Meet MARE OF EASTTOWN

 Article first published as MARE OF EASTTOWN Review on Seat42F.

HBO premiered the new seven-part miniseries MARE OF EASTTOWN this week. Set in a fictional small Pennsylvanian town, the show follows a young grandmother who is the local detective. Unfortunately, she’s made no progress on a missing girl’s case for a year, and the residents are losing faith in her abilities to keep them safe. When a body is found, the protagonist faces angry neighbors, an unappreciative family, and a thankless job with her usual cynicism and rugged determination.

Kate Winslet (Mildred Pierce, Revolutionary Road) stars in MARE OF EASTTOWN as Mare Sheehan, the aforementioned detective. Mare is no-nonsense and no-fluff, barely taking time to eat something, forget healthy, and with questionable hygiene. She has a difficult life, housing four generations under her roof, including her mother, Helen (Jean Smart, Watchmen, Legion), who seems to prefer Mare’s ex-husband, Frank (David Denman, The Office), to her daughter. Mare’s teen offspring, Siobhan (Angourie Rice, Spider-Man: Far From Home), is typically moody, and Mare also has her dead son’s baby. So even without the failed investigation hanging over her head, Mare has plenty on her plate.

Winslet is excellent in MARE OF EASTTOWN, of course, and one would expect no less. She also makes strong acting choices, so it isn’t a surprise that the series is very well-made and specific. It’s extremely grounded, one of the more realistic cop shows I’ve seen, and the cast is all-around great. Even Winslet’s strange “Delco” accent works in context, only coming out here and there.

One wonders why Mare has such a challenging life. In high school, she was “Miss Lady Hawk Herself,” the title of episode one, a popular athlete. But she seems to have peaked then, and having stayed local, she wears the old title around her as heavily as any of her other burdens. Being reminded of the event in episode one doesn’t help her mood, which appears to be sour at the best of times, even though her chosen profession and full house indicates she cares more than she lets on.

Besides the amazing Smart, there are some other supporting players to note. It’s bittersweet to see Phyllis Somerville (The Big C, Stoker) pop up among the neighbors after her passing last year. She plays a bit different of a role than most I’m familiar with from her, and her presence is certainly a draw. Guy Pearce, Winslet’s love interest in Mildred Pierce, is also present as Mare’s sexual hookup in MARE OF EASTTOWN. Theirs is an odd chemistry, but it works. Evan Peters (WandaVision) doesn’t make an appearance in the premiere, but is set to star in the series, as well, playing a detective brought in from the outside to help Mare, which I’m sure she won’t appreciate at all.

The girl whose body is found is a focus of a lot of the first hour. We see her situation before she ends up dead, painting a picture of who she is and shining light on a few suspects. This is a good way to round out the crime, making Mare’s investigation mean something to the viewers, who already care about the deceased.

MARE OF EASTTOWN is super grounded, gritty, and slow. It is the definition of prestige drama with none of the prestige in the setting or characters’ lives, as the town and people are pretty run-down. It’s definitely awards bait, so if you want to be ready for the Emmys and Golden Globes, you’ll want to make sure you tune in. But it’s also pretty entertaining, too, if for no other reason than to watch some actors at the height of their game doing what they do best.

MARE OF EASTTOWN airs Sundays on HBO.

OUTCAST For Not Liking This Show?

Article first published as OUTCAST Review on Seat42F.

Robert Kirkman has already proven he is a master of morally ambiguous horror storytelling with The Walking Dead, my hands-down favorite currently running television series (despite the fact that I hate zombies). Now, his second comic series reaches the screen with OUTCAST, premiering this Friday on Cinemax.

Cinemax is where HBO sends their more gruesome and gratuitous-violence-driven action series, so going in, one expects a more jarring experience than AMC manages to do with The Walking Dead. That expectation is met early on, and repeatedly throughout the first hour. There is bug eating and child punching and ooze spewing and all sorts of others things that make the series uncomfortable to watch.

But there are also really good characters, first and foremost Kyle Barnes (Patrick Fugit, Almost Famous, Full Circle). Kyle was abused as a child and has been plagued by literal demons ever since. They destroyed his mother (Julia Crockett, The Absence) and his marriage, leading him to seek a hermitic existence in a dilapidated house, fine with everyone believing he hurt his daughter (Chandler Head, A Walk in the Woods). After all, that’s preferable to dealing with a reality in which supernatural forces seem to be out to get him, right?

Kyle isn’t as alone as he’d like to be (assuming he really wants to be as alone as he proports). His sister, Megan (Wrenn Schmidt, Person of Interest), brings him groceries and attempts to engage him, even as her husband, Mark (David Denman, The Office), doesn’t trust Kyle around his niece (Callie Brook McClincy, The Originals) because of what Mark believes Kyle did. A neighbor, Norville (Willie C. Carpenter, Devious Maids), offers Kyle food and the use of his car. Reverend Anderson (Philip Glenister, Ashes to Ashes) wants Kyle to help him exorcise demons, knowing Kyle is good at it for some reason.

Will Kyle come out of his self-imposed isolation? He has that option, as police chief Giles (Reg E. Cathey, House of Cards) seems content to let Kyle work with Anderson, even when that takes Kyle into the houses of local children. Though, it’s unknown if Kyle’s ex-wife, Allison (Kate Lyn Sheil, House of Cards), would consider taking him back, or even if Kyle is the one who is staying away, and I do feel like Kyle isn’t going to be happy without his family, no matter how much evil he defeats.

Basically, this is a show about a huge war between our lowly hero, Kyle Barnes, and some pretty powerful forces of darkness that have taken an interest in him.

Even with all that, though, this show isn’t for me. I thought long and hard about why I won’t be watching OUTCAST past episode one. After all, while I admittedly hate zombies and do not watch zombie movies, I love The Walking Dead. I don’t like demons and possessions, either, and avoid those films, but unlike with Kirkman’s previous work, I’m not able to overcome the grossness inherent in the genre to enjoy the story. Why?

It’s not the performances, but it could be the writing. While there is something relatable in The Walking Dead, it’s lacking in OUTCAST. You may never want to go through what the characters in the zombie apocalypse go through, but you can relate to them and understand their quandary. To me, though, I don’t find that same connection to Patrick. His worldview is just too far removed. It’s hard to say why exactly that is, but I just can’t get into this show.

If, however, unlike me, you enjoy The Exorcist, this is a deeper, more complex take on a similar story, with a lot more going on, and every bit as much gross stuff as that popular movie. OUTCAST premieres this Friday, June 3^rd, on Cinemax.

The Traffic Light is Green

      I don't know why I liked FOX's new sitcom Traffic Light so much. It wasn't particularly groundbreaking or original, the cast isn't packed with actors I already love, and it's a sitcom on FOX, a network not particularly known for their half hour situation comedy, all of which are strikes against it. Yet, first with Raising Hope, and now with Traffic Light, FOX is venturing successfully into sitcom territory. I guess the biggest draws of TL are that the characters are authentic and relatable, and the jokes are still funny. Which is really all you can ask for in a sitcom.

     The premise is three couples (well, two couples, and one perpetually single guy) are at different stages of their lives, a theme this year, as we've so recently seen on ABC's Better With You and NBC's Perfect Couples. CBS: your turn, but do it with older people. Then CW can do one with teens! Just kidding. Please don't. For some reason, though, all three series have staked their own territory, and can comfortably coexist. That's quite a feat.

     Traffic Light's central cast are represented by the three colors on a traffic light, as shown explicitly near the end of "Pilot", in case you didn't get the subtle reference. Red light Mike (David Denman, The Office) and Lisa (Liza Lapira, Dollhouse, NCIS) have been married for six years, but Mike would rather hide down the block in his car watching a movie then go home and help his wife with their child. Yellow light Adam (Nelson Franklin, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) has just moved in with Callie (Aya Cash), and both are sneaking around for time away from each other. Green light Ethan (Kris Marshall, My Family, Love Actually) is happy to womanize, though a misunderstanding with Callie in the pilot sends his recent ex, Sherry (Mercedes Masöhn) back into his arms. Masöhn is not listed among the main cast, so we'll see how long she lasts. My guess? One more week, tops.

     That character description did reveal the weakness of the show, that makes it seem dated and not so well written, when examined too closely. Mike, Adam, and Callie all are willing to lie and trick their partners in order to get alone time. This is not the basis of a healthy relationship! Callie's lie was mostly done off screen, so what is shown is three male friends who think it's a total drag to be around controlling, nagging women. As a happily married man, I'm against this image, though I didn't even notice it until my wife pointed it out. Which is why the series has gotten away with it thus far. However, should it continue a couple of seasons, it's an element that needs to be toned down or abandoned. 

     Women-hating aside, I was amused for most of the half hour, though I can't remember many specific jokes. It's the heart that allows Traffic Light to be enjoyable. Lisa overlooks Mike's flaws, as she genuinely loves him. Mike puts Adam above Lisa as he dresses in a clown getup to help save Adam's job, so there is real affection between friends, too. Mostly, it's these personal connections that make the show. Which led to the unexpectedly sad twist in the final moments, which I won't spoil, that elevated the show from pretty good to a much higher, solid good.

     Based on the mostly positive reviews I've been seeing, I'm guessing that the decent pilot won't even be as good as coming weeks. Traffic Light airs Tuesday nights at 9:30 p.m. on FOX.

Article first published as TV Review: The Traffic Light is Green on Blogcritics.

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