'The Messengers' How Is CW's New Apocalyptic Show? Recap

Fridays have been the destination for genre TV in recent years, so with its apocalyptic events and occult themes, "The Messengers" should fit right into its slot on Fridays at 9 PM.

Though The CW has already tackled angels and demons with its long-running drama "Supernatural," "The Messengers" acts more as a companion piece than a direct competitor or a copycat. "Messengers" takes a more real-world approach to the occult, and rather than diving right into the thick of it, we're approaching supernatural occurrences through the lens of everyday people.

In fact, we get quite a few lenses: "Messengers" follows five (or possibly six) main characters whose separate stories are already starting to converge at the end of the pilot episode.

The catalyst is the arrival on Earth of a mysterious man who hits the surface like a meteorite, sending out a shockwave of unknown energy that affects our five heroes: as it moves through them, they fall to the ground dead and awaken moments later with unexpected new powers.

There's Raul, who had been working undercover in some kind of deal with the government, who can now read minds; Erin, a single mother with an abusive ex who now has the power to heal; Peter, a high schooler and foster kid who has been gifted with super strength; and Joshua, a southern preacher who now claims to be able to deliver God's true message.

We also follow Vera, whose story is a bit more complicated: It would appear that she lost her son, Michael, many years ago. When she's approached by the mysterious man (who we can probably assume by now is Lucifer) with the message that Michael is still alive, she considers an offer from him: kill a woman for me and get your son back.

That brings us to Rose, who is actually the first of the group that we meet. In the opening of the show, Rose is leaving her job at the hospital when she's shot by a stranger spewing biblical quotes. Rose is clearly important to the Plan, seeing as how Lucifer wants her dead...we're just not sure how yet. We're not even sure that she's an angel like the rest.

In a way, the pilot of "Messengers" feels a bit like "Heroes" was in the early episodes with each angel figuring out their powers. Peter doesn't know his own strength and kills the school bully in a fight. Erin, whose daughter was injured in the car crash that resulted from her momentary death, heals her daughter with her tears. Raul hears voices from other people's heads and uses it to get out of a bad situation with the agents that put him undercover.

There's an interesting mix of grand-scale drama and personal, almost soap-opera-esque melodrama here too: Vera finds herself up against the U.S. government in trying to research the impact site and has an awkard early romance brewing with her co-worker. Joshua's story comments on megachurch culture while a twist reveals that his wife slept with his father...and the baby is his.

It's often tough to weave multiple storylines together, so credit is due to writer/creator Eoghan O'Donnell for managing to keep a good pace in a pilot episode, establishing five different characters with five different storylines. That's an impressive feat, and one that we haven't really seen done well on this scale since "Heroes."

Already the storylines are beginning to converge, as Raul has run into Erin and forced her to drive him to Houston at gunpoint, and Joshua has seen a vision of Rose at the hospital and will likely run into Vera there soon.

The mystery of "The Messengers" is tantalizing, so you can bet we'll be tuning in every week. Check back for more recaps!