The Messengers is an American supernatural mystery drama television series that aired on The CW during the 2014–15 season. The series was officially picked up on May 8, 2014, and premiered on April 17, 2015. The series was cancelled by the CW after three episodes, on May 7, 2015, but aired all of its episodes, and concluded on July 24, 2015.
Contents
Plot
A mysterious object plummets to Earth, sending out a shock wave that causes five strangers to die, only to miraculously come back to life moments later. The members of the group are Vera (Shantel VanSanten), a struggling radio-astronomer living in New Mexico who is searching for her missing son; Erin (Sofia Black-D'Elia), a young mother in Tucson, Arizona, who is desperate to protect her seven-year-old daughter Amy from her abusive policeman ex-husband; Peter (Joel Courtney), a troubled high school student and orphan in Little Rock, Arkansas; Raul (J. D. Pardo), a federal agent in Mexico who is looking to escape his dangerous and violent undercover assignment; and Joshua (Jon Fletcher), a charismatic second-generation televangelist in Houston, Texas.
Most mysterious of all is the figure known only as The Man (Diogo Morgado), who offers Vera the location of her abducted son if she will help him with one morally complicated task. The task puts her on a collision course with Rose (Anna Diop), a nurse in Houston who has been in a coma for seven years, after being shot by an unknown hitman. Drawn together by fate and biblical prophecy, "The Messengers" soon learn that they now have supernatural gifts which might be the only hope for preventing the impending Rapture.
Cast and characters
The Messengers
The main characters of the series are the Messengers (real term: "Angels of the Apocalypse"), a group of ordinary humans chosen by God to determine if humanity is worth saving. They are hit by an energy wave from the meteorite that brought The Man to earth, which causes them to die for a few minutes. Then they awaken with strange supernatural abilities denominated as "gifts". However, their gifts have side-effects on their bodies unless the seven true Messengers are united.
Shantel VanSanten as Vera Buckley
An emotionally and financially struggling radio-astronomer who is searching for her missing son, Michael, who was kidnapped seven years earlier. After finding out her ex-boyfriend (and Michael's father), Leo Travers, carries a genetic disease, which was the reason he broke up with her, Vera decides to tell him about their kidnapped son's existence, rekindling their relationship.
Gift: spirit-walking; side-effect: If her spirit doesn't return to her body in a short time, her body dies.
J. D. Pardo as Raul Garcia
A former drug courier who became a US Federal agent to bring down the Mexican drug cartel he worked for. It is soon revealed that the detective who arrested him was the one who betrayed him to the same drug cartel. After failing to save his brother, Raul is trying to make amends with his niece, Nadia; both are initially unaware that they are biological father and daughter, but as the series progresses they learn the truth.
Gift: mind-reading and telepathy; side-effect: headaches.
Joel Courtney as Peter Moore
A troubled high school student and orphan with previous suicidal tendencies. After developing his ability, he kills one of his tormentors in self-defense and ends up on the run. When he meets the other Messengers, Peter learns the meaning of having a family and wants to make amends with his last foster parents, David and Melissa Cooper. He also develops an interest in Raul's niece, Nadia.
Army of Hell
Diogo Morgado as "The Man"
The Devil incarnate, who attempts to stop the Messengers. He cannot physically harm or kill any Messenger (or any other human being) by himself, which leads to him using and manipulating other people to try to carry out his wishes. He considers himself an admirer of the Horsemen's work, but competes with Rose Arvale (Horseman of Death) for the seals and the power of the meteorite in which the Devil was sent to Earth. The Man is also responsible for taking Vera's son, Michael, to Saint Monica.
Madison Dellamea as Amy Calder
Erin's daughter who grew up in a broken home with her parents constantly fighting before separating. She draws paintings about future events, pretending to be unconscious about what she does. What no one knows, as it is shown in the penultimate episode, is since her birth, Amy has been chosen to become the next Antichrist whose future is to cause the "lake of fire" on Earth.
Lane Garrison as Ronnie
A paranoid, abusive and stalking policeman who is Erin's ex-husband and Amy's human father. Despite recognizing his time hurting his family, he still desperately tries to be reunited with them, even if he has to use drastic methods.
Victor Slezak as Joshua Silburn Sr.
A first-generation televangelist and the father of Joshua Jr. He secretly has violent and aggressive behavior towards his son's wife, with whom he had an affair.
Miguel Martinez as "El Jefe"
A drug lord linked to Raul Garcia's past, who also has business with The Man.
Jason Dohring and Elizabeth Bogush as Jeff and Kay Fairburn
A couple who lost a child and made a deal with The Man to adopt Michael, who was kidnapped from his biological mother, Vera.
Others
Robb Moon as the patron of the "Last Supper Bar and Grill".
Lexi Atkins as Alice, a student who attends Peter's school.
Katy Rowe as Charlotte Silburn, Joshua Jr.'s wife who is pregnant with his child despite having a short affair with her father-in-law, Joshua Snr.
Bernardo Saracino as Cesar Garcia, Raul's brother, Gabriela's husband and Nadia's legal father.
Loren Escandon as Gabriela Garcia, Cesar's widowed wife who has an extramarital affair with his brother Raul, conceiving their daughter Nadia.
Navid Negahban as the Prime Minister of Afghanistan, Senator Richards' target during her attempted assassination.
Hannah Marshall as Hope Silburn, Joshua Jr.'s sister whose father discarded her after she came out as a lesbian.
Roberta Isgreen as Margaret Schiller, Leland's late mother.
J.B. Tuttle and Fawnda McMahan as Dave and Melissa Cooper, Peter's last foster family who later returned him to Social Services because of his suicidal tendencies, but they are still in contact with him.
Jamie Bamber as Vincent Plowman, the co-chairman of Plowman Family Farms and the younger brother of Mark Plowman. He is described as unapologetic and aggressive; he is the favorite son which may uproot his ambitious plans.
Jodi Lynn Thomas as Anne Moore, Peter's biological mother who lived in psychiatric hospital until she killed herself for not having her son with her.
Jack O'Donnell as Dr. Simon, the lead scientist in charge of the Black Site Laboratory. He is one of the people in charge of investigating the Devil's meteorite, but he and his workers feel threatened by the Four Horsemen.
Reception
Critical reception
The Messengers has received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the show a rating of 47% based on 17 reviews with an average rating of 5.6 out of 10. The site's consensus reads: "The Messengers flashes bursts of potential, but ultimately sags beneath derivative, muddled storytelling". Metacritic gave the show a score of 56 out of 100, based on 15 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Release
The Messengers was scheduled to premiere on April 10, 2015, but was moved back a week to April 17, 2015. In Australia, the series premiered on FOX8 on June 3, 2015.