I'm finally getting around to watching the first episode of Rubicon. From what I can understand, super duper secret agency analyst Will Travers is a dedicated but conflicted widower who lost his wife and daughter during the 9/11 attacks. His boss--also his father-in-law--David, urges Will to leave the agency just before being killed in a train crash. And also, some billionaire kills himself, and it might have something to do with a crossword that shows up in several newspapers...
...That's a lot of plot for a pilot. And it might work if the first ten minutes didn't move so slowly. We're introduced to the characters--but instead of neat exposition, we get long scenes of Will, thinking hard and being forlorn. Once the pace finally does pick up, the clues tangle with each other instead of weaving a story. I'll watch the next episodes on DVR--but only to see if those tangles smooth out or turn into impossible knots.
For a show with such an ambitious scope, timing will be everything. Rubicon needs some adjustments if it's going to attract and keep viewers.