Tell-Tale Series Premiere Panels: Emerald City

The tale of Dorothy from Kansas getting sucked up in a twister and traveling to the magical land of Oz is not a new story by any means. NBC’s definitely not the first to re-invent the land of Oz either. Still, Emerald City manages to stand out from all the other adaptations.

What did you think of the premiere of Emerald City? Join the discussion by leaving your thoughts in the comments.

Our panelists are:

• Ashley Bissette Sumerel, editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV
• James Windley, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Ali Hanford, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Allison Nichols, associate editor for Tell-Tale TV

Did you enjoy the premiere?

Ali: I found myself bored at times and enjoying the show for all the wrong reasons at others. However, I will always take some enjoyment from anything based on The Wizard of Oz, making this a perfect show to fold laundry to.

Allison: Yes and no. I did like it, but it also dragged on. There were too many mysteries that left me confused. As much as I want answers, I don’t know that I will keep watching from week to week. If anything, I’ll binge it.

James: I had actually been putting it off because the length was a bit daunting and I have a bedtime. But it was an unexpected visual delight. I love anything that Tarsem Singh directs. I can’t say it was perfect, by any means, and I spent a considerable time annoyed that the only Black character was summarily killed (first by a cop car then by a gun! Come on, white dudes).

But as long as the show stays within the 8-10 episode field and remains at its core a political story of the oppressive patriarch wizard being perpetually threatened by the once-powerful witch matriarchy/Dorothy, I can imagine tuning in for the remainder of the season.

Ashley: I also felt it was a bit long and a lot to process, but I generally enjoyed it. Like Ali, I like the idea of anything based on The Wizard of Oz, and this feels like an interesting take. I’m on board, but I’m not in 100% just yet.

What’s the show’s biggest problem?

Ali:  The biggest problem is that Emerald City is what happens when a network studio exec pitches The Wizard of Oz as Game of Thrones. It has all the beautiful scenery, power struggles, and magic, but without likable characters, a sense of humor, or the ability to keep up with multiple plotlines.

Some of the smaller issues for me were that West wishes she were Nancy Downs. Vincent D’Onofrio is letting his beard do all of his acting for him. The most interesting characters are already dead. And it bums me out hard that this show wants viewers to root for Dorothy to bone The Scarecrow — particularly since they have absolutely no chemistry.

Allison: Too many mysteries, not enough answers. Aside from Dorothy, none of the characters really stuck out to me. Honestly, Dorothy is what kept me going through the premiere. Well, that and the scenery. Everything else was just bleh.

James: I don’t necessarily think the Game of Thrones comparison is a bad one. A couple of years too late, maybe, but not the show’s most damnable quality. (And it’s a network show, so it’ll likely be avoiding GoT’s rape-idemic.)

But if you’re going to emulate Game of Thrones, at least emulate the good parts. We don’t watch it because of the gore. We watch for Peter Dinklage clapbacks.

My biggest issue, to agree with Ali, is that the characters are all a little thin and humorless. Dorothy is sort of bumbling along from one scene to the next, and the Scarecrow is mysterious but only because he’s violent; not because he’s interesting. The Tin Woodsman doesn’t even talk!

Ashley: I think I agree with everything that’s been said — it feels like it’s trying to do too much, and I’m not invested in any of the characters at this point. Hopefully that will change with the next episode?

I will say this: I remember the original story of The Wizard of Oz being significantly darker than the 1939 film. I actually want to go back and re-read it now.

Who or what do you want to see more of?

Ali: Vincent D’Onofrio’s wig.

Allison: The scenery. It’s breathtaking, and it was the main thing that kept my eyes on the screen.

James: Fiona Shaw screeching.

Ashley: The characters, and that’s to go along with the previous question. Let’s see more of them in a way that makes them more likable and more interesting, and in a way that allows us to become more invested.

What was your favorite quote/moment from the premiere?

Ali:  I loved that they chose to reveal that Tip was actually a girl (we all knew that though, right?) by showing us how awesome her rack looked in that coat.  West puking up magic was a close second.

Allison: I really enjoyed the scene with the flying monkey drone. It was just a cool way to reimagine the creepy flying monkeys. The original flying monkeys gave me nightmares.

James: Any time East was onscreen, she killed it. She was the perfect combination of seething power, ambiguous malevolence, and sheer visual presence. Currently searching Amazon for a dress with tendrils.

Ashley: When Dorothy arrives in Oz. I was just so intrigued with the way they chose to go with it, and how far from the film it took us in terms of tone.

What were your thoughts on the premiere of Emerald City? What do you want to see more of, and what’s the show’s biggest problem so far? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Emerald City airs Fridays at 10/9c on NBC.