If you're looking for shallow, poorly scripted entertainment on Thursday nights, a new rival to the reality show complex that dominates contemporary television is Fox's "Point Pleasant."

When the daughter of evil washes up onto an accent-free Jersey shore somewhere in an alternate universe, viewers may wonder what is the point, seeing as how New Jersey is evil enough already. By the time the agonizingly overwrought conflict becomes apparent in the pilot episode, the show has already doomed itself to inanity.

The action focuses upon the fate of Christina (Elisabeth Harnois), a daughter of darkness who's half-evil and half-woman. The woman part struggles for control of her soul. The evil part creates freak fires, storms and random, poorly scripted sexual desires. Paragraphs like this are normally preceded by spoiler alerts, warnings that something about the show is going to be ruined. Yet these elements are abundantly clear from the first 15 minutes of the pilot. Imagine "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" without the camp. It's that dull.

What's more, there are Jersey-sized holes in the plot. Why would a moderately successful doctor welcome a teenage girl washed up on the beach into his home? Because it "feels right having her here."

The roll of an internally conflicted denizen of evil is a formidable part for any actress. Harnois isn't up to the task, nor are the other members of the ensemble cast. Jesse Parker (played by Samuel Page), the lifeguard golden boy of the initial episode, broods woodenly over his newfound sexual attraction to Christina.

The most ridiculous performance of the series may be that of Cameron Richardson as Paula, Jesse's girlfriend. Midway through the show's debut, Richardson inexplicably feels driven to remove her clothes and jump on Terry, Jesse's best friend. The explanation? She's "in a mood." A teenage girl cheats on her muscular though inattentive boyfriend…it must be evil!

The appearance of the show is lukewarm at best; the occasional unique camera angle is crowded in among dozens of mundane camera shots that do an adequate job of capturing the show's tarnished acting, lackluster plot and mysteriously scenic New Jersey locale (the show is actually shot in San Diego, according to http://www.tvtome.com).

"Pleasant's" sole redemption may be in its unintentionally hilarious symbolism. New Jersey becomes the haven of all evil. While "Joan of Arcadia," a show about a woman guided by God debuted on CBS, a drama about the daughter of all evil debuted on Fox.

"Point Pleasant" contains the running subtext of the odd sexual encounter as the influence of "evil," yet voyeuristically feeds the audience gratuitous scenes of teenage pool sex. The most apt symbol may be that of Christina herself, who — much like the Fox primetime lineup — uses sex and explosions to manipulate people's lives.

Grade: D

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Feb. 3 2005.,”Brian O'Connor”

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