Article first published as DVD Review: ‘Graceland – The Complete First Season’ on Blogcritics.
The caliber of USA’s dramas has been steadily getting better over the past few years, and last summer’s Graceland continues that trend. A gritty crime drama, it has intriguing, layered characters operating in gray areas with long arcs, no goofy case-of-the-week stuff that used to be the network’s hallmark. Created by White Collar brain Jeff Eastin, and based on a true story, this show follows FBI, DEA, and Customs agents living together in a government-seized beach house that shares the moniker of the series.
The caliber of USA’s dramas has been steadily getting better over the past few years, and last summer’s Graceland continues that trend. A gritty crime drama, it has intriguing, layered characters operating in gray areas with long arcs, no goofy case-of-the-week stuff that used to be the network’s hallmark. Created by White Collar brain Jeff Eastin, and based on a true story, this show follows FBI, DEA, and Customs agents living together in a government-seized beach house that shares the moniker of the series.
The setting is very pretty. The house
is impressive, with great views, and letting the characters spend time
in the sand and waves is fun for the viewer, too. But there’s a dark
edge to this location, too, knowing that it was once the site of some
bad dealings, and this tone lives on today, underneath the surface of
the friendly banter. While the housemates seem to get along well enough,
there are some secrets that could unravel the whole thing. Perhaps
keeping the name Graceland, which came about because of the previous
owner’s Elvis obsession, is an intentional, constant reminder that
everything is not as peaceful as it seems.
Our protagonist is Mike Warren (Aaron Tveit, Gossip Girl),
a recent Quantico grad who requests an assignment in D.C., but is
ordered to GRACELAND instead. The reason for this is that Mike’s bosses
suspect grizzled veteran Paul Briggs (Daniel Sunjata, Rescue Me, Grey’s Anatomy),
Mike’s new immediate superior, of illicit activity, and want Mike to
find out definitively. We soon see that there may be some truth to the
charges, and much of this first season is not only about the internal
investigation, but also the shifting dynamic between the two men. What
Mike will file in his report is not cut and dry, and he has to decide if
Paul deserves to be put away.
Mike’s and Paul’s roommates include: Johnny (Manny Montana, East L.A.), the class clown and friend to everyone, who puts Mike through some affectionate hazing; Charlie (Vanessa Ferlito, CSI: NY), who has been undercover as a junkie, and is good with the makeup and mothering; DEA operative Paige (Serinda Swan, Breakout Kings), who does not appear in the pilot, but comes back in and befriends Mike; and Dale (Brandon Jay McLaren, Falling Skies, The Killing), the territorial customs agent.
If I have one complaint about Graceland‘s
first year is that Charlie, Johnny, Paige, and Dale aren’t nearly as
well developed as Mike and Paul. They all have their moments, of course,
but this isn’t a true ensemble piece, with character development taking
a much heavier focus on the leads. There is some tension between Mike
and others, one of whom finds out what’s going on, but I look forward to
an expansion of the supporting players in season two this summer,
similar to how Suits began and then grew.
Story-wise, the pacing is a bit slow
in some places, with twists coming pretty spaced out and the tension
being more of a slow-burn than constant action. There is a romantic
thread which is pretty cool because of the complications it causes.
Smaller cases, tossed in from time to time in a Burn Notice-esque
fashion where the characters sometimes shouldn’t help but can’t stop
themselves from doing so, keep it from being boring. Overall, it’s a
pretty engrossing story, several notches above most USA fare, and has
shown clear signs of not sticking to a status quo in the long-term, a
promising sign.
This three-disc DVD release has all
twelve episodes of the first season, as well as deleted scenes, a gag
reel, and a ten-minute featurette on “The Real Graceland.” The latter is
interesting, talking about the process of making the show and how the
actors relate to the true source material. Ten minutes does seem quite
short and the extra doesn’t go very deep, but its the only bonus of note
included.
Graceland – The Complete First Season is available now.
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