Well, having never seen the pilot, except for the few clips that are scattered here and there online, I can't make an accurate judgment. But, from this scene, in particular, it looks like it went for a "COvertly over-the-top" approach. It's not melodramatic in its presentation, but it is in its idiosyncrasies. In this regard, the acting seemed the antithesis of the original. It reminds me of the 1991 series - on steroids. The sets looked nice, but the direction of the actors seemed unusual for a modern piece of television - the long, drawn out hand kiss (Let's make 'em think he's gonna bite her!), the jump. I could never see Frid or Moltke doing any of this (And when there was a similar scene, it was downplayed.). Cross and Going might walk the line, but never go that far. In terms of acting, I would hope Depp Shadows would be more subtle.