Review: Project Blue Book Season 1, Ep. 2

History's Project Blue Book improves upon the first episode by diving into one of the most famous cases in U.F.O. and paranormal lore: The Flatwoods Monster.

In 1952, a woman and a handful of children witnessed an object fall from the skies of West Virginia, and saw what they believed to be a giant monster in the woods. An investigation determined the object was a meteor, and the witnesses mistook a barn owl perched on a tree as the monster.

Project Blue Book picks up with the U.S. Air Force's investigation into the case, and weaves it into its budding conspiracy mythology. Everything clicks way better here than in the pilot, as we start to see how the mix of historical "re-enactments" and TV fiction come together. As a whole, the 43-minute watch is rather compelling.

I'm digging the uneasy partnership building between Hynek and Quinn. Mulder and Scully they are obviously NOT, but one can see a grudging respect and professionalism forming. Aiden Gillen and Michael Malarkey play their parts well.

Also liking how the creators weave some Cold War espionage into the mix, as was the case back in the 1950s (many believe the plethora of U.F.O. sightings were, in fact, a result of the U.S. and Russia spying on each other using state-of-the-art aircraft). And you couldn't pick a sexier spy than Ksenia Solo.

The Flatwoods Monster is a great leap forward for this series. It's beginning to find its own identity, and I look forward to Episode 3. A Good once more.

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