The Lottery –“Pilot” Review. Consider Yourself Lucky.

Season 1, Episode 1

Air Date: Sunday, July 20, 2014 at 10/9c on Lifetime

Rating: ★★★★★

“Let every woman out there feel like she has a shot at the jackpot. That’s all every average Joe wants, a shot at something great.” – Vanessa Keller

The Lottery takes viewers into a future full of desolate hope. A worldwide epidemic has rendered almost every able bodied human being infertile. Can you imagine waking up to a world where there are only six young children left? It seems unheard of. In today’s world, approximately 360,000 babies are born every day. The idea that childbirth could become a thing of the past doesn’t exactly seem feasible. We’d all take on the stance that it couldn’t happen to us. Well, writer and producer Timothy J. Sexton sets the tone, scene, and circumstances under which this fiction could become reality. 2025 isn’t so far away, making the world of The Lottery uncomfortably realistic. Aside from everyone using the brand new iPhone 6 (and just when I switched to an S5, too!), the world depicted in The Lottery doesn’t seem too farfetched. People still drive gas guzzling cars; politicians are still … well, politicians; and no one trusts a struggling single father to raise his kid on his own.

In A Nutshell

Alison is a woman on a mission.

The Lottery follows the stories of Dr. Alison Lennon (Marley Shelton), struggling in her search for motherhood; Kyle Walker (Michael Graziadei), a single father doing his best to raise his young son; and Darius Hayes (Martin Donovan), the obvious bad guy working on some malicious plot we won’t know the full extent of until the end of the season. Chief of Staff Vanessa Keller (Athena Karkanis) works with President Thomas Westwood (Yul Vázquez) to share the good news of Alison’s scientific breakthrough regarding infertility. Thus, the crux of The Lottery begins when it’s suggested a lottery be held to pick surrogates for the miraculous “100 fertilized human embryos.” A stroke of luck will determine the saviors of the human race? Oh yes, this is going to get deep.

Initial Thoughts

I’m pleasantly surprised to say I enjoyed The Lottery. What wins me over, and pulls me into the story is the suspense, tension, and drama shrouding every scene. I hit a commercial break and found I’d been holding my breath. My heart was racing during a few scenes where Alison is being followed. Kyle’s search for his missing son sends chills down my spine. As a mother, I know I’d do just about anything to ensure my daughter’s safety, including knocking out a meaty looking male nurse. Way to go, Kyle! It’s quite the parallel seeing the dedication and tenacity a parent has when it comes to his/her kid, when I’m bombarded with weekly news reports of parents leaving their children in locked cars. I can guarantee the hopeful mothers to be in The Lottery would cut off a limb before doing something so reckless. That’s what this show is about, right? The importance of children; what happens when the world is faced with a lack of them; and the need to protect the ones remaining in a failing world.

Must Be Something In The Water

The characters are mysteries at first, but the writers slowly begin to reveal the intricacies behind each in “Pilot.” Alison bar-hops, trying to find a sperm donor who will finally impregnate her; Kyle has a job on the side as a viable (and willing) donor considering he fathered one of the last children born in the world; and Darius steps in to control the fate of the fertilized embryos in Alison’s lab. Everyone has baby fever, and now that the likelihood of procreation is available to a chosen few, things are only going to get worse.

Definite nominee for “Father of the Year” award.

Daddy Dearest

“You tell me where my son is!” I believe every word Graziadei yells, and his range of emotion during what appears to be an evaluation of Kyle’s parental skills. Graziadei is convincing as a young father, haunted by his past, and blind to his future. I don’t doubt for a minute Kyle’s love for his son, Elvis (Jesse Filkow), or his desire to do all he can to protect the little boy.

Overall

So many questions are floating through my mind as I think about the repercussions of this “what if” situation. What will become of the world with no one giving birth to replenish the human race? And how does this fit into today’s headlines with arguments over abortion and birth control? Would we be better off as a society if the ability to reproduce was taken away from everyone? Aside from the tons of questions leaving me curious about where The Lottery will venture this season, I am ecstatic about Lifetime going outside the box with a dramatic series like The Lottery. If you watched the series premiere of The Lottery, drop me a line in the comments section or tweet me @ellemoe to discuss.

Tune in to The Lottery, Sundays at 10/9c, only on Lifetime. For more on the show, visit the official site.

Follow The Lottery on Twitter, using #TheLottery.

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Elle

Writer, mother, realist, cloud lover, daydreamer, dessert enthusiast, sweet tea addict, perfectionist, and lover of life and Christ, but not in that order. http://www.fanfiction.net/~vikingloverelle