Spectrum's TEMPLE

 Article first published as TV Review: TEMPLE on Seat42F.

Spectrum Originals will soon present the drama series TEMPLE. The show centers around a doctor who creates a secret underground clinic to try to find a cure for his dying wife, and ends up treating criminals and others who don’t want to deal with the healthcare system. It’s a story steeped in mystery and told out of order, so it takes awhile (beyond the pilot) for it to become clear what is going on. And that mystery seems to be the point, as more time is spent wondering what has happened than enjoying what is happening, at least in the first couple of episodes.

Mark Strong (Low Winter Sun, Zero Dark Thirty) stars as Dr. Daniel Milton, and he’s a compelling lead. Obviously strong and masculine, he is able to handle the more emotional scenes with aplomb. He creates a fully realized, complex protagonist who is full of grief and love, and makes bad choices – some really bad – as a consequence. Daniel doesn’t seem certain where his line of morality is when questioned, and that is all part of the turmoil he’s portraying.

Strong is supported by a capable ensemble cast, including Daniel Mays (Good Omens) as Lee Simmons, his assistant on the project. I would really like to know why Lee is there, but that’s not made clear in the first two hours. The female characters are used a little less effectively, with Catherine McCormack’s (Lights Out) shown mostly in how her illness motivates her husband, Daniel, and Anna Willems (Carice van Houten, Game of Thrones) also relating almost exclusively to Daniel. To be clear, they seem like they’re individualistic women with careers and lives of their own outside of him, but that isn’t what TEMPLE is showing. Which sort of makes sense, given the story is Daniel’s, but is also regrettable to those who want to see more from them.

There’s also a subplot that adds action to the piece when a young father-to-be (Tobi King Bakare, Cursed) is shot during a bank robbery and brought to Daniel’s clinic for help. But I’m not sure what that has to do with anything else in TEMPLE, at least not yet.

Which honestly is the frustrating thing about TEMPLE. I like the characters, I like the production, I like the design. But I don’t know what’s going on. And unlike those supernatural mysteries, like Lost, that beg to be explored, the mysteries in this series don’t seem as deep. It’s more like information is withheld for shock factor, but not necessarily to make the story better. Though, I’ve only viewed two of eight episodes, so I can’t say for sure that the payoff isn’t worth it. It was renewed for a second series, so there may be a solid ending.

What is just as confusing is what Spectrum is doing with ‘Spectrum Originals.’ These are their exclusive shows just for Spectrum subscribers. But they only had one series last year, and now this, which is a British import, not truly an original. Sure, they control the only American access to it, but so what? It’s not like this is a huge hit people are clamoring to get at. New episodes of Mad About You are coming to the service later this year, and that might be a bigger draw. But it’s hard to see that and this being enough to actually drive anyone to subscribe to Spectrum.

So what we’re left with is a confusing show on a confusing service, and honestly, I don’t really think it’s worth looking into any further. Though if you already have Spectrum, it may be worth a watch for anyone who likes gritty British dramas.

TEMPLE premieres October 26th only on Spectrum (in the United States).

Tenant is DES

 Article first published as TV Review: DES on Seat42F.

Sundance Now is streaming a three-part drama beginning this week entitled DES. Based on the true story of a Scottish serial killer arrested in 1983, the story starts at the arrest. Thus, rather than having a mystery that needs to be solved by skillful detectives, it’s a character study of a killer who has been caught, and indeed, seems to want to have been caught and surprised it has taken so long. Although he has been practicing his murderous craft for some time.

David Tennant (Doctor Who, Good Omens) stars as Dennis Nilsen, who insists people call him DES. Tennant has been lauded for many previous roles, including a good many dark villains. None of the praise for him has been overblown; he’s a very talented performer. Yet, in DES, he seems to have found something new to do, which is hard to imagine if you haven’t seen it. Des is such a specific and unique character, at least the way Tennant plays him, that he comes across as completely harmless and even polite, including when he’s confessing to the homicides. The shock on other characters’ faces as he unspools what he remembers will be matched only by the audience watching. He’s an enigma that is hard to figure out, which is part of the draw.

There are two other central characters, besides Des himself, in the show. DCI Peter Jay (Daniel Mays, White Lines, Good Omens) is the one who seems to be in charge of Des’ case, even while the higher ups get involved. A little bit of Peter’s personal life is revealed in the first hour before things really get going, though I’m not sure how that’s really relevant, given that Peter is then just shown doing his job. The other, Brian Masters (Jason Watkins, The Crown, Being Human), is an author, and a bit more of his personality is shown. This feels more necessary, as Brian will eventually write a book about Des on which DES is based, and it is nice to know what his motivations and mindset may be when he agrees to the project to inform on the show itself.

With this trio, the acting in DES is superb. Every scene drips with delicious tension, and it’s easy to be drawn into the story. Which is quite a feat when you consider not much really happens. The action part of the plot occurs off screen, prior to the miniseries, so this is all character-based. Thankfully, it’s as riveting as you could hope for, in a terrifically understated way, and the fact that the story is actually true almost feels more like icing on the cake than the point of it.

There are a hell of a lot of crime shows these days, and this is far from the only true one. Yet, I feel like DES is more worth it than most, and a great piece of programming. It is actually the ninth in a series of such programs produced by ITV, with a tenth one on the way. I haven’t watched the others, but after viewing this, I am anxious to check them out.

The three-hour running time doesn’t hurt, either. I’ve only watched the first, and it seems to me right now that three hours feels short. Yet, when these things are stretched to eight or ten (or more) hours, they often drag a bit in the middle, so by keeping it so limited, DES is sure not to overstay its welcome. It’s essentially film-length.

Sundance Now is offered as a stand-alone service where you can view DES and other programming on the network. Or you can subscribe via Prime Channels on Amazon. So there are a couple different ways to view it, though I don’t see DES available for stand-alone purchase in the United States on either streaming or discs at the moment, so you’ve got to go through Sundance Now.

DES airs Thursdays for the next couple of weeks on Sundance Now.

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Searches For Hope in the Future

 Article first published as TV Review: STAR TREK: DISCOVERY SEASON 3 on Seat42F.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers from the Season 3 premiere.

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY returned today on CBS All Access for a third round. Picking up right where the previous season ended, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) has successfully traveled 930 years into the future in her Red Angel suit. Unfortunately, the U.S.S. Discovery is not right behind her as she thought it would be. Now, she must travel an almost unrecognizable galaxy to find them again.

The episode, entitled “That Hope Is You, Part 1,” is essentially a two-person story. As Michael emerges from the wormhole, she smacks into a small spaceship owned by a man named Book (David Ajala, Supergirl), and they both crash on the planet below. Book is on a mission, which Michael has disrupted and does not figure into. She tries to endear herself to him so that he may help her, while he focuses on what he needs to get done. The story is of them coming to learn about and trust one another.

A lot of this STAR TREK: DISCOVERY premiere feels like Star Wars to me, and that’s not such a good thing. There are broad, alien landscapes (beautiful as they may be), strange creatures, lots of aliens, a vast, futuristic station that we only glimpse a small part of, and an extended chase-and-shoot season in which the bad guys can’t manage to seriously hit our heroes no matter how close they are and how many times they fire. Book is a trader who deals with shady people and seems pretty selfish himself. It’s much more action than most Trek, and appears to be lack the depth one expects from the scifi franchise.

But bit by bit, the Trek elements creep in. The aliens running things are Orions and Andorians, and we see Tellarites and Lurians in the background. These are familiar touch-points in a sea of less familiar races. We also begin to hear things about this future, mainly that a huge, catastrophic event called The Burn wiped out much of Starfleet and the Federation has largely disappeared. So we can start to see why the galaxy looks the way it does. Then, of course, there’s the big Book twist where we learn that he’s basically Newt Scarmander, and things immediately lighten up.

The pinnacle of the episode is when Michael and Book go to a Starfleet base where they meet Aditya Sahil (Adil Hussain, Life of Pi), a man glimpsed briefly at the start of the episode, who runs the empty station on behalf of Starfleet, but has never been commissioned an officer in the service. This man believes as deeply in the mission of the United Federation of Planets as Michael does, and he is the kindred beacon in the darkness. Never mind the lingering question as to why he has been left alone by the less savory aliens that are nearby. This scene is when the episode finally reveals itself to be fully Trek and gives viewers hope for the rest of the season.

There’s a lot about the STAR TREK: DISCOVERY premiere I didn’t like. The things I mention above, along with the total absence of the rest of the Discovery crew, whom I miss and desperately want to see again. Michael is not my favorite character on the show, and as soon as I realized this hour would be all about her, I groaned. Though, I admit, this was a solid episode for her and Martin-Green gave a great performance.

Yet, the genuine excitement sparked at the end almost made the whole thing worth it. There’s a cool mystery here, and a new mission. STAR TREK: DISCOVERY was a prequel to other Star Trek, and now with a goal of rebuilding the broken Federation, it’s almost a prequel set in the future as to how Starfleet came to be. This is a cool twist, maintaining a key element the show had before the jump, and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season plays out. As long as the rest of the crew gets here soon.

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY releases new episodes every Thursday, only on CBS All Access.

What Is COBRA?

 Article first published as TV Review: COBRA on Seat42F.

This week, PBS premiered the British drama COBRA. It’s basically a disaster film, spread out into a six-hour miniseries. In it, the government of the United Kingdom has to deal with a major crisis that leaves much of the country without electricity. This, of course, sparks many smaller crises, fire after fire that must be put out. Without having seen the whole thing yet, I can’t say for sure everything will work out, But yeah, the heroes portrayed will probably save the day for the vast majority of their citizens.

The term COBRA refers to Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms, and I have no idea where the A comes from, other than possibly to make it easier to say out loud. The acronym is far from the only detail that may confuse American audiences that are not familiar with the differing structures, positions, and power sharing present in the ruling body of our neighbors across the pond. While there are some interesting tidbits that provide a small bit of education, COBRA doesn’t take a lot of time to explain itself, assuming its audience already knows these things. So I recommend not spending too much time trying to figure it out and just focus on the characters in the story.

Two protagonists seem to be most central to COBRA. Anna Marshall (Victoria Hamilton) is the more compelling of the two. As Chief of Staff to Downing Street, she is a capable advisor who can put aside her personal issues and focus on the tasks at hand. While she is not liked by everyone, especially Archie Glover-Morgan (David Haig, Penny Dreadful), the Home Secretary, the disagreements with her seem based on political beliefs, rather than anything wrong with her. I look to her to set the path forward as the government deals with the disaster.

Alternately, Prime Minister Robert Sutherland (Robert Carlyle) seems ineffectual and weak. He is new to the job, but that doesn’t necessarily excuse his behavior. It is acceptable for a country’s leader to doubt themselves and to seek advice from the rest of the governing body; laudable, even. However, when those doubts are shown so openly, it causes others to doubt if he is up to the task at hand, or not, and it seriously undermines the credibility he has. He does not seem poised to come out of this on top and keep his position.

I find the switch in both actors from previously known roles quite intriguing. Carlyle was very powerful as Rumpelstiltskin / Mr. Gold in ABC’s Once Upon a Time, while Hamilton played a less vocal Queen Mother in The Crown on Netflix. That shows that they are making conscious acting choices, even at the times when their characters’ range of expression comes across as limited.

Unfortunately, those performances, interesting as they may be in the context of a career, don’t necessarily prove to be magnetic here. Nor does the way everything unfolds in the first hour of COBRA. There’s a plane crash teased at the very beginning, but while that is the biggest action sequence so far, it’s hard to care all that much about it. Instead, the personal drama is more on the forefront, and isn’t as compelling as in many other drama series.

I personally find things to like about COBRA that will probably keep me watching. Most notably, the performances of two actors I enjoy and learning about the British government, as you may have surmised from my discussion of both above. However, as a disaster series, I do find it slow moving and far less enticing than I would expect from the genre. That may be fine for PBS, but is unlikely to attract a larger audience beyond the network’s typical viewership.

COBRA is currently airing Sundays on PBS in the United States.

THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND Is Dead On Arrival

 Article first published as TV Review: THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND on Seat42F.

Last night, THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND, the third series in the franchise, premiered on AMC. It follows four teenagers in an Omaha college campus-dwelling community beginning about ten years after the zombie apocalypse began. These four are dissatisfied with the Civic Republic Military, an organization that seems to run wide swaths, if not the entire, former United States and travels in helicopters. This group has been glimpsed in The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, but now takes center stage as the teens seek to rescue the father of two of their group from the CRM.

THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND seems to be an attempt to set a teen drama in this universe. The relationships and dynamics at the center of the show feel more like a typical young adult work than the deeper, more complex series that spawned it. None of the four lead performers are very recognizable, and at least one of them is just a downright terrible actor. Which immediately lowers the quality of the production.

Iris (Aliyah Royale, The Red Line) is the do-gooder who seeks to be a leader in the community. Her sister, Hope (Alexa Mansour, Unfriended: Dark Web), is the opposite, a troublemaker who acts out. Both have experienced a lot of pain, and are hiding it from one another, refusing to engage in any serious manner. They miss their father, who is a brilliant scientist and leader on loan to the CRM. Things come to a head when a CRM general, Elizabeth (Julia Ormond, Witches of East End), arrives in Omaha, while at the same time, their father sends a message that he is in danger.

So the girls, of course, decide to set off on their own to rescue dear old dad. They are joined by two of their misfit peers, Elton (Nicolas Cantu, The Amazing World of Gumball) and Silas (Hal Cumpston, Bilched), one of whom shares a secret history with the sisters. And the four are pursued by their guardian, Felix (Nico Tortorella, Younger), and his fellow guard Huck (Annet Mahendru, The Americans), who want to make sure they stay safe.

THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND is not without its high points. There are some moving scenes, such as when Iris speaks to a counselor pal of hers, or when Felix and Huck learn the girls are gone. The adult performers are, by and large, good, and so are a couple of the kids.

But besides inexperienced performers, the main problem THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND seems to be dealing with is its half-hearted attempt to stick to the format they’re pushing. I complained about the young adult conceit early on, despite liking a good many shows in the genre, because this one seems to be picking some of the worst tropes of genre. Perhaps if the story committed to it, they could make it better.

The most interesting aspect of THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND is the CRM and whatever they’re up to. Elizabeth herself does some puzzling things in the pilot, and there is a lot of mystery surrounding the group from appearances elsewhere. This seems like a much better foundation to build a show on, and in fact, appears much better developed than the central premise.

Fear the Walking Dead didn’t start out all that great, but it grew into a more-than-worthwhile show. As such, I’m inclined to give THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND a chance to be something more than the first episode indicates it is. But they really need to lock down what they are and replace a few of the characters (primarily Iris) for the series to be something worthy of the franchise.

THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND airs Sundays at 10PM on AMC.

What Is THE COMEY RULE?

 Article first published as TV Review: THE COMEY RULE on Seat42F.

Showtime presented a two-part miniseries this week entitled THE COMEY RULE. Based on the book A Higher Loyalty by James Comey himself, it tells the former F.B.I. director’s version of events during the 2016 presidential election and the period immediately following. It is a biased account, to be sure, and it’s unlikely the majority of Republican voters will give it a chance to tell Comey’s side of the story. But that’s part of the point, and there’s a cautionary tale here worth listening to.

Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom) stars as James Comey, which immediately lends gravitas to the official, probably more than he deserves. Comey’s perspective throughout is that he must stay morally pure and apolitical, even as his agency is forced to wade into politics, first with the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, and then with Donald Trump’s connections to Russia. Throughout, Comey is faced with impossible decisions about what to reveal and to whom, and he stays steady, following his own judgment and code of justice. Viewers will feel his pain and root for him, despite knowing the fate that awaits.

Now, even in THE COMEY RULE, there are plenty of people who disagree with Comey at nearly every step. His wife, Patrice (Jennifer Ehle, The Looming Tower), wants him to help Hillary, as do his four daughters. (His two sons never appear nor garner a mention.) His employees, who genuinely seem to respect and care about him, also argue some of the decisions he makes. The whole miniseries is couched in Rod Rosenstein (Scoot McNairy, Halt and Catch Fire) lamenting to a subordinate that Comey didn’t have to shoot himself in the foot.

However, THE COMEY RULE asserts that Comey is right and the rest are wrong. It talks about Comey’s arrogance, but in Daniels’ performance, it feels more like heroism than ego. There is one protagonist, and this series paints him in an almost saintly light.

That isn’t the only skewed point of view. Attorney General Loretta Lynch (Michael Hyatt, Snowfall) and most of the Department of Justice are seen as ineffectual and weak, at best, incompetent at worse. On Comey’s staff, we see Peter Strzok (Steven Pasquale, Rescue Me) and Lisa Page (Oona Chaplin, Game of Thrones) sleep together (well, no sex scenes, though there’s enough to make it obvious), but none of the scandal that resulted from their relationship is shown. This doesn’t feel fair and balanced, nor very realistic to the actual events.

Of course, Donald Trump (Brendan Gleeson, Mr. Mercedes) and his henchmen come across as villainous. But honestly, how could any sane or reasonable telling of events show them any other way? That’s not a political statement, that’s just fact, given the actions taken and the words spoken, many of which have been collaborated in real life or seen in full public view. Nor does THE COMEY RULE make any excuses for them.

There is a message worth hearing in THE COMEY RULE, though, and that’s that institutions and what is right alone cannot protect us. Not now; not with the current administration. One can quibble over if Comey should have said anything about Hillary’s emails or revealed the F.B.I. was looking into connections between Trump and Russia, and those are worthwhile debates to have. But at the end of the day, Comey thought that acting in good faith and relying on the system and norms would save him, and not only was he wrong, but all of us have been living with the consequences of it. That isn’t an assertion that Comey should have or could have spared us from a Trump presidency, but more a lesson to anyone that thinks the same way he does.

November is right around the corner, and I’m glad THE COMEY RULE aired now. Even if it will only be watched by liberals (and the smart Republicans that have defected), as well that small number of independents, it’s important to hear. We can’t afford to let this go on, and Trump must be stopped. Which cannot be done without overwhelming support rising up to stop him.

The miniseries may be somewhat mediocre, despite fantastic performances by far more fine performers than those listed above. But the message is anything but.

Watch THE COMEY RULE now wherever you stream Showtime programming.