MARVEL'S CLOAK & DAGGER

Article first published as TV Review: CLOAK & DAGGER on Seat42F.

Marvel’s newest drama, airing now on Freeform, is CLOAK & DAGGER. Even if you’re familiar with the comic book version (or, more accurately, versions) of the characters, there are some differences in this incarnation, as is customary with each new Marvel venture. The central dynamic is intact, though, as two individuals develop powers that associate with light and dark. When they combine them, they are more powerful. Just don’t ask how.

As the television show begins, Tandy Bowen is a young girl interested in ballet. Riding with her father one night, their vehicle goes off a bridge. He perishes, but she is hit with a powerful energy wave. At the same time, young Tyrone Johnson watches his brother gunned down by police for a crime he didn’t commit. Diving into the water after his sibling’s body, Tyrone is hit with the same energy wave at the same time.

Jump to years later, Tandy (now played by Olivia Holt, I Didn’t Do It) is a teenage criminal. Living in an abandoned church because she doesn’t get along with her drug-addicted mother, Tandy, with the help of her boyfriend, robs rich people. Tyrone (Aubrey Joseph, The Night Of) seems to have things a bit better, going to a private school and playing basketball. But he’s haunted by his loss and obsessed with revenge against the cop who got away with the murder. When Tandy and Tyrone bump into one another, though, their powers are activated and things begin to change.

One would expect CLOAK & DAGGER’s protagonists to be adolescents, given the target audience and peer programming on Freeform, so that choice makes sense. The show is definitely geared towards that demographic, with romance being soap opera-ed as many a teen drama does, and high school junk crowding into daily activities. Superpowers and some actual issues, drugs and violence, deepen the concept a bit. But at the end of the day, the program embraces more tropes of the genre than it rejects.

This isn’t as much of a detriment as the pacing, though. After a really exciting pilot, the next two hours (I screened both parts of the premiere and this week’s upcoming episode) plod along very slowly, keeping the characters apart as much as possible. Even after they interact, their connection and powers aren’t clear, and CLOAK & DAGGER is more interested in exploring backstory and personal relationships than fleshing them out.

Normally, I would applaud a series who cares about the personalities more than the problems the characters face. Yet, in a show such as this, the premise needs to come along with it, and it doesn’t. Many more questions are posed than answered, but rather than presenting intriguing mysteries that will be solved, the plot seems to gloss over key elements. Presumably some of these things will have to come out as the series goes on, but viewers will be left scratching their heads about the rules of the world they’re watching and unsure as to why they’re being kept in the dark about them. Also, there’s no clear bad guy or shady organization to focus on.

Add to that the CLOAK & DAGGER is created by Joe Pokaski, one of the man responsible for the meandering and disappointing NBC series Heroes, which suffered and never recovered from some of the same shortfalls, and it’s hard to have faith that it will be worth watching.

Both Joseph and Holt seem talented and charming, right for the roles. Their mothers are played by Gloria Reuben (ER) and Andrea Roth (Rescue Me) respectively, and both actresses add a great deal to the story. However, I don’t think even the magnetism of these four will be enough to save a show that is close to being good, but not quite hitting the mark,

MARVEL’S CLOAK & DAGGER airs Thursdays on Freeform.

CONDOR Takes Flight

Article first published as TV Review: CONDOR on Seat42F.

I’m not a big fan of military or spy thrillers. I like some OK, especially if they incorporate comedy or psychological aspects into them, but in general, they’re not really my cup of tea. So when I saw just a bit about CONDOR, a new drama on the Audience Network for AT&T and DirecTV subscribers, I can’t say I was all that enticed by it

As I sat down to watch the show, it started out as a series that backed up my negative impression. There’s a murder in the desert, followed by the introduction of a strong, somewhat silent, lonely, muscular leading man. It begins to look like a bunch of other shows that did fine during their runs, but weren’t all that gripping, in my opinion.

But as the first hour unfolded, slowly CONDOR began to get under my skin. Joe Turner (Max Irons, The White Queen), despite looking like a boring leading man and being frustratingly unforthcoming with a girl he’s interested in, has layers. He struggles with morality and the part he plays in a deadly program based on predictive models, not evidence. He’s at odds with the CIA, who use his work. While parts of him are very formulaic, there’s also a charisma about him that is compelling.

Then the supporting cast took shape. Kristoffer Polaha (Life Unexpected) as Joe’s friend Sam Barber? Yes, please! Kristen Hager (Being Human) as Sam’s feisty wife, Mae? Even better. Brendan Fraser (The Mummy), who hasn’t been seen in a long time, as a bad guy? All right, I’m on board. Bob Balaban (Capote, The Monuments Men) and William Hurt (Humans, Avengers: Infinity War)? Now we’ve got some gravitas going on.

At last, the story begins picking up. I’m not saying it should have jumped into the action sooner; no, CONDOR does a terrific job of slowly unspooling things you need to know before it gets intense. Early parts of the episode are interesting, but much more so as the later scenes unfold. By the time we reach the climax of the pilot, I’m already very into it, and as the closing credits roll, I’m disappointed to find I don’t have a second episode.

What is it about CONDOR that makes it worth watching? Well, it certainly poses some big questions that are worth asking and evade easy answers. If you suspected, without a shred of proof, that someone would hurt lots of people, should you take them out? Are a few mistakes of this nature worth it when balanced against the tens of thousands or more you might save when you get the right person? This is definitely relevant today, as it has been throughout human history, and will be for the foreseeable future. Only now, we actually have to look at such a question in more than a hypothetical manner.

It also just feels authentic. From the beautiful DC setting, to the dynamics of the characters, to the subtlety present in almost every scene, there’s a real, fully-formed element to the production. It’s well acted, well written, and the pacing is perfect. I really didn’t find much to nitpick, other than where it falls into stereotypes, which thankfully it doesn’t do too often.

I don’t want to gush too much. It hasn’t cracked my Top 10 list of must-see shows, and it’s hard to imagine how CONDOR could sustain and repeat the shock value of its pilot. But there are some very strong pieces making up the whole, and it’s an excellent first episode, so I would recommend watching it.

CONDOR airs Wednesday evenings on Audience Network, and the pilot can currently be viewed for free on the network’s website.

Going to DIETLAND

Article first published as TV Review: DIETLAND on Seat42F.

 

Erin Darke as Leeta, Julianna Margulies as Kitty, Ricardo Davila as Eladio, Will Seefried as Ben, Robin Weigert as Verena, Tramell Tillman as Steven, Rowena King as Cheryl, Adam Rothenberg as Dominic, Joy Nash as Plum Kettle, Tamara Tunie as Julia – Dietland _ Season 1, Gallery – Photo Credit: Erik Madigan Heck/AMC

AMC’s news drama, DIETLAND, feels like a bit of a departure for the network. While they have done shows that border on the fantastical, the tone of this one is silly, and yet deeply dark. It revolves around several different women, including some involved in a cult-like conspiracy, as they maneuver the modern world and current political climate post-#MeToo. There’s also a mystery unfolding in which men who have been cruel to women keep winding up missing and often dead.

Joy Nash (Stallions de Amor) stars as Plum Kettle, a ghost writer who handles the Ask the Editor questions for Daisy Chain magazine, a lifestyle advice rag. Underpaid, underused, and underappreciated, Plum is weighed down with the depressing material of others’ letters, while struggling with her body size and lack of romantic life. Plum is intelligent, an excellent baker (a skill she tries to ignore), and determined to improve herself, having no patience for the ‘fat is beautiful’ set. She is also ripe to picked up by a group of women trying to fight back against the current system.

This conspiratorial group, hidden within the walls of Daisy Chain, is led by sweet-yet-tyrannical Julia (Tamara Tunie, Law & Order: SVU). Working right behind the back of the editor herself, Kitty Montgomery (Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife), Julia uses Leeta (Erin Darke, Good Girls Revolt) to gather intel on targets, which she then might send to Verena (Robin Weigert, Big Little Lies), the daughter of the founder of an extreme weigh loss program built on lies. Plum becomes their latest target, though it’s not immediately clear why exactly (although multiple explanations are presented to viewers), or how many others might have been singled out before her. What is shown is that the operation seems professional and wide-reaching.

The mystery of the shadowy group, mixed with an Ugly Betty-like office, makes for an interesting setting. However, Plum often works from home, so other scenes take place at her residence, her weight loss support group, a doctor’s office, and a café run by her best friend, Steven (Tramell Tillman). It’s a wide-spread number of locations for a sprawling narrative, which, although entangled within itself, feels very far spread.

I mentioned the tone being silly earlier, and yes, there’s a layer of odd comedy over the whole thing. Plum begins hallucinating. It’s unclear what exactly causes the hallucinations. Could it be stress? Withdrawal from a medication? Maybe there’s something in the makeup Julia gives her? These visions match the crazy theme song of the show, but while they are unfolding in-story, they aren’t explained.

There’s also a possible love interest / danger for Plum in Detective Dominic O’Shea (Adam Rothenberg, Ripper Street), who may want to date Plum, but may just be using her to look into a hack at Daisy Chain. With Dominic and reporter Cheryl Crane-Murphy (Rowena King, Shut Eye) among the leads, there’s definitely more dominos to fall as secrets come out.

What DIETLAND has going for it, besides being created by the talented Marti Noxon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, UnREAL), is a timely message and a lot of mystery. There are compelling characters, a fleshed-out world, a seemingly intricately plotted story, and a delightful tone.

What works against it is that it is very dense and a lot of questions go unanswered, likely for the foreseeable future. Some of the best television mysterious unfold a clue at a time, whereas DIETLAND just drops you into a puzzle that reveals pieces all around, without context. It can be overwhelming and messy, and that will likely make it difficult to access for some viewers.

I, however, like it, and plan to watch more. DIETLAND airs Mondays on AMC.

Meet PATRICK MELROSE

Article first published as TV Review: PATRICK MELROSE on Seat42F.

Showtime has adapted the five PATRICK MELROSE novels by Edward St. Aubyn into a five-episode miniseries currently airing. Each book gets an hour to unfold, with a different chapter in the life of the titular character presented. Plagued by childhood trauma, addicted to drugs to help cope with his past, Patrick is anything but healthy. But at least he realizes that he’s in a negative cycle and would like to break free. Will he be able to?

Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Doctor Strange) is excellent as Patrick. The actor has some experience playing eccentric, substance-abusing men, and only gets better with each iteration. He captures the subtlety of the emotional journey, and somehow keeps Patrick somewhat sympathetic, even in his darkest moments. This is important when the central protagonist is not very likeable, as Patrick isn’t from the moment we meet him. It’s a case study of a broken man, and Cumberbatch exceeds expectations.

Despite Cumberbatch’s work, though, PATRICK MELROSE is still hard to watch. It is hard to see someone you care about, as viewers are apt to care for Patrick, wrestle with their demons. It’s difficult to see a battle being fought and lost. It’s even more wrenching when one knows Patrick’s problems stem from things that are not his fault, and you desperately want him to be able to claw his way out of the hole, even knowing there is nothing you can do to help. It’s easy to identify with the supportive characters in the series. Except when it isn’t because of the circumstances Patrick lives in.

It’s interesting that PATRICK MELROSE reverses the order of the first two books in the series. Part two, “Never Mind,” is an origin story of sorts, taking place when Patrick is just a boy (played by newcomer Sebastian Maltz). With Cumberbatch’s version in the throes of withdrawal, flashing back to his childhood, the installment mainly shows us Eleanor (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Atypical) and David Melrose (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix), and how they fail as parents at every opportunity. It provides much-needed insight, mostly missing from the first part, “Bad News.” The omission means it takes awhile to really root for Patrick. And while the boy isn’t immediately recognizable as the adult, given a pattern of behavior merely glimpsed in this one weekend, it’s clear how he could eventually become so.

There are questions raised here on nature versus nurture. How much of who Patrick turned out to be is the fault of Eleanor and David? How much is he responsible for his own actions, now that he is out of their home and his own man? At some point, personal responsibility must kick in, but the man is operating at such a deficit that it’s hard to fault him for much of what he does, especially when we only see him hurting himself, not putting anyone else in danger. Not yet, anyway.

It’s sort of a problem that Patrick is rich. Without money, he could not afford to behave as he does. He’d be penniless, on the streets, begging for his next fix. Arguably, a poor Patrick would be a more important and common story. Instead, this Patrick lives relatively free of consequences. This gives him the space and opportunity to figure himself out, a luxury most people would not have. But it’s also possible such a tale wouldn’t play out under other circumstances, with an earlier, more tragic ending. Many viewers may have to confront a bias against such a person to try to appreciate the story.

The first hour of PATRICK MELROSE is hard to get through without having the understanding of the second, though it makes sense to get Cumberbatch out in front at the start of the miniseries. Still, even as the backstory is revealed, and amid terrific performances, the miniseries is a hard one to sit through. Patrick isn’t a character most people will relate to, and as sympathetic as his upbringing makes him, his wealth is almost used as an excuse, at least by the character. Bad behavior unchecked is also depressing. Whether it will be worth it in the end remains to be seen.

PATRICK MELROSE is currently airing Saturday nights on Showtime.