The Gathering (TV)

The Gathering has a couple of things against it right from the start: First of all, it's airing on The Lifetime Channel. Granted, sometimes I will tune in for a guilty "woman in peril" pleasure type movie, but I don't usually look to L.T. for my horror fix. Secondly, it's written by John Shiban, whose early work on TV's The X-Files and Lone Gunmen I liked, but lately —Rest Stop [1], and the WB series Supernatural [2] — I've found his stuff too middle-of-the-road or just plain not engrossing. His recent writings are not exactly bad, but not exciting either. Finally, the subject matter is way too tired. Pagan cults, again? More crows as harbingers of doom? (See: The Messengers, The Brothers Grimm, Resident Evil: Extinction, Hallowed Ground, and so on.)

The two-part, four-hour drama from Sony Pictures Television follows the story of Dr. Michael Foster (Peter Gallagher), a man in search of his wife, teacher Ann (Kristin Lehman), after she vanishes from their home on the night of the couple's wedding anniversary without a trace. As he reels from this scary turn of events, his teenaged daughter Zee (Jenna Boyd) becomes estranged from him. With the help of a mysterious woman named Maggy Rue (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) Michael's search leads him to dark findings, including the existence of a cabal of witches and the sinister involvement in Ann's disappearance by a pillar of the community (played Peter Fonda).

The Gathering can boast some pretty impressive camera work and CGI — for a TV miniseries, it looks really nice. The acting is just fine; I like Gallagher in almost anything, Fonda is menacing enough, and Sigler is decent playing against her spoiled rich-girl character from The Sopranos. I was somewhat surprised by the departure from The Lifetime Channel's usual M.O. of showing the story from the woman's P.O.V. (it's all about Dr. Foster, and how he handles the situations), and truth be told I kind of missed that… isn't that what "television for women" should be focusing on? Well, it is a change of pace, at least. Slightly. The rest of it is pretty formulaic.

There are some subplots involving Zee and her school friends; a fertility doctor at the local hospital where Dr. Foster practices; and Maggy's mysterious ex-boyfriend. These are injected at regular intervals, plus some scenes now and again showing what's going on with the creepy cult and their cranky crows.

If you like the actors and the subject matter, then The Gathering may be worth a tune-in. Otherwise, it casts a pretty weak spell. (The website is pretty nifty, though: look at the official The Gathering website here on Lifetime, and view clips from the mini [3])

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson