Fries are healthy in 2065, which will make a certain cartoon character very happy.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers from the series premiere of Fox's Minority Report.]
Fox drama Minority Report has its work cut out for it, to be sure. It has to A) convince fans of the 2002 film that the show is a worthy continuation; B) entice people who don't know about the movie or the Philip K. Dick story on which it's based; and C) amid all that, build its own plausible (if not entirely believable) world circa 2065.
Time and ratings will tell if the show accomplishes those first two things. As for the third, Monday's premiere was laden with references to things that the world might hold for us in 50 years. Here are seven things that stand out:
1. French Fries Are Good for You!
When she confronts Precog Dash (Stark Sands) at a burger restaurant, Detective Vega (Meagan Good) makes a crack about how she can't believe fries used to be bad for people. "Thank God for the genetic revolution, huh?" she asks.
2. The Washington Monument Is Shiny
Sometime between the film, which takes place in 2054, and the show, the white stone monument we're all familiar with, and the series, the monument was clad in some sort of reflective material. Too bad there's not a Precrime division for offenses against architecture.
3. The D.C. Suburbs Are Booming
The height restrictions on buildings in the District of Columbia seem more or less intact in the future, as seen in a couple of long shots in the premiere. Across the Potomac in Virginia, however, there are massive towers as far as the eye can see. Note how far away the skyline seems in the shot of Vega and Dash surveying the city from above the Jefferson Memorial.
4. Washington's NFL Team Has a Different Name
It's now called the Red Clouds, and the mayor candidate Peter Van Eyck (Andrew Stewart-Jones) led them to a Super Bowl victory before turning to politics. So good news, long-suffering D.C. football fans: Sometime in the next 50 years, you'll be rid of owner Daniel Snyder and have a Lombardi Trophy to call your own.
5. The Nationals Are Also in for Some Success
Dash wears a Washington Nationals cap in the early scenes with a patch on the back reading "World Series Champs 2054."
6. Sixty Is the New 40 for Child-bearing
When Dash meets Vega's family, he mistakenly assumes the young boy in the apartment is her son. Nope: It's her little brother. Her mom (Tina Lifford), Vega explains, had empty-nest syndrome when Vega moved out, so when she turned 60 she stopped taking birth control. Dash's surprised look suggests that someone giving birth at that age isn't all that common.
7. Some Things Don't Change
Playing in the background during one scene is the following:
What did you think of Minority Report? Will you watch?
Minority Report (TV)