The River continues with “The Experiment” having Tess, Lincoln and the rest closing in on locating Emmet Cole. The show ramps up the action and the gore leaving the eerie horror behind for more visceral, well-worn zombies. The results are mixed as the horror is ineffectual – even if it is delightfully gross – but the emotions are surprisingly on key. The show takes a risky turn with... 

With “Doctor Emmet Cole,” The River slows down a bit, but in a good way, to focus on its focal character, Dr. Emmet Cole. With only sprinkles of character work on the cast of the Magus, the show is almost entirely comprised of flashbacks to Emmet’s last days in the Amazon. It defines his drive, his focus and his knowledge of and connection to the jungle. This episode illustrates the heart of... 

With “Peaches,” The River shifts its focus to concentrate on Lena Landry and her father, Russ, who was also aboard the Magus when Emmet Cole and the crew went missing. While the relationship between Lena and Russ is touching, unfortunately, the episode suffers from leaving the Cole family so far from the center of the conflict. The soul of the series, Emmet, is almost entirely missing... 

As The River returns with its fourth episode (of eight) titled “A Better Man,” it improves on its formula and character development but does little to move the plot of the series forward. The script this week examines weighty topics (for this type of show) like “who is really in charge,” “don’t leave a man behind” and “I am better than my father.” This episode contains one startling...