Like many great franchises before it, The Purge has come to the small screen in a 10-episode series on USA. When USA announced they would be making a series around the franchise, there was immediate intrigue.
The series of Purge films does a nice job wrapping up the storylines from the beginning to the end of a 24-hour Purge night. What the series does differently is that it doesn’t just follow one group trying to survive the night. The show dives deeper into various characters’ storylines, from the poor to the wealthy.
The Purge is set in the early years of the annual killing holiday. It’s still new for many, but already a tradition others are ready to celebrate. The premiere does a great job introducing viewers to the handful of characters they’ll be following over the next few episodes. It also leaves us with many questions as the end of the episode begins a minute into the annual slaughter.
From the less fortunate side of the tracks we have Miguel (Gabriel Chavarria). He is a former Marine who is back and looking for his sister Penelope (Jessica Garza) who, unbeknownst to him, has gotten caught up in a weird Purge-obsessed cult. Instead of participating in the Purge themselves, the members go into “The Invisible,” meaning they allow themselves to voluntarily be slaughtered so they can be rid of the suffering bodies. It’s safe to say Miguel wants to save his sister before she “joins their parents,” who were killed in one of the earlier purges.
From the middle-class, we have a married couple trying to do right for themselves. Jenna (Hannah Emily Anderson) and Rick (Colin Woodell) seem to have a dark past that is barely touched upon in the premiere. They spend their Purge night at a high-end and very wealthy party for the New Founding Father Association, the ones in charge of the Purge. While they themselves don’t believe in purging, Jenna and Rick say they are there in hopes of finding donors for their business.
Jenna, who seems to be a decent person, befriends a maid at the party named Catalina (Paulina Gálvez), who I’m guessing will have a big role to play in Jenna’s survival. Also, did I mention the guests have to wear the masks of former murders who the NFFA looks up to? Yeah, it’s creepy.
Finally, from the upper white-collar class we have Jane (Amanda Warren), who is spending the holiday working from her secure office building with her employees. For them, their office building is the safest place to be, but is it really?
Right before the Purge begins, Jane leaves the secure floor, with some push back from security, to meet a shady-looking woman on the ground floor. Jane gives her cash and it appears she is paying the woman to kill someone.
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Let’s just say, this premiere is really interesting and if you enjoy the insanity that is The Purge franchise, this might be your new Fall hit.
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