With all the new fall shows debuting now or in the near future, here are some predictions on what will last and what will be cancelled considering the premise, cast and network.
Cancelled before Christmas
Selfie - edit, cancelled
A to Z, finishing first half season but cancelled
Manhattan Love Stor, edit, cancelled basically immediately
Marry Me
There's a chance one of the four can succeed in the post-HIMYM era, trying to fill that void. A to Z appears to be to HIMYM what Flash Forward was to Lost, where it attempts to address one complaint about a hit show (lack of resolution), but fails to account for any of the elements that made successful. Selfie has a chance to become an extremely dated-I-can't-believe-2014-was-like-that in just a few years.
While romantic comedies, none of which are likely to be as good as You're the Worst, populate the 2014 landscape, noticeably absent are the Friends clones. Happy Endings, Perfect Couples, and other that haven't lasted. I guess they are giving up on those.
Bad Judge, finishing first half season but cancelled
Bad Santa was great. Bad Teacher was not good. I don't see Bad Judge bucking the trend.
State of Affairs
No.
Cancelled After Christmas, Before Season Finale
Madam Secretary, edit, given a surprising full season pick up
Commander-in-Chief without the firepower. A tall woman attains a new position in the federal government, unexpectedly, and is going to do things her way, against the grain. I see this having a following but ultimately a hiatus or a timeslot change will keep the viewership down. There's too much on cable for this to gain a following.
Finishing Season One, Cancelled Before Two
Utopia - edit whoops, cancelled only 2 months into a full year season
Reality imports are always a good bet. However on the surface this one seems to be more about collaboration than conflict. In that, I mean that collaboration is the goal for the utopian society and there will be conflict on the way, rather than making conflict/choosing a winner the ultimate goal. The success may lie in the casting because while on some reality shows the reckless or unstable or unreasonable or incompetent make for good television, it may simply be frustrating to watch a group operate at a low capacity. It would be much more interesting to watch two competent groups compete for control and influence rather than have a few competents try to stave off a few village idiots.
Bringing it back may rely on how expensive this was to produce. But they won't bring it back if it has only middling success.
Gracepoint
Fox is moving more to a cable model in terms of ordering shows. It makes sense that Fox, the youngest and most cable-y of the networks would be the first to do this, especially with a only two hour primetime schedule each night. That said, Gracepoint is a closed end ten episode series where detectives investigate a murder. It appears to be in the vein of True Detective, Twin Peaks, The Following, The Killing, etc. It's also taking a page from the FX shows Fargo and American Horror Story with what appears to be an anthology format.
This show could return, perhaps in a different form. Perhaps with a different cast. Being only ten episodes and closed ended means it will be easy to catch up on if buzz around the show let's us know it's something we should spend our time on. Regardless of quality, the series will finish its run this fall.
Returning in Fall 2015
We have two shows that speak to the CBS brand and two that speak to ABC's brand. All will succeed.
Scorpion, picked up to fill full first season (currently #2 new show)
Big Bang, Hawaii Five O, A Team, blah blah blah. I expect a lot of magical computer hacking by this crew, followed by hitting the enhance button on the computer, all with one unattainably hot girl hanging around the group. Six years on CBS for this show.
NCIS: New Orleans, picked up to fill full first season (currently #1 new show)
They wouldn't have ordered this if their research didn't show they could have success with it. CCH Pounder is a great actress, so it's only sad that she'll be on here because it means she's less likely to be on something else like The Shield or Sons of Anarchy for a while. Four seasons on CBS.
How to Get Away With Murder, picked up to fill full first season
Grey's Anatomy is still on television. Scandal is popular enough to be in the zeitgeist. Murder looks like it even has a few aspects of Damages that will appeal to some typical cable viewers. I could see this lasting a few years and then surprising a lot of those cable viewers as something they like to watch in spades when it rains.
Blackish, edit, picked up to fill full first season
ABC's current hallmark are minority casts and family sitcoms. Blackish fits easily into a night with The Middle, The Goldbergs and Modern Family meaning that even if Blackish doesn't succeed, it can fill out the line up and make Wednesday a 20 years later version of TGIF. Or as Andy Bernard would say: "Man, TGI Wednesday. Gonna go home, get my beer on, get my LOST on".
But in all sincerity it seems like a pretty funny show and you have to trust the brainchild of Larry Wilmore.
Gotham, edit, ordered episodes to fill full first season
The number one seed coming into the Fall. Most likely to top the ratings and critical success. Expectations are high. Which could be its biggest weakness
Wild Card
Mulaney could wind up running for ten years or ten episodes. I honestly have nothing to add on predicting its success, but nothing would particularly surprise me.
edit, on the brink of cancellation, reducing episodes
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Thursday, September 25, 2014
"The Good Listener" & "What Jesus Said" - Boardwalk Empire
Episode 5-02 and 5-03
Much like Game of Thrones, there are many characters, stories and locations, which means it often takes pairs of episodes to check in with characters. This episode touched on several Sirs-Not-Appearing from last week as they are often wont to do. Game of Thrones will go so far as to use the same director for 2-3 episodes in a row, which is rare for a television drama.
Signs of the Times
So we check in on Chicago and Eli and Van Alden are not getting a ton of respect from their Capone overlords. We're starting to see a lot more fedoras on people, noticeable as the men remove their hats in the elevator.
When this series began, the country was still feeling the Great War, about to recoil into an isolationist shell with the election of Warren G. Harding and lots of drinking. World War II is still ten years away but feeling the Great Depression taking hold as well as the rise of Roosevelt makes you think about the people who live through those thirty years. Had Jimmy survived, he may have been young enough to rejoin the Army and fight in two world wars. And I highly suggest reading that obit.
Speaking of Roosevelt, we hear what would be his campaign song. This is timed perfectly with PBS' new Ken Burns series released last week, "The Roosevelts". It is worth every minute of the seven parts and fourteen hours it takes to watch.
The song plays during the call between Nucky and Sally and she can hear it over the phone in the background from his radio, so they pause and listen to it...one in Jersey and one in Cuba. To think it was late in the first season we heard the first commercial radio broadcast reporting election results. The crowd gathered in the theater to listen to a radio that was placed up by a microphone. The world has gotten a lot smaller in five seasons.
Whiskeys and Scotches
Jimmy posed the question to Nucky a lifetime ago about what he wanted to be. Nucky eventually answered by shooting him in the face. But he eventually removed himself from public office and took on more of an emeritus role, collecting residuals on the boardwalk empire he created. His self consciousness with Joe Kennedy, who comes from a similar background and carries himself with more legitimacy, is palpable. He mirrors Joe's tetotaling in an attempt to build some common trust, but eventually only finds contempt from the man who, after see the club and its patrons and getting to know Nucky a bit more, responds with "What are you?" to Nucky's "Those men are gangsters."
So Nucky wonders, has he accomplished anything? Just in time for Margaret to return. The relieved and pleased look says it all.
Much like Game of Thrones, there are many characters, stories and locations, which means it often takes pairs of episodes to check in with characters. This episode touched on several Sirs-Not-Appearing from last week as they are often wont to do. Game of Thrones will go so far as to use the same director for 2-3 episodes in a row, which is rare for a television drama.
Signs of the Times
So we check in on Chicago and Eli and Van Alden are not getting a ton of respect from their Capone overlords. We're starting to see a lot more fedoras on people, noticeable as the men remove their hats in the elevator.
When this series began, the country was still feeling the Great War, about to recoil into an isolationist shell with the election of Warren G. Harding and lots of drinking. World War II is still ten years away but feeling the Great Depression taking hold as well as the rise of Roosevelt makes you think about the people who live through those thirty years. Had Jimmy survived, he may have been young enough to rejoin the Army and fight in two world wars. And I highly suggest reading that obit.
Speaking of Roosevelt, we hear what would be his campaign song. This is timed perfectly with PBS' new Ken Burns series released last week, "The Roosevelts". It is worth every minute of the seven parts and fourteen hours it takes to watch.
The song plays during the call between Nucky and Sally and she can hear it over the phone in the background from his radio, so they pause and listen to it...one in Jersey and one in Cuba. To think it was late in the first season we heard the first commercial radio broadcast reporting election results. The crowd gathered in the theater to listen to a radio that was placed up by a microphone. The world has gotten a lot smaller in five seasons.
Whiskeys and Scotches
- Had to chuckle at the feather in Eli's face, which reminded me of people with giant backpacks on the subway
- Line of the night - "Why must there always be pandemonium?!" Van Alden delivers it in his Van Alden way. This may surpass his "Take care and God bless" telephone farewell to his wife.
- The actor playing the commodore has the timbre of his voice down perfectly for these flashbacks. I wonder if the original actor recorded the lines for the new actor, like Kathryn Joosten did for Kristen Nelson's flashback scenes in "Two Cathedrals"
- Chalky brawls with his accomplice and kills him, much like his time with Purvis
Jimmy posed the question to Nucky a lifetime ago about what he wanted to be. Nucky eventually answered by shooting him in the face. But he eventually removed himself from public office and took on more of an emeritus role, collecting residuals on the boardwalk empire he created. His self consciousness with Joe Kennedy, who comes from a similar background and carries himself with more legitimacy, is palpable. He mirrors Joe's tetotaling in an attempt to build some common trust, but eventually only finds contempt from the man who, after see the club and its patrons and getting to know Nucky a bit more, responds with "What are you?" to Nucky's "Those men are gangsters."
So Nucky wonders, has he accomplished anything? Just in time for Margaret to return. The relieved and pleased look says it all.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Golden Days for Boys and Girls - Boardwalk Empire
Episode 5-01
Eight episodes and a seven year jump. That is how Boardwalk Empire is wrapping things up after its strongest season and strongest episode. Showrunner Terrence Winter says this is simply the show wrapping up Nucky's story, which even if HBO did suggest they bring it to a close, is probably true. That said, HBO has a history of splitting the difference on shows, giving them a few final hours to close shop rather than cancel it out right, but still not ordering a full season. It leaves the reputation of HBO as a story friendly vehicle intact, as well as allowing the showrunner to save face and put together a coda. It is interesting though that the show is not continuing in the direction of Season Four which placed Nucky in an emeritus position while the real action was in Harlem.
The jump means we miss out on Arnold Rothstein, one of the more compelling characters in the show. At the end of last season it looked as though he was going to intersect with Margaret as she slowly came back into the picture, but sadly we will not get to see that.
That said, I don't see how Margaret comes back into the fold. She may simply live her own life, and it's perfectly fine if that's the context we see her in. Don Draper rarely sees his ex-wife as they move further and further away from their 1963 separation/divorce. Maybe the most accurate thing to do is to move on. Reading Difficult Men, the author makes a point about television showing the mundane:
more about life simply happening, much the way it actually does, tough truths included
first wives becomes small distant chapters of a person's life.
The events of the flashback take place a few years after Deadwood is set, with present day roughly when Mad Men flashbacks are set. We need some sort of timeline:
This doesn't seem to amount to much more than a treasure hunt at the moment, which makes it seem like they couldn't think of anything for Chalky to do. Unless this has some serious character development, which will be difficult after his story last year, or plays a major role in another story (also hard to see) this could be the biggest miss since Gyp.
The story starts off like most romantic comedies where two people who are opposites ostensibly cannot stand each other, until they are thrown into a situation where they find themselves together.
Rum and Whiskey
Historical events
Eight episodes and a seven year jump. That is how Boardwalk Empire is wrapping things up after its strongest season and strongest episode. Showrunner Terrence Winter says this is simply the show wrapping up Nucky's story, which even if HBO did suggest they bring it to a close, is probably true. That said, HBO has a history of splitting the difference on shows, giving them a few final hours to close shop rather than cancel it out right, but still not ordering a full season. It leaves the reputation of HBO as a story friendly vehicle intact, as well as allowing the showrunner to save face and put together a coda. It is interesting though that the show is not continuing in the direction of Season Four which placed Nucky in an emeritus position while the real action was in Harlem.
The jump means we miss out on Arnold Rothstein, one of the more compelling characters in the show. At the end of last season it looked as though he was going to intersect with Margaret as she slowly came back into the picture, but sadly we will not get to see that.
That said, I don't see how Margaret comes back into the fold. She may simply live her own life, and it's perfectly fine if that's the context we see her in. Don Draper rarely sees his ex-wife as they move further and further away from their 1963 separation/divorce. Maybe the most accurate thing to do is to move on. Reading Difficult Men, the author makes a point about television showing the mundane:
more about life simply happening, much the way it actually does, tough truths included
first wives becomes small distant chapters of a person's life.
The events of the flashback take place a few years after Deadwood is set, with present day roughly when Mad Men flashbacks are set. We need some sort of timeline:
- Deadwood
- Nucky's flashbacks
- Downton Abbey
- Boardwalk Empire - main
- Mad Men flashbacks
- Mad Men - main
This doesn't seem to amount to much more than a treasure hunt at the moment, which makes it seem like they couldn't think of anything for Chalky to do. Unless this has some serious character development, which will be difficult after his story last year, or plays a major role in another story (also hard to see) this could be the biggest miss since Gyp.
The story starts off like most romantic comedies where two people who are opposites ostensibly cannot stand each other, until they are thrown into a situation where they find themselves together.
Rum and Whiskey
- Nucky's father sounds a lot like Bill the Butcher, who sounds a lot like
- Meyer Landsky is hanging out in 1931 Cuba, laying ground for 1950s Hyman Roth in Godfather II.
- At several points a calm beat sets up a burst of violence including Mr. Connors suicide, Nucky's dad hitting him and the assassination attempt in Havana
Historical events
- The Crash is referenced a few times, but the full weight of it doesn't seem to be felt yet
- Joe the Boss Masseria assassination sets up the five families in New York
- Elliot Ness' crack down
- Joe Kennedy making a fortune
- Gillian
- All of Chicago
- Capone
- Eli
- Van Alden
- Narcisse
Monday, August 25, 2014
The Good Times Are Killing Me - The Leftovers
The Leftovers took a detour after episode eight's Plot Twist City to a completely different setting and dynamic between our characters. And it suffered none for it, having established itself as a show much more character driven than plot driven, and much more about human relationships than mythology.
Having strung five "whoa" episodes in a row coinciding with their renewal, there's a lot to be excited about.
What did we learn today?
A microcosm of the dishonesty in their marriage, we know right away we're in flashback when Kevin sneaks a cigarette. He goes to certain lengths to hide his habit*, stashing a pack under a mailbox**, smoking in the woods***, and using mouthwash (1).
* Which Laurie doesn't care about, per se. She cares about his lying about it. Or maybe she's lying about that....
** Which we saw Tommy do something similar in service to Wayne
*** Fire hazard!
Jill's on to him. Later in the day he smokes out in the open when at work, though not bothering to cover his tracks (2). Laurie picks up on it at this point. By the episodes third act, he is smoking outside his house (3) with friends and family around in a way that his father points out is "asking to get caught." Kevin's nihilism towards his marriage at that point, exemplified by his decreasing desire to put up the facade of quitting, leads to his fun times with the conference attendee.
"Hey, opposite...is opposite!" *
Several characters are in diametrically opposite positions, compared with where they stand at the end of Episode Eight.
Patti is a broken shell, verbally abused by, we assume, her husband. Paranoid* and meek, she finishes her story the stern cult leader who doesn't necessarily build her community by charisma but by stoic and firm leadership.
Laurie is a successful therapist of some kind, present in her children's lives. It kills her to not attend Jill's science fair, and she clearly has a rapport with Tommy. Giving up the wordly possessions, her practice which she probably built for years and her connection with her children is quite a sacrifice. I'd have guessed most GR members fit a sterotypical profile of cult members, impressionable, with little to lose. But Laurie does not fit that mold.
Grandpa Garvey is large and in charge of the Mapleton police force. A pillar of the community, he's honored with an award and with a party by his friends and loving family. Deeper though, he's telling Kevin how he's nothing special and simply meant for this simple life. FutureGrandpaGarvey has something different to say about that, with NatGeo props.
Tommy invested in school at least to the point that he is still enrolled. He's close enough with his dad that he can call him to get him out of an arrest, not to mention that his dad will resort to fisticuffs in defense of his son. Compare this with his going incommunicado from his family while deifying Wayne as some sort of father figure/savior up to the point he rejects him.
Dogs are cute and sweet and adorable and such a good boy! Until after The Departure when they're viscous, feral and scary. Kevin's stance on dogs changes. At least Kevin Durden's stance on dogs changed.
One constant though is that deer, crazy as ever, invading your space. It seems at least three of the people it crossed paths with departed, Nora's daughter, the kid with Downs Syndrome, and Kevin's lady.
*"You're gonna show me my clothes?"
** Is is paranoia if someone actually is out to get you?
Trials and Tribulations
Every. Simpsons. Ever. aired "Hurricane Neddy" on Sunday where Ned Flander's house is destroyed in a storm. The only home in all of Springfield destroyed in the storm. This despite his selflessness and general clean living*. He mentions Job, but Rev. Lovejoy calls him melodramatic.
The Leftovers has brought Job hard and heavy, particularly Episode Three, which focused on Matthew. There's also a Faustian element to things, or even King Midas, where unintentional consequences reign from what a character believes they want. Particularly one family where Matthew craves attention and is given leukemia, or Nora seeking accomplishment and freedom, and being relieved of her family.
* "I even kept kosher to be on the safe side"
Next Week (Two weeks actually) and Some Jibberish
"The Prodigal Son Returns" Is it Tommy? Is is Kevin, to Pops? Is it Laurie's baby?
I theorize that it's Tommy (given the "prodigal" part), with nothing left on the road and no one to turn to, he comes home. Tommy (younger son/sinners) would be accepted back by Kevin (as the father/God does) despite what he did (spent his inheritance/sinned). It makes you wonder if the Departed are that toll that God is leveraging against mankind, rather than send his son again to die for the sins of man, he exacts the toll, a tax practically, of 2 percent. Which means tithes can't really justify 10 percent anymore.
Maybe the Departed return? But that wouldn't fit with the parable, as they would be returned by God/the father rather than returning to him. Also, where would they return from? Hell? At least that's where Kevin's friend said she was going...right before she Departed.
Having strung five "whoa" episodes in a row coinciding with their renewal, there's a lot to be excited about.
What did we learn today?
- A root cause analysis shows that The Departure was but the tipping point in Kevin and Laurie's marriage, rather than the source of the split
- The Guilty Remnant, or some form of it, pre-dates The Departure, or at least gets going immediately
- Who Neil is and what's in the bag
- Why Nora's paper towels were just so
- Exploding manhole covers are no joke, people.
A microcosm of the dishonesty in their marriage, we know right away we're in flashback when Kevin sneaks a cigarette. He goes to certain lengths to hide his habit*, stashing a pack under a mailbox**, smoking in the woods***, and using mouthwash (1).
* Which Laurie doesn't care about, per se. She cares about his lying about it. Or maybe she's lying about that....
** Which we saw Tommy do something similar in service to Wayne
*** Fire hazard!
Jill's on to him. Later in the day he smokes out in the open when at work, though not bothering to cover his tracks (2). Laurie picks up on it at this point. By the episodes third act, he is smoking outside his house (3) with friends and family around in a way that his father points out is "asking to get caught." Kevin's nihilism towards his marriage at that point, exemplified by his decreasing desire to put up the facade of quitting, leads to his fun times with the conference attendee.
"Hey, opposite...is opposite!" *
Several characters are in diametrically opposite positions, compared with where they stand at the end of Episode Eight.
Patti is a broken shell, verbally abused by, we assume, her husband. Paranoid* and meek, she finishes her story the stern cult leader who doesn't necessarily build her community by charisma but by stoic and firm leadership.
Laurie is a successful therapist of some kind, present in her children's lives. It kills her to not attend Jill's science fair, and she clearly has a rapport with Tommy. Giving up the wordly possessions, her practice which she probably built for years and her connection with her children is quite a sacrifice. I'd have guessed most GR members fit a sterotypical profile of cult members, impressionable, with little to lose. But Laurie does not fit that mold.
Grandpa Garvey is large and in charge of the Mapleton police force. A pillar of the community, he's honored with an award and with a party by his friends and loving family. Deeper though, he's telling Kevin how he's nothing special and simply meant for this simple life. FutureGrandpaGarvey has something different to say about that, with NatGeo props.
Tommy invested in school at least to the point that he is still enrolled. He's close enough with his dad that he can call him to get him out of an arrest, not to mention that his dad will resort to fisticuffs in defense of his son. Compare this with his going incommunicado from his family while deifying Wayne as some sort of father figure/savior up to the point he rejects him.
Dogs are cute and sweet and adorable and such a good boy! Until after The Departure when they're viscous, feral and scary. Kevin's stance on dogs changes. At least Kevin Durden's stance on dogs changed.
One constant though is that deer, crazy as ever, invading your space. It seems at least three of the people it crossed paths with departed, Nora's daughter, the kid with Downs Syndrome, and Kevin's lady.
*"You're gonna show me my clothes?"
** Is is paranoia if someone actually is out to get you?
Trials and Tribulations
Every. Simpsons. Ever. aired "Hurricane Neddy" on Sunday where Ned Flander's house is destroyed in a storm. The only home in all of Springfield destroyed in the storm. This despite his selflessness and general clean living*. He mentions Job, but Rev. Lovejoy calls him melodramatic.
The Leftovers has brought Job hard and heavy, particularly Episode Three, which focused on Matthew. There's also a Faustian element to things, or even King Midas, where unintentional consequences reign from what a character believes they want. Particularly one family where Matthew craves attention and is given leukemia, or Nora seeking accomplishment and freedom, and being relieved of her family.
* "I even kept kosher to be on the safe side"
Next Week (Two weeks actually) and Some Jibberish
"The Prodigal Son Returns" Is it Tommy? Is is Kevin, to Pops? Is it Laurie's baby?
I theorize that it's Tommy (given the "prodigal" part), with nothing left on the road and no one to turn to, he comes home. Tommy (younger son/sinners) would be accepted back by Kevin (as the father/God does) despite what he did (spent his inheritance/sinned). It makes you wonder if the Departed are that toll that God is leveraging against mankind, rather than send his son again to die for the sins of man, he exacts the toll, a tax practically, of 2 percent. Which means tithes can't really justify 10 percent anymore.
Maybe the Departed return? But that wouldn't fit with the parable, as they would be returned by God/the father rather than returning to him. Also, where would they return from? Hell? At least that's where Kevin's friend said she was going...right before she Departed.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Cornering the Market - The Leftovers
Is it strange that I wondered about the business model for Nora's
salesman-friend's business? They are catering to a very specific
population. If 6 billion people are on Earth and 2 percent vanished
then that's 120,000,000 possible sales. But if your product costs
$40,000 then only a small portion of the vanished's families can afford
your product.
The company would have to branch out into other ways of making people want to bury their loved one's likeness. Like if they are a regular missing person. But then you have a whole different problem about convincing them to close the book on the missing person. Burn victims? People killed in natural disasters or plane crashes? War heroes who dont come home?
I suppose this company could plan to make a lot of sales its first few years but they have to plan for it leveling off. One thing they could do is try to get families who are spread out across the country to have multiple memorials. Of course, buying a plane ticket is much cheaper than one of these dolls.
Basically, the partners in this business better get together and figure out how they can use this technology for something else or they are simply going to run out of customers.
Hmmmm.....
The company would have to branch out into other ways of making people want to bury their loved one's likeness. Like if they are a regular missing person. But then you have a whole different problem about convincing them to close the book on the missing person. Burn victims? People killed in natural disasters or plane crashes? War heroes who dont come home?
I suppose this company could plan to make a lot of sales its first few years but they have to plan for it leveling off. One thing they could do is try to get families who are spread out across the country to have multiple memorials. Of course, buying a plane ticket is much cheaper than one of these dolls.
Basically, the partners in this business better get together and figure out how they can use this technology for something else or they are simply going to run out of customers.
Hmmmm.....
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
The Leftovers - Halftime
At the halfway point of The Leftovers, we're trying to decide what this show is about. Or I am. Frankly, I have not written about the show because I have not known what to write beyond a basic summary of things that happened, and that is a waste of everyone's time. At the halfway point though, it's a little easier to take stock of the series as a whole, even if we don't know what it is getting it yet.
Judging by what's been written about the show to this point, it appears I'm not alone. A time like this really makes me miss the thoughtful and well moderated boards at Television Without Pity. In light of TV Club's summer collapse, Vox has probably done the best job so far on the series, particularly on its "Gladys" post.
One thing is clear, the show is not interested in exploring the past or the Why? of the disappearance and the selection of the disappeared. It is focused almost entirely on the lives these people now lead in a post 10/14 world and how sudden loss affects them even three years later. After all, the show is called The Leftovers. It is not called The Unexplained Event or The People Who Suddenly Vanished.
The time spent in Mapleton has been the most rewarding for me as a viewer. Whether that be with the priest, the chief, the cult or the Jill. The show's nuclear family has been torn apart by the vanishing, yet none of those family members themselves vanished. It shows the far reaching effects of the event and how the suddenness and the lack of closure have not permitted people to return to their lives. And while not in Mapleton, the overturned truck spilling dead bodies grieving fmilies purchased to bury serve as another device to show the lack of closure on the event.
Since the first episode, the show has become increasingly oblique. It often makes passing references to people or events that have not been explained and make me wonder if I missed something in a previous episode. I wonder if I am to recall what Laurie said to Patty before everything changed, or if that is an off screen event. Should I know who Neil is? On the other end of that are seemingly basic questions that do not receive an answer. Were those actually Kevin's shirts he got from the cleaners? If not, why can't he find them? Did the GR sneak into his house and take them? I thought, based on last week's B&E and their progressing to painting things white, like newspaper boxes, that they had stolen people's clothes and perhaps were replacing them with their own white garb.
Animal imagery, prominently featured in the pilot, has taken a back seat. I expect it may stay there long enough to forget about it, only to reappear in the finale. Biblical imagery has taken center stage, particularly in the last two episodes featuring the Christmas story of Wayne's baby and then a New Testament-ish stoning and possibly martyrdom parable. I wonder if the first two episodes have a decidedly Old Testament bend. Could it be that the event should raise give people on Earth awareness and consciousness as the tree did for Adam and Steve? That is probably a stretch, which is why I haven't seen that posited yet.
Questions
- Why and how did these people disappear?
- Not likely to be explained
- Why did these particular people disappear?
- Not likely to be explained
- Where is Mapleton?
- Upstate New York
- Was Mapleton especially hard hit?
- It does not appear so, the GR is a national organization and the citizens appear to be affected just as much by the residual results of the disappearance as the disappearance itself (intact families torn apart, a car accident due to the driver disappearing)
- It seems like they are missing more than 2 percent based on the reactions.
- Hmmm. Unsure
- It would also help explain the next question
- Why is the cult in Mapleton, and not elsewhere?
- It is elsewhere, Past Me.
- Why does the cult choose smoking as a reminder?
- Mortality?
- What is the cult's end game?
- Perhaps to constantly remind people of the disappearance
- Who is Wayne and why does he merit all this money, security and reverence?
- Wayne is a magical child molester charlatan who claims to have some sort of healing powers
- What did Wayne do for the congressman?
- Made his pain go away
- Why does Wayne want the girl protected?
- She has his baby
- What is the grace period?
- Probably a figurative term. Past Me is an idiot.
- What else has the cult done to piss off the town, besides stalk and be creepy?
- Buy up people's properties. Break in their houses. Take stuff.
- Why did Liv Tyler change her mind?
- Unknown.
- What does the dream with the pig in the hood of the car mean?
- ????
- Why did those people jump off the building in the son's flashback?
- Not explained yet.
- What has happened with the dogs?
- Did they go stray and then adapt to survive?
- Who is the guy shooting dogs and what does he know about them?
- I think he gave a name but I cant remember it. At least we know he is not a ghost.
- What is the symbolism with the deer and why does that image seem so familiar to me?
- Is it Hannibal I'm thinking of?
- Probably an episode 10 thing, but too oblique for me to discern.
- Why did the deer tear up the Garvey kitchen?
- ????
- And how did Kevin know to suspect the deer?
- ????
- How and when will Nora's gun fire?
- How has Wayne convinced people to do his bidding?
Friday, July 25, 2014
Tyrant - A Scene
Maybe it is too facile to say that Tyrant is an inverted Homeland*, or The Godfather** in the Middle East** or a variation on Mr. Chips to Scarface***. A few episodes in though, it seems like a quick and easy way to describe the show.
* An American returning to American from the Middle East after becoming one of them and a Freedonian returning to Freedonia after living his life as an American.
** The youngest brother is pulled into the bad news family business after having a life in a legitimate profession with his blonde wife
*** The descent of a really nice guy into villain-hood.
There hasn't been as much time yet to paint all the shades of gray we're used on cable television to but we're getting there. The advent of the nominal revolutionary leader being a poseur douchebag is one of my favorite additions to the show. Yeah, they're facing a terrible dictatorial dynasty, but this other guy sure sucks too.
A scene between the American ambassador and the president brought a few things to look forward to. The tete-e-tete precedes the apparently imminent crackdown of protestors in the square * To this point, the new president has been shown to be reckless and emotional and dangerous, while the ambassador has been shown to be a sell out, happy to take in the luxury his position provides him by looking the other way constantly.
* Message to dictators: Fill in your squares. They are bad news for your regime. - The Daily Show
Jamal, the president, takes the temperature of the United States on the violence he's about to impart. He's accepted the nominal decrying but wants to know there's no actual consequences for it. The ambassador is astonishingly honest with him (and the viewer) that whether they kill 50 or 500, the wrong individual, such as a cute co-ed, could bring unwanted attention and serious reprisals from the United States in order to comply with public opinion. It is a great example of realpolitik.
The threat of taking away the American strategic presence with their naval base is very real, as Jamal points out. But it's not as strong as he thinks, as the ambassador responds that the lease on the base is with the government, not the family. It's not an ideal situation for the Americans but it is an out for them, if the situation becomes dire. The ambassador finally shows a bit of integrity and willingness to speak to Jamal (or previously, his father) truthfully.
From here, it will be interesting to see how Jamal weighs the threat of American pulling its support and how the ambassador continues to function, and what his motivations and end goal are.
* An American returning to American from the Middle East after becoming one of them and a Freedonian returning to Freedonia after living his life as an American.
** The youngest brother is pulled into the bad news family business after having a life in a legitimate profession with his blonde wife
*** The descent of a really nice guy into villain-hood.
There hasn't been as much time yet to paint all the shades of gray we're used on cable television to but we're getting there. The advent of the nominal revolutionary leader being a poseur douchebag is one of my favorite additions to the show. Yeah, they're facing a terrible dictatorial dynasty, but this other guy sure sucks too.
A scene between the American ambassador and the president brought a few things to look forward to. The tete-e-tete precedes the apparently imminent crackdown of protestors in the square * To this point, the new president has been shown to be reckless and emotional and dangerous, while the ambassador has been shown to be a sell out, happy to take in the luxury his position provides him by looking the other way constantly.
* Message to dictators: Fill in your squares. They are bad news for your regime. - The Daily Show
Jamal, the president, takes the temperature of the United States on the violence he's about to impart. He's accepted the nominal decrying but wants to know there's no actual consequences for it. The ambassador is astonishingly honest with him (and the viewer) that whether they kill 50 or 500, the wrong individual, such as a cute co-ed, could bring unwanted attention and serious reprisals from the United States in order to comply with public opinion. It is a great example of realpolitik.
The threat of taking away the American strategic presence with their naval base is very real, as Jamal points out. But it's not as strong as he thinks, as the ambassador responds that the lease on the base is with the government, not the family. It's not an ideal situation for the Americans but it is an out for them, if the situation becomes dire. The ambassador finally shows a bit of integrity and willingness to speak to Jamal (or previously, his father) truthfully.
From here, it will be interesting to see how Jamal weighs the threat of American pulling its support and how the ambassador continues to function, and what his motivations and end goal are.
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