"Debris" unfolds like an exhilarating amalgamation of "The X-Files," "Manifest," "Fringe," and "The Tunnel," promising to be a colossal sci-fi sensation if it meticulously crafts its narrative and enigmatic elements. While it's premature to make definitive judgments, the series' inception hints at a promising venture.
Episode 1 of "Debris" plunges viewers headfirst into a whirlpool of intrigue without the slightest hesitation. Three years prior, an alien spacecraft, in a state of disarray, careened through our solar system. Cut to six months ago, fragments of this extraterrestrial vessel began disintegrating and plummeting toward Earth. These remnants, seemingly treasures on the black market, form the backdrop of a deal on the brink of execution when CIA agents storm in, weapons drawn, corridors echoing with their footsteps. A harrowing pursuit ensues, where those who lay hands on these peculiar, jet-black pieces of the spacecraft are instantaneously transported to their fate. Among the unfortunates is a chambermaid who, upon touching a fragment, plummets 14 stories only to land, miraculously, atop a table below.
As law enforcement descends upon the scene, MI6 agent Finola Jones enters the fray, her agency's presence noted. She is cautioned to tread lightly, for the Americans are incessantly driven by self-interest. Meanwhile, agent Bryan Beneventi dials Langley, updating them on Finola, a recent addition to their team. He harbors doubts about her fortitude but decides to keep a wary eye on her for the time being.
Elsewhere, in Kansas, a woman embarks on a journey with her son at the wheel. Suddenly, she succumbs to uncontrollable coughing fits, her eyes subsequently gushing blood. With a blend of bravery and trepidation, the young boy gently extracts her from the vehicle as she inexplicably commences levitating across the terrain.
High above, Finola's hands clutched a fresh debris incident report, which serendipitously detailed the earlier scene of the woman adrift in mid-air. That woman, Amy Morrison, now captured the awe of Finola and Bryan as they arrived on the scene, mesmerized by her ethereal levitation that defied the very laws of gravity. They postulated that she had somehow absorbed the peculiar properties of the debris surrounding her, noting her odd trajectory, unaligned with the wind's direction.
With a swift motion, Finola liberated Amy's hand from the clutches of a barbed wire fence, and together they embarked on following her drift towards a mini-tornado, where an odd conga line of swirling bodies danced chaotically. Amidst this surreal assembly, they summoned Dr. Sharon Bhandari to examine what appeared to be deceased individuals. To their astonishment, these souls were not deceased in the conventional sense; their brains were still active, their eyes betraying vestiges of life through subtle movements.
Among the ensnared was Vandeberg, whose spouse was similarly enchanted by this bizarre phenomenon, floating eerily amidst the woods. When Bryan arrived at this grim tableau, his attention was drawn to a peculiar metallic fragment—another shard from the enigmatic spaceship. As they contacted Isla, inquiring after her brother Kieran, the curly-haired boy from the car, they learned a startling truth: Kieran had passed seven months prior and been cremated. The narrative, it seemed, was growing ever more convoluted.
Isla recounted her harrowing experiences upon returning to the house, while Bryan, unable to contain his overwhelmed emotions, abruptly excused himself, tears welling up as he retreated down the hallway. Later, he sought Finola out to apologize for his unexpected emotional outbreak, confessing that he saw glimpses of someone from his past in the young girl's features.
Finola is convinced that the mysterious debris holds a haunting connection to grief, a belief solidified by her fleeting encounter with one such fragment amidst the woods. It was during this time that her mother's name, Jenny, began to echo inexplicably alongside the whispers of Sharon and others, intensifying the urgency of Bryan and Finola's mission as they ventured forth to unravel the mystery.
However, the narrative took a bizarre twist when two individuals, possibly having ingested fragments of the debris, found themselves entombed within the very foundation of a bridge, their bodies contorted and partially exposed like grotesque mannequins. This development hinted at the involvement of a rogue faction operating outside the purview of official agencies.
Amidst these strange occurrences, Kieran emerged as an even greater concern for Finola and Bryan. He seemed to deliberately lure individuals onto the road, brainwashing them into believing he was their offspring before casting a spell of grief upon them, compelling them to obey his bidding. Despite their efforts to intervene, Bryan and Finola were unable to prevent Kieran from manipulating Finola herself, using her to steer towards the fateful stretch of road.
Fortunately, their strategy bore fruit when Isla's pleas reached her mother's heart, awakening her from the debris-induced hypnosis that had ensnared countless others. With this breakthrough, the enchanted men and women were liberated from their strange trance.
Just as the dust began to settle, Bryan received a directive from Langley regarding a man named George Jones, who had arrived at JFK Airport from Heathrow under a new alias. Bryan was instructed to handle the matter discreetly, keeping Finola in the dark. Yet, this proved to be a tall order, as George Jones happened to be Finola's father.
As the episode drew to a close, the enigmatic figures at Langley appeared to be piecing together fragments of a spaceship, the basic contour of an extraterrestrial vessel gradually emerging from the chaos.
