SNOWPIERCER Rides Again

Article first published as TV Review: SNOWPIERCER on Seat42F.

This weekend, TNT premieres SNOWPIERCER, a series set on a train that continuously circles the Earth after an apocalyptic event has left the surface so cold that it’s uninhabitable. If the title sounds familiar, it’s because there is already a film and several graphic novels by the same name. However, this a brand-new story that, while taking elements from both page and screen, introduces all-new characters and an all-new train. The books establish there are multiple trains, so this could possibly be a separate one from the films and graphic novels, which were themselves separate, set in the same world. But it isn’t clear if that is so in this version helmed by Graeme Manson (Orphan Black).

I think it’s a good idea to not connect the series too closely to what’s come before it. Doing so would really pin the writers down within the established canon and limit what could be done with it. A television series will run longer and cover much more story than a film or a few books, so it needs freedom. Based on the design alone, which borrows elements from both predecessors, this is clearly a new train. And that gives the production department the ability to really re-think everything, keeping what works, and adding some pleasing new elements, like the Night Car and a seemingly completely fresh take on the engine.

Of course, any story needs strong characters, and SNOWPIERCER is no exception. Viewers are essentially given two individuals to follow. Though, there are plenty of strong supporting cast members, too, including Mike O’Malley (The Good Place), Alison Wright (The Americans), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead), Sheila Vand (24: Legacy), Susan Park (Fargo), and Mickey Sumner (Frances Ha), among others.

At the tail of the train is Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs, Hamilton, Blindspotting). The only homicide detective onboard, he is pulled out of the back to investigate two murders, which happened several years apart. This throws a wrench in what some of his compatriots would like to do to fight back. But for Andre, this is gold because it gives him plenty of opportunity for reconnaissance, as he believes they need more intelligence in order to properly establish a rebellion. Unsurprisingly, Andre is a text-book hero with noble intentions and few serious faults.

Thankfully, SNOWPIERCER is not a murder mystery. That element is there, but it’s far from front-and-center. We’ve got enough other shows that do such a thing, and here it’s only being used as a tool to explore the different classes and examine how the system works. That’s a fine use of the device without letting it take over.

Speaking of the system, the face of Mr. Wilford this time around is the Head of Hospitality, Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind). She keeps everything running smoothly, which is a very complicated job. While those that run the SNOWPIERCER in other adaptations have rarely been fully evil, Melanie is probably the furthest from that portrayed so far. She is genuinely concerned with keeping everyone from dying, and the pressure that puts on her are well-illustrated. The fact that this makes her blind to the plights of the tail humanizes her more than Andre, by giving her legitimate flaws that are understandable, though deeply regrettable, in the circumstances.

SNOWPIERCER is at its best, in any format, when it’s shining a light on our present-day circumstances. The television show does plenty of that, and in a way, it succeeds. Where it falters is the pacing is a little slow. But there’s still enough social commentary and sci-fi to please most would-be viewers, alongside the occasional impressive special effect.

SNOWPIERCER, already renewed for a second season, premieres this Sunday at 9PM ET, and airs weekly on TNT.

No FEUD Over This One

Article first published as FEUD Review on Seat42F.

Ryan Murphy, who has had great success with the anthology series format on FX in American Horror Story and American Crime Story, brings his next show to television tonight in FEUD. The first season is subtitled BETTE AND JOAN, and covers the film the two legendary actresses made together, What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? As you might expect, FEUD is excellent.

Jessica Lange (Big Fish, Horace and Pete) has been Murphy’s muse before, and as a grand lady herself, it makes sense for her to play Joan Crawford, the catalyst that gets the plot moving. Once a big Hollywood star, now a widow who hasn’t worked in awhile, Joan is disappointed by the dearth of strong roles for women of a certain age and sets out to force her own picture through. Latching onto the book What Ever Happened To Baby Jane, she recruits director Robert Aldrich (Alfred Molina, The Normal Heart, Spider-Man 2) and her long-time rival, Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon, Thelma & Louise, The Lovely Bones), to help with her comeback. That’s where this story begins.

I cannot emphasize enough the quality of acting in FEUD. Alongside Molina, we get Judy Davis (Maria Antoinette), Jackie Hoffman (Birdman), Stanley Tucci (Spotlight), Alison Wright (The Americans), Kathy Bates (American Horror Story), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago), Reed Diamond (Underground), Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men), and more. Each delivers a quality, layered performance that greatly enhances the world of the series and puts the audience right into this time and place, both familiar and interesting.

None of these actors compare, though, to our two leads. Sarandon and Lange are masterful here, as they have been so often in the past. These are two ladies who can capture a moment like few others. There’s a bit in the pilot in which Lange, as Crawford, has to act in a scene for the movie, and she is brilliant, highlighting the actress as much as the character.

There’s a certain parallel that cannot be avoided that Sarandon and Lange are women of a certain age, just as Bette and Joan were. The difference here is that they can get good work, as evidenced by both FEUD and all of the other projects they continue to do. The very existence of this show proves how far things have come.

Yet, at the same time, the sexism highlighted in FEUD is still an issue, timely in its expression. While Hollywood may be getting better, there is still a long way to go, and with the current political climate, some of the small-mindedness is currently front and center.

Those themes aside, though, FEUD would stand on its own in any time simply because it involves terrific performers doing impressive things in a highly-stylized, yet crumbling, world. The glamor that everyone wants to pretend is there stands in stark contrast to the reality of pretend that reigns in Los Angeles. FEUD shows us both sides, the charade and what’s behind it, in delightful ways. Far from being fake, the actress’ (and others’) attempts to present their best selves is calculated and says a lot about the authentic personalities behind it, which each shot seemingly carefully constructed for maximum dynamic impact.

I’ve only watched one episode so far, but I can already tell that Ryan Murphy has done it again. Far from complaining about all his varied works on the network, I appreciate that he keeps churning out such good stuff with such a strong cast month after month. We’re in the golden age of television, and FEUD is a worthy example of that era. Expect to see it garner a lot of nominations, and hopefully even wins, come award season.

FEUD: BETTE AND JOAN premieres tonight at 10/9c on FX.

CONFIRMATION Of Belief

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Confirmation' on Blogcritics.

HBO’s recent television movie, Confirmation, will be available on Blu-ray and DVD August 2nd, and has already been released for digital download and streaming. It’s the story of Anita Hill accusing Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his Supreme Court nomination hearing in 1991. Or, it tells a relatively one-sided, focused version of a small part of the story with a clear message and point that the film’s producers are trying to get across.

That may sound like a condemnation of the movie, but it is not. I merely want to state what this is before moving forward to talk about it. It is completely fair for someone to make a movie with a specific purpose in mind; many movies fall into that category. What is unusual is for a piece like this to come out when public opinion is still divided, at a time when our country has rarely been more partisan, with racism having been brought back to the forefront yet again, and many of the players involved are still in positions of power. Confirmation itself is a narrow story, but the issues it brings up are many, varied, and still very relevant.

Played by Scandal‘s Kerry Washington, Anita Hill is a sympathetic woman who did what she had to do in order to pursue a career in her chosen field, but who also has strong principles she cannot ignore when this man she was harassed by is given the chance to join the highest court in the land. She takes a little urging to come forward, but she refuses to lie even before that, and she does believe Clarence Thomas (Wendell Pierce, Treme, The Odd Couple) doesn’t deserve a job on the Supreme Court and should be stopped.

Despite it being clear where the writers think the truth lies, Confirmation does a pretty decent job of showing the different viewpoints various individuals involved have, providing a more complex story than the above description indicates. There are the female staffers like Ricki Seidman (Grace Gummer, Mr. Robot, The Newsroom) and Carolyn Hart (Zoe Lister-Jones, Life in Pieces) who are frustrated at the limitations their bosses follow. There are the white men on the judiciary committee like Joe Biden (Greg Kinnear, Little Miss Sunshine), Ted Kennedy (Treat Williams, Chicago Fire), Jack Danforth (Bill Irwin,Interstellar), Orrin Hatch (Dylan Baker, The Good Wife), and Alan Simpson (Peter McRobbie, Lincoln) whose own actions and political positions color how they see the situation, and whose race and class makes it hard for them to fully understand all sides. We see Thomas’ wife, Ginni (Alison Wright, The Americans), and how she believes what she has to. And there are others, played by the likes of Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family), Jeffrey Wright (Boardwalk Empire), Malcolm Gets (Caroline in the City), Erika Christensen (Parenthood), Kimberly Elise (Close to Home), and Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) that each bring a little something to add to the overall picture, too.

So while the movie itself is, at its core, quite biased, because of a very strong cast and good writing, the characters make the world seem more complex. It isn’t quite as straight forward as it might be. Add to that a very strong message of gender equality, how the race card can be misused, good historical context, and an empowered hero, and the result is something that, while not the most entertaining film made by this network, feels important and engaging. Because of what this movie says about our society, past and present, it is worthy of our attention.

The extras are sadly few and shallow. There are one-minute interviews with Kerry Washington and Wendell Pierce, and a thirteen-minute series of quick bios about each of the major players. That’s it. I really wish some documentary-style featurette were present to talk about the real events and the consequences of them, but that is left to a sequence in the end credits that, while satisfying for the viewing of the feature, is disappointing in fully fleshing out what Confirmation is. What’s missing most is a discussion about the angle that the movie takes and why that choice was made, as well as why other directions were not gone in.

Still, it’s a good film, so check it out. Confirmation can be bought digitally now, and will be out on disc on August 2nd.

THE AMERICANS Season 2 Finale Review

Article originally published as TV Review: 'The Americans' - Season 2 Finale on Blogcritics.

FX’s The Americans has grown  steadily better over its first two seasons. The freshman run introduced us to the players and the situations; in its sophomore outing, the writers not only built upon that base, but added a season-long arc about another family of Russian spies. What happens to that clan directly affects how Phillip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) see the world and their place in it. And now, with “Echo,” the season two finale, the structure is shaken up as our protagonists face their most difficult decision yet, possibly setting the stage to completely change the game.

Phillip and Elizabeth are loyal undercover KGB agents, but viewers are still likely to root for them because we get to know them on a very personal level. We see how they interact with their children, and that influences who they are on the job. The Americans presents a scenario where we understand these people and why they do what they do. It really gets into the heads of its leads.

They also have quite different personalities, despite the common cause. Phillip wavers previously in their mission, wondering if life as true Americans might not be better for their family. Elizabeth is much more the staunch nationalist. They are not tested too hard on these values, though, until “Echo.” Now, the KGB wants to recruit their daughter, Paige (Holly Taylor), something the couple may not be able to control, and they have very different opinions on if this should happen.

Elizabeth’s stance is the harder one to swallow, yet there is sense in it. Paige flounders all year with finding a purpose and wanting to effect change in the world. Elizabeth feels very much the same way, but has her mission to fulfill these needs. She sees a way to connect with her daughter and bring someone she loves and cares deeply about into her life’s work. Who wouldn’t want their kid to follow in their footsteps? Elizabeth has had to keep part of herself hidden and this has hurt her relationship with Paige. Recruiting her might solve that issue, or at least improve the bond. Plus, it will get Paige away from those crazy religious nuts.

Elizabeth also has the backing of her government, whose plan makes sense for them. They need the second-generation spies because the background checks will hold up better than on more recent immigrants. In the eyes of the Russians, no individual is more important than the whole. Elizabeth gets this concept, and applies it to herself. Why not extend that to her daughter?

Phillip, on the other hand, is much more concerned about the risks. Paige is still a child. What the spies do is dangerous, multiple members of their team being killed in the line of duty in “Echo” alone. He has a paternal instinct to protect his daughter at all costs. He even goes so far as to threaten Arkady (Lev Gorn), telling him to leave their daughter alone. Phillip, at this point, is probably considering running, or turning his family into the Americans for witness protection. He is going to do everything he can to keep his daughter out of all of this.

He’s not wrong about the dangers. This year’s story involving Jared (Owen Campbell) and his family, especially the resolution in “Echo,” learning how Jared is the killer, would be scary to anyone. Jared’s group is an illustration why it’s a bad idea to let Paige in, especially as an unstable, unpredictable teenager. Perhaps the KGB should wait until later, though younger minds are more malleable. I don’t know what Paige’s reaction would be to learning the truth now, but it certainly won’t be good.

To make things more complicated for Phillip, Martha (Alison Wright) wants to have a baby with “Clark,” his cover identity. Phillip is already lying to Martha every day; he doesn’t want to have to betray a child. It’s one thing for his own family, but to push that world onto a kid whose mother he is fooling and will one day abandon would be quite damaging. Plus, Phillip doesn’t want to tie himself to Martha any more than he has to as Clark, as he’s just using her for information. The question is, will Phillip’s bosses order him to acquiesce to her demands in order to keep her as a source? And if they do so, will Phillip comply? Elizabeth probably would, were their positions reversed.

Stan’s (Noah Emmerich) loyalties are also questioned in “Echo.” He is faced with a tough choice: saving the life of Nina (Annet Mahendru), the woman he loves, by handing over state secrets, which would threaten national security, or let her die and stay true to his country and his job. He chooses the latter, of course, Stan being a flawed hero, but a hero nonetheless. However, “Echo” shows us the pain this causes him, the waffling he goes through, and how he even mans up to witness Nina’s departure, rather than hiding in shame. He will regret what happens to Nina, who is likely done on this series forever, but he would never be able to sleep again if his actions led to the deaths of countless Americans. He does the right thing but just about anyone’s measure.

It’s this examination of morals and choices that makes The Americans compelling. Any series can present us with characters like these, and many do, but this show finds a way to carve out its niche, showing us something new. It’s slow-paced and dreary, but it’s also engaging and tense. The more I watch, the more I want to watch. Especially if they find a way to keep Claudia (Margo Martindale) involved, as they do this year despite the actress’ other commitments, as her pain in breaking the news to Phillip and Elizabeth about the organization’s intentions for Paige is the best scene in a terrific episode.

The Americans has been renewed and will return to FX next year.

THE AMERICANS Are Our "Comrades"

Article first published as THE AMERICANS Review Season 2 on Seat42F.

Tonight, THE AMERICANS returns to FX for its second season. The premiere, “Comrades,” pretty much picks up where the first year left off, in that all of the larger arcs are still playing out and nothing major has changed. “Comrades” begins with Elizabeth (Keri Russell) coming home, which makes sense to structure the hiatus that way because, without Elizabeth, there is no show.

Many fans are waiting to see how the relationships may or may not heal, and unfortunately, there’s little of that in the premiere, besides a very racy sex scene (by basic cable standards). Elizabeth and Phillip (Matthew Rhys) seem to be in a good place, but there isn’t a real focus on that. Their time spent together is in service to their mission or in front of their kids, so we don’t get a chance to see for sure what kind of footing they are on with each other. Phillip does not get the opportunity to stop and pour his heart out until he gets ‘home’ to his other wife, Martha (Alison Wright).

This worries me about Phillip and Elizabeth’s future. They definitely like each other and are committed to making their lives together work, but now Phillip is bonding with Martha, perhaps unintentionally, and under an assumed name to be sure, but still, he is making an emotional connection, revealing some of himself. As unlikely as the pairing may be, I could see something blooming there if this pattern continues past episode one.

I guess many affairs happen when one spouse doesn’t feel understood or heard by the other, finding solace in someone else. The situation in THE AMERICANS is anything but a traditional tryst, but I can see signs that it may turn into something resembling that. Which makes sense for the characters and provides much better drama. Or maybe I’m reading into something that isn’t actually there in those few small moments. I guess we’ll wait and see.

Interestingly, Stan (Noah Emmerich) thinks he’s having a real affair, hiding out with Nina (Annet Mahendru) instead of staying home and repairing his marriage to Sandra (Susan Misner). Yet, viewers know that Nina is informing on Stan to the KGB, trying to glean his CIA secrets, so she’s using him. So the setup in “Comrades” is that Stan thinks he’s in loving union but isn’t, and Phillip thinks he’s not but may be. This is some pretty interesting writing.

More tantalizing, though, is that realization by Phillip and Elizabeth this week that their job may not be the one they need to be in to protect their family. So far, THE AMERICANS has kept the personal and the spy lives separate for its lead couple, which is how they want it. But events in “Comrades,” from an early accident in the opening scene, to later, more obvious twists, threaten to bring the two worlds together. This would not be good for anyone, and puts their children, Paige (Holly Taylor) and Henry (Keidrich Sellati), in danger.

Will Phillip and Elizabeth continue their lifestyle if their children cannot be safe? I know they are dedicated to the cause and willing to risk their own lives, but they’re also loving parents, and have natural parental instincts. It seems like this has the potential to be a total game-changer, a reason for them to shift position in their work. I don’t know for sure if anything will really come of this, but if nothing else, “Comrades” will get the characters and the audience thinking about the current status quo, and that’s enough for solid TV.

Of course, Paige is still suspicious of her parents, and so may drag them out into the open whether they want to be or not, or force their hands in making an important decision. But this plot is still early in its development, so it’s hard to say where it will go at this point.

And for those of you who watch THE AMERICANS for good, action-oriented spy sequences, there are those, too, in this premiere. Personally, while I like a good scene that can get the adrenaline pumping, I prefer character studies, and appreciate when the excitement is tied into meaning for the person involved, or changes their perspective in some way. This isn’t always the case in this show, but it does a pretty good job of balancing the two components, personal stories and suspenseful spy stuff, and “Comrades” should satisfy both camps.

THE AMERICANS airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.

The Americans Meet "The Colonel"

Article first published as TV Review: The Americans - "The Colonel" on Blogcritics.

FX draws season one of The Americans to a close with "The Colonel." Despite reservations by many involved, the KGB orders the meet with The Colonel (Victor Slezak, Treme) to go forward, feeling the valuable intel they expect him to provide is worth the risk. Of course, this not go smoothly.

The Americans has really crafted an entertaining and complex world in this first season. It's easy to get lost into the cat and mouse spy game of the 1980s in such a richly developed world, and the cast and writers have done an amazing job at making the story accessible. While the season started a bit slow, in my opinion, by this week's finale, I am firmly a fan.


The central question of this episode, rather or not to meet with The Colonel, is an engaging plot. As the viewer, we are kept at much in the dark about The Colonel's sincerity as the characters are. We don't know if they should meet with him, but because every main player is wary, we feel tense at the thought.

Which is why, when The Colonel turns out to be as harmless as the Star Wars program the Russians are seeking information about, it's a great surprise. Spy shows do a good job delivering nasty twists, but to get an unexpected nice reveal is a treat.

Unfortunately, while The Colonel is harmless, the FBI has still set up a sting to catch the KGB agents. It feels weird to be saying 'unfortunately' in that sentence, but The Americans has me rooting for Phillip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell), and as much as I like Stan (Noah Emmerich) on the other side of the equation, I don't want him to catch them. At least not until the story can move in a direction that lets all three work together.

Phillip actually takes the meeting with The Colonel away from Elizabeth to protect her. Ironic that the mission she is left with, picking up the tape, ends up being the dangerous one. They fail to get their objective, but it's likely their objective has been tainted anyway.


More importantly, we get to see Phillip play the hero towards Elizabeth, not just in switching her assignments, but in rushing to her rescue when she gets into trouble. Their sham marriage has been rocky, which is a shame, but it's clear that some affection has grown between the couple in all the years they've been together. Phillip's actions, and Elizabeth's response to them, asking Phillip to move back home, proves this.

Phillip may have a problem repairing his marriage to Elizabeth, though, since he now also has a second union with Martha (Alison Wright). It's part of the job, not cheating, thankfully, but Elizabeth doesn't seem comfortable around Martha, posing as Phillip's sister, even though she herself sleeps with the enemy in service for her country. One wonders if Elizabeth sees Martha as more of a threat because she is such a fixture in Phillip's going-ons. Will Martha be a serious obstacle to Elizabeth's matrimonial bliss?

I don't think it will be long before Stan catches onto his neighbors' secret lives. Not only does he already have suspicions of them prior to "The Colonel," but he is present for what goes down in this season finale, so when Phillip asks him to watch their children when Elizabeth is shot during the chaos, it's likely to rile his instincts even more.


The thing that might delay Stan's investigation is his wife, Sandra (Susan Misner, promoted to main cast for season two). She refuses his offer of a vacation this week. If Stan wants his marriage not to fall apart he may have to concentrate a bit more on his home life, rather than his work. This would be good news for Elizabeth and Phillip.

Stan's life may be complicated even more by Nina (Annet Mahendru), assuming she isn't shipped back to Moscow. She isn't in anyone's good graces, Russian or American, her loyalties torn. She might just disappear between seasons, or she might want revenge on Stan for not helping her get out of the mess with her people. We'll have to wait and see about her.

The more immediate person close to finding out about them is Paige (Holly Taylor), their daughter. However, even after going into the laundry room where her mother has a hidden compartment in the wall, Paige doesn't see anything. She has no reason to think that her parents are Russian spies, so she may stay in the dark. But there's a bit of a fake out this week in regards to her.

I'm anxious to see how the kids will take the news when who their parents are is eventually revealed. They are born and raised in America, taught to hate and distrust the Russians as much as any American kid. Elizabeth, as hard as it might be for her, and less so for Phillip, doesn't correct this view. I wonder if Paige and her brother, Henry (Keidrich Sellati), will be able to support and love their parents, no matter what?


Another nice reveal we get in "The Colonel" is that Claudia, a.k.a. Granny (Margo Martindale), is a good person who cares about her charges. The way she backs up the KGB's orders makes her seem cold and stupid. But in a private moment this week, we see that just because she passes down said orders doesn't mean she agrees with them. She's a soldier who obeys, but when appropriate, questions, authority. We see how much she looks out for Elizabeth and Philip, which should instantly change many opinions about her.

It's too bad she is slated to be transferred as this season comes to a close, at Elizabeth's request. Elizabeth can't be blamed, as Claudia does appear to be unreasonable when relaying orders. But now, having seen who she really is, fans of The Americans likely won't want her to leave. She's become too vital a part of the fabric of the show.

Martindale is in a sitcom pilot, but if we're lucky, it won't get picked up. If that happens, The Americans should sign her as a full-time cast member immediately.

The Americans has been renewed for a second season and will return to FX in 2014.