I am concerned that we might get lost in the science and lose a bit of the humanity that this series could portray.

Christine: Right now? Maybe just that people are sick of post-apocalyptic stories. Every network has one. What I like about Containment is that it isn’t your run of the mill Zombies vs. The Living story. There’s a lot more intelligence involved. And that, I suppose, could also end up being a turn-off. And there’s the big hot button on it…there did seem to be a SLIGHT hint of racism in the way the disease came to be (did Julie Plec HAVE to go Trump by having it be a Syrian immigrant who brought in the disease?) Or was I the only one who caught that?

Caralynn: There were a ton of characters introduced. Possibly too many. It was a little hard to keep track of them and how they all related to one another.

Allison: Like Caralynn said, there are a lot of characters. It will be tough to keep track of everyone and to care about every single character. It sounds horrible, but if we don’t care about everyone, then we won’t want to follow them around.

What/Who do you want to see more of?

Lauren: I want to see more of the kids who were touring the hospital and their teacher Teresa. I feel like there’s an interesting dynamic there given the flash-forwards we saw at the very beginning.

Christine: Teresa, ABSOLUTELY. She and Xander hooked me right away, because I am a sucker for teen pregnancy drama. I also really liked Jake and Katie…they’re totally going to be the couple I ‘ship.

Caralynn: Chris Wood (or, more specifically, Chris Wood’s arms). In all seriousness, in addition to being ridiculously attractive, he’s a very good actor, and Jake is one of the characters that I’m completely invested in right off the bat. Also the teacher and her class — that’s an interesting dynamic. I’m so with Christine on the Jake and Katie ‘shipping.

Allison: I’d love to focus on trying to contain the virus and identifying it. I’m interested to see how the people who are supposed to have all the answers react to something that stumps them.

What was your favorite moment/quote?

Lauren: I don’t know that I have a favorite quote thus far. I think if I had to pick I would say it would be Sabine’s entrance: “The fact that I’m here should have you worried, because I don’t get called until things get bad!”

Christine: I also didn’t really have a favorite quote or moment. Maybe just that opening, seeing all the chaos and destruction. It’s a precautionary tale, for sure. 

Caralynn: Nothing really stood out to me. Maybe Katie being sassy and repeating “four to six feet, please” to Jake after she’d threatened the hospital worked to get into the secured area. That was really fun and set up their dynamic nicely.

Allison: I enjoyed Katie and Jake’s interactions. I’m already in shipper mode. The “four to six feet” moment that Caralynn brought up made me laugh.

What did you think of Containment? Will you be sticking around?