This review may contain spoilers.

Many years in the television popular culture have had their own catchphrases: "Who shot J.R.?," "Save the cheerleader, save the world," "Resistance is futile," etc.

Well, for "The Event," NBC once again tried to add one to the ever-growing list with the tagline for the network's new flagship show for the fall. For months now, we have been seeing that question pop up just about everywhere, "What is the Event?"

Now the journey begins to answer the enigmatic question that has popped all over the collective mediascape.

For starters, let us just say that all the networks are eager to find the next "Lost." That show was a revolution in television story-telling and nothing that has come close to matching it since it bowed out last season. With that being said, "The Event" may be the closest thing we have now to take the place of an icon. Over the years, the manner of telling a story in pieces and of time-fractured narratives was both adored and loathed by people but "The Event" doesn't shy away from either.

Our show begins with a few moments of obscurity as seen through the eyes of a news camera during some kind of pandemonium. From there we begin to see a story about a group of people imprisoned in Alaska. Not much is known of these prisoners. They could be religious zealots, scientists, political activists, or terrorists. Their leader Sophia, played by the wonderful Laura Innes, meets with a character who is their link to the outside. Later we see that these "prisoners" are about to be released and she is due to appear at a press conference with the President of the United States Elias Martinez, played by the non-latino Blair Underwood.

President Martinez is shown over different points in our timeline. The earliest we see is him finding out about this prison in Alaska leading to a heated discussion with Director Sterling (Zeljko Ivanek) about the "plausible deniability" of the facility. Martinez orders a visit to the facility where he meets Sophia. Our last point is a party before the press conference with his family, Sophia, and members of his cabinet in Miami. Just before he is supposed to speak, he is being rushed to safety while the area around him begins to descend into chaos culminating into a view of a passenger aircraft ready to crash on their location.

The remaining story revolves around Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) and his quest to discover what happened to his girlfriend after she disappears without a trace on their vacation. His search (which still has yet to be told) leads him to a passenger jet trying to break into the cockpit. It all begins to weave into a story when the pilot is discovered to be his missing girlfriend's father, Mike Buchanan (Scott Patterson). The father somehow ends up on the plane involving a home break-in and the apparent murder of his wife. And, of course, the passenger plane is the one barreling towards the President's function.

All of the pieces play out to start the bigger story to be told. As the plane closes on the crowd below, a ball of light suddenly appears in front of the plane blinding everyone. When the masses are able to see again, the jet aircraft appears to have disappeared into the ball of light in the sky with Sophia telling the President, "I haven't told you everything."

NBC is taking a very large gamble on this. When the success of "Lost" showcased itself, the networks unleashed a trio of similar themed shows to steal the thunder. If the names of those shows take a few minutes to be remembered, it is because that experiment failed miserably. The peacock network has been on the decline lately and needs a diamond in the rough to bring it back into the big game. If the quality of story can continue throughout the season while dialing back the complexity, this diamond could shine very brightly. This is their chance; please do not screw it up.

What Worked

It is clear that NBC is trying to make this it's "Lost." The fractured narrative, both from a character and chronological perspective reminds us from the very beginning of "Lost." To tell a large and complex story is sometimes better by pieces. When done properly, you can really feel how all the little things fit together in the massive puzzle of a story. At this point, it is too early to draw conclusions regarding the story. Just like the show it tries to be, one is left asking more questions than the answers they get. Time will have to play out to see if there is a method to this madness.

This early in the game does show some good performances. Sean's frustration and confusion is wonderfully portrayed by Ritter. He could definitely be the Jack Sheppard of this show. The Ben Linus really appears to be Mike Buchanan, the missing girl's mysterious father. The early enigma could easily be eclipsed by Sophia. Her story could turn out to have more layers than anyone in the genre.

What Didn't Work

"The Event" almost tries too hard to be like "Lost". While telling a multi-layered story in pieces as they fit can work, this show's grand picture almost collapses on itself from its own weight and complexity. It is very difficult to identify players and the teams they represent. Making things worse is the mindset when trying to put the pieces together. If you have watched "Lost" in its entirety, your mind begins to work in overdrive trying to fit everything in its place before it is time. One of the things "Lost" suffered from was the fans over-analyzing the story. In the end everybody was left mad and scratching their heads. Right after watching this episode, one is left wondering: are the prisoners scientists of some sort, are "they" aliens, did the plane disappear to another time, etc. A person can form multiple theories and then be extremely disappointed by the outcome being so simple and one-sided.

Many of the actors are perfectly suited for the roles they are playing, but there is one question that sticks out: Blair Underwood does not sell me as a Cuban refugee. It makes sense that the role was set for a Latino actor. Underwood was probably cast after the pilot was shot in principal shooting. Maybe the producers wanted a different actor, but could not re-shoot everything to make him a different ethnicity. Underwood plays President Elias Martinez very well and he is a well rounded character actor, but he cannot sell himself as a Cubano.

The fracture narrative can be a very good story-telling tool, but do not use both time and characters as the angles. The formula that others have used sticks to one aspect. A story can be told through different points in time, or through various players. However, mixing the two can ruin the idea. It can be very easy to lose track of what is happening and who it is happening to. If this show wants to use both, stick to one fractured-plot per episode. Run one episode through different points in time and another through characters, but please do not use both.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"I Haven't Told You Everything" was written by Nick Wauters and directed by Jeffrey Reiner."The Event" stars Jason Ritter, Lisa Vidal, Bill Smitrovich, Wesley A. Ramsey, Taylor Cole, Scott Patterson, Sarah Roemer, Laura Innes, Blair Underwood, Ian Anthony Dale and Zeljko Ivanek.

"The Event" airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.