UnREAL Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Return
Paul Dailly
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Missing your favorite shows and struggling to find a new one? Then look no further.
UnREAL Season 1 Episode 1 was one of my favorite openers to any series. We were thrown straight into the deep end with these characters as they work on the reality TV show The Bachelor Everlasting.
I'll be honest, the premise sounds clunky, with little thought toward longevity, and now I'm trying to wrap my head around finding much wrong with it.
Who'd have thought that a show about another show would be so good? Not me. I'd even go as far as saying that this is the best show of the summer.
We kick things off with Quinn, who leads the production, calling the shots and being ever so honest. Seriously, the dialog was so real. I could imagine every one of the characters saying their lines behind the scenes of any number of reality shows people watch believing to be "real."
Quinn has a lot on her shoulders. If Everlasting fails, or if anything goes wrong, she is the one that will take the fall. No pressure, right?
We need to talk about Chet and Quinn. Chet is the big cheese. These two call each other every vile name known to man, but they're also sleeping together.
There are a lot of characters. You have all the contestants on Everlasting (there are a lot of desperate women seeking fame through a man on TV) and then all the people working behind the scenes. Another standout character in the opener has got to be Rachel.
She's the field producer who had a meltdown at work and found herself charged with grand theft auto and in therapy. In true reality show style, they made Rachel's outburst look like it was another contestant and it took ratings through the roof.
Rachel is nowhere near okay, and she's not going to get better without finishing off her community service and therapy. It should be interesting to see what happens when the authorities inevitably find out about her ditching the community service. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Shia was the one who got her caught.
It's clear that Jeremy and Rachel still have feelings for each other, but the powers that be decided to put an engagement sized road block in between them. Oh, and Jeremy's new chick also has a job on the show. Do these two ever get a break from one another?
The contestants on Everlasting seem like a wild bunch, but I couldn't help but feel bad for Britney. I do like that Adam went with Rachel's plan and mixed it up a little, but it ruined Britney and she was poised to go crazy on the set. Arielle Kebbel was excellent in her role and it'd be nice to see some more of her.
It'll be interesting to see how the rest of UnREAL Season 1 plays out considering the high standard this episode set. The possibilities with this show really are endless. They could easily change the tone of the show in future seasons by working on a show in a different genre to Everlasting.
Speaking of Everlasting, that show must be viewed by airheads. How could anyone find all the fake stuff entertaining? Like, I understand if you don't know it's fake, but it's glaringly obvious that it is.
"Return" was a perfect opener and set the wheels in motion for an interesting summer. Everything about this show is so fresh and new. Lifetime may have just found their biggest hit yet.
Remember you can watch UnREAL online right here on TV Fanatic. Get caught up on all the drama now!
Note: UnREAL Season 1 Episode 2 airs Monday June 8th at 10/9c on Lifetime.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
