FAKING IT "Burnt" Finale

Article first published as TV Review: 'Faking It' - 'Burnt Toast' on Blogcritics.

I’ve been really excited about MTV’s Faking It these past couple of months. It has all the heart and authenticity that Awkward. used to have before losing its creator couple, with an interesting, fresh story. Going into the season finale, “Burnt Toast” starts to drop the ball just a bit. There are still some terrific, heart-warming moments, but a few things feel forced, and the cliffhangers come across as staged. Could this be a minor misstep in a promising freshman series, already renewed for a second season? Or does it signal that Faking It doesn’t have what it takes to make the long haul, a nifty concept with no follow through?

For those not familiar with the story, Faking It finds two best friends, Karma (Katie Stevens) and Amy (Rita Volk), posing as a lesbian couple to help build their popularity at school. But then Karma falls for Liam (Gregg Sulkin), and in order to  hook up with a guy she likes and who is finally noticing her, she starts to strain her real friendship with Amy. This is particularly rough on Amy because she has discovered that she really is gay and has romantic feelings for Karma. What a mess!

In the finale, Amy comes clean to Karma, not so intentionally, in the toast she makes at her mother’s wedding. Karma obviously doesn’t return the feelings, but tries to handle it gracefully, not being weirded out, but unable to give Amy what she wants. This might work out OK if Shane (Michael J. Willett) didn’t build up Amy’s hopes so far before the truth is discussed, meaning Amy actually thinks Karma is going to be receptive to her, and she’s deeply hurt when Karma isn’t.

While not everyone has gone through this exact same thing, many viewers should be able to relate to the hurt feelings Amy harbors. But one cannot blame Shane for giving advice based on Amy’s description of her interactions with Karma, clearly seen through rose-colored glasses. Most people know what it’s like to get excited and then be disappointed. It’s part of life and it’s part of growing up. Faking It handles these emotions very well, the young actress expressing authentic pain, and the misunderstandings coming about in a genuine way,

Then, however, Amy sleeps with Liam. This, I do not get. Liam is upset that Karma is lying to him from the start and Amy feels dejected. However, Amy doesn’t like men. Yes, there is definitely room for bi-sexuality in the world, but Amy exhibits no symptoms of such leanings before “Burnt Toast,” so her sudden interest comes out of nowhere. Perhaps one can forgive teenagers for acting against their own interests in a moment of pure negative emotions, but the ending still bothers me because it just doesn’t fit.

It’s also awful how Shane easily agrees to celibacy to be with Pablo (Anthony G. Palacios). Shane is a horn dog, clear and simple, and while he does believe in love, he wouldn’t want to give up the physical side of a relationship so easily. Should Shane wrestle with the decision, that could make sense, but he jumps right in with no worries about being able to live up to his promise. This is more character inconsistency, and that’s what Faking It needs to be careful of going forward.

Still, usually the characters on this show are very well-defined, and there is some fantastic chemistry. Whether its the buddy relationship of Shane and Liam, or the way Amy pines and doesn’t want to admit she’s pining, there’s some better-than-decent writing and acting going on, especially with a young, mostly untested cast. Even when Karma gets narcissistic, there’s still a general style and tone that makes her sympathetic, a normal boy-crazy teenager with a good head on her shoulders who will come around.

Saving the half hour is the giant crack in Lauren’s (Bailey Buntain) shell. Dumped by her boyfriend, she tries to commiserate with new step-sister Amy. Buntain plays the part in such a way that it’s obvious there’s more there than just a mean girl, even if that’s mostly the purpose Lauren serves so far. Offering the olive branch now is perfect for Lauren; they are at a wedding, she’s feeling dejected and without friends in her new town. Of course she chooses now to reach out. It’s a shame Amy, while not batting her away, doesn’t reciprocate.

Faking It is pretty steady for most of its freshman run, so it could be that the writers just slip up a little in trying to build a memorable season finale. Hopefully, it will reign itself back in next year and live up to what it should be, a half hour that’s more drama than comedy, but with a light, amusing charm. I don’t champion many series on MTV, but overall, this one is proving itself worth the watch. If you haven’t been following Faking It, check it out before season two begins.

PETALS ON THE WIND Review

Article first published as PETALS ON THE WIND Review on Seat42F.

This weekend, Lifetime presents PETALS ON THE WIND, a television movie that serves as a sequel to last year’s Flowers in the Attic. It’s been ten years and the Dollanganger children are still trying to escape the secrets of their past. Their family is full of horrors that they haven’t shaken themselves of yet, and as the tale unfolds, they are drawn deeper into the web of incest and betrayal.

Each of the three surviving siblings have a large role to play in PETALS ON THE WIND, weaving three separate stories, even though they remain close, having been taken in by a kindly old man who has passed away as the film begins. Their current stories are built off of what came before, personalities shaped by neglect, abuse, and imprisonment, damaged people who will probably never be whole again.

All three kids have been recast, which makes sense, given their age differences in the two productions, while the adult actors reprise their roles. It’s a little weird at first to adjust, as there are very few through lines between the two, making the characters seem like completely different people. Then again, kids change a lot from teenagers into their twenties or childhood to teens, so I guess it makes sense that the newbies only bear a passing resemblance to the old.

The story this time around doesn’t feel as intense or moving as the first movie. I think a lot of this is because of the sprawling setting. In Flowers in the Attic, the children are confined to one place, with tension building over time. This is effective storytelling, and that element is now removed, the Dollangangers going out into the world. As such, I don’t feel that PETALS ON THE WIND is as effective as its predecessor.

That being said, there is a continued theme of being trapped. While no longer physically imprisoned, none of the three has been able to find their freedom. They are hemmed in, emotionally, sexually, and morally, by their mother, Corrine (Heather Graham), and grandmother, Olivia (Ellen Burstyn), even if they don’t see them. In this, there is a continuation of arrested development that is intriguing, even if the overall presentation is more melodramatic and less compelling.

Near the start, Cathy (Rose McIver, Once Upon a Time, Masters of Sex) moves to New York with new beau Julian Marquet (Will Kemp) to become a professional ballerina, only to find a life much departed from young girls’ fantasies of such. Of course, she keeps being drawn back to her siblings and her home. Cathy is the one most like Corrine and Olivia, I believe, which will be seen as the story plays out. It is up to the individual viewer to judge whether she is applying the harsh life lessons she learned justly or continuing a cycle of cruelty. I believe there is a case to be made for both.

Meanwhile, Christopher (Wyatt Nash, Hollywood Heights) is finishing medical school. His boss, Dr. Reeves (Nick Searcy, Justified), has a daughter, Sarah (Whitney Hoy, The Final), who is quite taken with Christopher, a good looking, intelligent young man. In the Reeves family, Christopher has the chance to leave his past behind and build a normal existence, with a respectable wife and kids. Can he get over his illicit feelings for Cathy and do it?

Then there’s Carrie (Bailey Buntain, a veteran of Bunheads, though she doesn’t play the dancer in this one), who was too young for personality in Flowers in the Attic, but is now being tormented at high school and feeling left out of her older siblings’ bond. She is desperate for attention from just about anyone, including her mother, and yet, her thread is the least developed of the three, sadly, as there is something interesting going on here.

I do feel like PETALS ON THE WIND needs more time to really get its message across. The pacing zooms through two years and it bounces between the three characters, never serving any of them enough to make it seem like there’s much depth. We see their actions, but missing are the scenes of self-doubt and struggling with damaged minds. This story has great potential, and perhaps should have been a two-night miniseries, rather than a quick TV movie.

It’s also regrettable that we get so much less of Graham and Burstyn this time. Burstyn, in particular, is a great actress, and while she does a lot with the little she’s given, she doesn’t really have her own plot in the sequel. With limited time, it makes sense to focus on the next generation, but I’d really like to see more of Corrine’s continued struggle against Olivia, as well as the chasm between the two women because of their shared misdeeds.

Overall, PETALS ON THE WIND is enjoyable, a bit better than most of what I’ve seen from Lifetime, but several steps below its potential. I don’t know if the network plans to continue making the other three books in the series, but I kind of hope so, provided they take steps to better care for the material the next time around.

PETALS ON THE WIND airs Monday at 9 p. m. ET on Lifetime.

MTV Series Not FAKING IT

Article first published as TV Review: 'Faking It' - Series Premiere on Blogcritics.

MTV’s newest scripted series is Faking It, airing after the once-great Awkward. Faking It is the story of two best friends who are mistaken for being a lesbian couple. Half of the pair, starving for attention, decides this could be their ticket to popularity, and leaps at the chance to continue the charade. The other is less enthusiastic, but since her pal really wants her to do this, she reluctantly agrees, perhaps hoping for something more to develop.

Tonally, Faking It matches Awkward. pretty well. Both are set in a high school, and feature misfits who want to be well known, but only for good things. There’s a bully and a love interest, as well as well-meaning, but somewhat clueless, parents. There’s also a hint of a cartoonishness in both series, more comedy than drama.

When Awkward. was at its height, the characters were sharp and well-developed. Faking It struggles with this depth and authenticity out of the gate. The school itself is ridiculously unrealistic, a place in Texas where the weird and special are actually respected and revered. What kind of place would the jocks be looked down upon and beauty is ignored? It just doesn’t gel with the real world, and hurts the overall effect of the piece, even when the narration acknowledges the oddity.

Faking It hinges on its main cast, and across the board, while not quite hitting all the right notes yet, they are pretty good. Katie Stevens (American Idol) is sympathetic as Karma, the exuberant half of the couple, wanting attention, but without being so self-involved as to turn viewers off. Greg Sulkin (Wizards of Waverly Place) is serviceable as Karma’s crush, an artistic soul that takes people as they are and is honest. Sometimes he may not be the most thoughtful person, but he isn’t a hater. Bailey Buntain (Bunheads) is terrific as mean girl Lauren, struggling with her own issues which color her better than the stereotype she could be.

And then there’s Rita Volk (The Hungover Games) who is fantastically memorable Amy. Amy is Karma’s better half, but throughout the first episode, it’s quite clear that Amy is dealing with serious internal conflict. At first, one might think Volk is an inconsistent performer, not sure quite which direction to take Amy in. As the story unfolds, however, it becomes apparent there’s something more at play. Amy is actually gay and in love with Karma.

Without this twist (which Volk telegraphs just the right amount), I don’t think Faking It works. And without as earnest a player as Volk, showing us the pain and angst in Amy’s face, it becomes standard drivel. Because these elements are arranged correctly, though, what viewers get is someone who is trying to find her self, further confused by attention she’s getting from a friend who is out of sync with her needs and emotions. Toss in the fact that Lauren’s mother is marrying Amy’s father, and there is drama to be mined in this sitcom, but not the forced kind, and while there are only nuggets of greatness in the pilot, this series could go somewhere.

I also adore Michael J. Willett (United States of Tara) as Shane. He jumps to the wrong conclusion about Amy and Karma, revealing a bit of narcissism as he sees what he wants to see in others, rather than the truth, but he’s also incredibly kind to the pair. He may have some selfish interests, but those aren’t his only motivating factors. His flaws can be chalked up to naivety and brashness of youth, not ruining the draw he has as the all-important catalyst.

Faking It does not have me hooked yet. But there are enough goodies tucked away to bring me back for another outing. Who knows? It might even replace the now-tarnished Awkward. as the sole reason to keep MTV in my channel list.

Faking It airs Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET on MTV.

"You Wanna See Something?" Watch Bunheads

Grade: 88%
 
ABC Family's Gilmore Girls 2: Bunheads returns to complete its freshman season this week with "You Wanna See Something?" It's the end of the summer, many months after the Nutcracker disaster, and no one is having a good time. Michelle (Sutton Foster) is hiding out in Henderson, Nevada, dancing for a ridiculous magician (yet another Gilmore Girls alum, Michael De Luise). Sasha (Julia Goldani Telles) is hiding out to avoid going home. Boo (Kaitlyn Jenkins) is caring for her pregnant, bed-ridden mother (Jennifer Hasty), while Melanie (Emma Dumont) cares for her very old, sick grandfather. Ginny (Bailey Butain) tries to sell a run down house, and Fanny (Kelly Bishop) lets her own home become rundown. It's a miserable way to start a (mid-)season.

What's more, this isn't a situation easily resolved. Things have been allowed to deteriorate to the point where they cannot be repaired in an early-episode montage. Instead, the suffering drags out for almost the entire hour, with each character forced to take stock in themselves. Well, some do, others just accept their depression, assuming they can do nothing about it. This is what sets the main players, like Boo and Fanny, apart from the supporting ones, like Melanie and Ginny.

The key to everyone's happiness is bringing Michelle back. She may have only lived in Paradise a short time, but she brings a brilliant, chaotic energy with her that enthuses everyone else. It may seem like she is rubbing them the wrong way, but keeps things interesting, and provides drive to move forward. Take away such a spark where it has already been burning, and it leaves a smoldering ruin behind.

Fanny is the first to realize this, but it is not something she comes to on her own. Annoyed with Truly (Stacey Oristano), whose attempts to cheer Fanny take "quirky" to the extreme (which is very amusing for television viewers), she turns to DVDs lying around. Some reveal Michelle at her best, teaching the young dancers in Fanny's school. One is Michelle's wedding, with Hubell (Alan Ruck) explaining to the camera exactly what he sees in his bride.

Bunheads benefits from as much Hubell as it can manage to realistically include. For a man who died in the very first episode, he has appeared quite a few times, and each number among the best moments of the show. This is one of those times. I don't know whether Fanny goes to get Michelle because she sees Michelle's worth, or out of affection for Hubell, or both (probably both), but the end result is the same: Fanny gives Michelle the kick in the pants she needs to get out of her funk.

And funk is the right word for what Michelle is in. Crashing at Talia's (Angelina McCoy), drinking her wine, eating her food, and generally getting in the way for Talia's senior citizen lover. Her job is the absolute worst, where they won't even give her the dignity of firing her. Instead, her attitude loses her the "perk" of holding a bird. This is probably the worst we have ever seen Michelle.

Yet, Michelle hesitates to go back. Why? Yes, the town might be an uncomfortable place to be after she maces a bunch of children, but surely putting up with some mutterings can't be any worse than where she is now. At least she has her own place in Paradise, and a job that she enjoys. Her hesitation is purely a pride thing. Thank goodness she manages to get over that.

I did not care for the viral video itself in this episode, but what a great way to use it, making light of a situation that needed to be made light of, and giving Fanny an outlet to show off her sense of humor!

"You Wanna See Something" is a good episode. It takes most of the main people far enough out of their comfort zone to be interesting, but gives enough teases of normalcy to not only show that life goes on, but reminds us of the Bunheads of last summer. On a series like this, it's hard to ever have a status quo, as the serialized story telling keeps people changing and moving. However, this will stand out as an episode apart, and a good way to bridge the disaster of the previous episode onto the future of the season.

Bunheads airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on ABCFamily.

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Article first posted on TheTVKing

Bunheads takes a bow

ABC Family's Bunheads completes its summer run with "A Nutcracker in Paradise." While things were looking up for most of the characters going into the week, this episode ends in disaster. Michelle (Sutton Foster) not only manages to run off Fanny's (Kelly Bishop) beau, but also mace the entire dance company in the middle of a performance of The Nutcracker. Not even a stunt straight out of Dead Poets Society can save her job now!

By the way, are we expected to believe a bunch of teenage girls, especially ones obsessed with dance who have little time for films, are familiar with that movie?

Michelle and Fanny's relationship is the best part of the show. Despite everything that has happened, there is no way that these ladies are done with each other. There might need to be a cooling off period, for sure. But Fanny likes having Michelle around, no matter how grumpy she may act towards the younger woman. And Michelle likes having purpose in the small town, and seems drawn to the dance studio. While she resists settling down, considering returning to performance, this is where she belongs. It won't be easy, but they will make up.

Bunheads does something extremely interesting near the end of "A Nutcracker in Paradise." Hubbell (Alan Ruck) appears to Michelle in a dream, and they talk about her life, and ruminate on if she would have stayed had he not died. Hubbell tells her that this is where she belongs. Michelle resists. It's an inner war that she's been struggling with all season, and while viewers already knew this, it's cool to see it brought to life in such a way. Plus, any return of Ruck is welcome.

Each of the teen dancers featured on Bunheads have come into their own as the season unfolds. Boo (Kaitlyn Jenkins) gets over her shyness and insecurity and lands herself a boyfriend. Ginny (Bailey Buntain) breaks out of her own comfort zone with her long-time steady, realizing that she needs to experience life and try dating other boys. And Melanie (Emma Dumont) accepts her friends for who they are, even as they move on with their interests in guys, which she doesn't seem to quite share yet. These are all normal teenage things.

But Sasha (Julia Goldani Telles) has the biggest journey. Frustrated with a terrible home life, she acts out in self-destructive ways. It isn't until Michelle sits her down and helps her get her head on straight that Sasha can return to her friends and the dancing she is so good at. Her life isn't solved now, and her problems won't get any easier. But she's in a good place as the season comes to an end.

It's understandable that Sasha stands up for Michelle in "A Nutcracker in Paradise," given how Michelle directly helps her, but why do the rest of the girls go along with it? Michelle has drifted into their scenes from time to time and solved a few problems. However, Bunheads has not shown her get too involved in the kids' lives, nor demonstrate a real passion for teaching them. Are they loyal to her because kids tend to be loyal to the adults that just happen to be around? Or should there have been more scenes with Michelle earning this kind of response? Or maybe they were all just following Sasha's lead? That is a debatable question, and the only semi-weak point in the episode.

Bunheads is charming, and with the music and dialogue, as well as the colorful townspeople and quirky jokes (like the unnamed 'ringer' in this episode), it really does feel like a somewhat continuation of Gilmore Girls. For this reason, it would be a crying shame to see it go away. A second half of the season has recently been picked up for winter, rumored to be about eight additional episodes. This isn't a terrible, but it's not a great sign, either, and the show probably needs more viewers if it's going to continue long-term. If you know a Gilmore Girls fan that isn't watching it, please let them know about Bunheads! I know it's on ABC Family, not a popular network among women past the age of eighteen, but they could expand the fan base enough to keep it running. It's very enjoyable, and it deserves to go on.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com! Article first published on TheTVKing

Bunheads, a.k.a. Gilmore Girls 2

Did you ever have a really bad day, and then doing something reckless out of exhaustion, frustration, and possibly under the influence of alcohol? That is exactly the premise that Bunheads begins with. Michelle Simms (Broadway star Sutton Foster) is a Vegas showgirl who has given up on her more ambitious dreams. Failing yet another audition, she accepts the kindness of a dorky man who has long admired her (Alan Ruck, Spin City, Persons Unknown). Which leads to her marrying the guy, and moving in with him and his mother in a sleepy town. Yes, this sounds like the mistake to end all mistakes. But from the mind of Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls, it is simply the beginning of another quirky, fun series.

It's a bold move to kill off the husband at the end of episode one. It would have been nice to see Michelle with her groom for a bit, and Ruck is a wonderful actor. On the other hand, Michelle didn't love him, and even if they were both OK with that for now, that is a status quo that would not have lingered very long. If Ruck's character hadn't died, Michelle would be back on her way to Vegas soon, or would have had to fall in love with him, which didn't seem a likely scenario, especially not in the short term.

So, instead, Bunheads will be about two women brought together by their connection to a man, and how they move on without him, helping each other in unexpected ways. The second woman in this duo is Fanny Flowers (Kelly Bishop, Gilmore Girls), who is Michelle's mother-in-law. Michelle and Fanny quickly discover that, despite a rocky introduction, they have a lot in common. Their bickering is reminiscent of Bishop's previous character's mother-daughter relationship, and remembering that, it's hard not to see warmness present under the surface. These two gals will find their way, probably learning to rely more on each other than either would like to believe right now.

Michelle and Funny have a mission: to turn a young group of girls into fine dancers. This group is less developed in the first episode than the older women, but the basics are there, and surely they will be a large part of the show going forward. Sasha (Julia Goldani Telles) has all of the talent, but none of the desire. Boo (Kaitlyn Jenkins) is the exact opposite, desperately wanting her dream, but lacking in coordination. Melanie (Emma Dumont) just wants to have fun, while Ginny (Bailey Buntain) worries she doesn't have the right build to be a ballerina. Surely, they will all grow and become fantastic. The fun isn't in knowing the outcome, but instead, enjoying their witty dialogue and slow growth. With a cast this good, it should be thoroughly entertaining.

Like Gilmore Girls, Bunheads is set in a sleepy little town, which will likely provide much of the show's charm, as well as a sizable supporting cast of oddballs. In the pilot, viewers are introduced to Truly Stone (Stacey Oristano, Friday Night Lights), a dressmaker and clothing store owner who is in love with Michelle's husband. If the other, soon to be introduced, players are half as interesting as she is, Bunheads has it made.

Yes, it does feel a little bit like Emily Gilmore took over Miss Patty's life on Gilmore Girls and gained a new, unwanted replacement for her daughter, who has the same smart mouth and lack of style. Fanny's dance studio even looks like Miss Patty's! When will Kurt wander in? But for fans of GG, what's so wrong with that? This will definitely fill a void for those missing the show, and it looks like Bunheads is made with the same high quality, and just as much warmth. For that, I am most grateful.

Plus, being on cable, it might get a little more love than network TV would show it. Watch Bunheads Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC Family.

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