Joining LODGE 49

Article first published as TV Review: LODGE 49 on Seat42F.

AMC’s newest drama is LODGE 49. Set in a sleepy, eclectic beach town, the show follows several main characters who belong to the titular lodge or are connected to someone that does. The meandering, slow-paced series promises mystery and quirkiness, but takes a long time getting to either. It’s well acted and well directed, but like its leads, also seems to be a little lost.

The primary characters in LODGE 49 seem to be Dud (Wyatt Russell, 22 Jump Street) and Ernie (Brent Jennings, Moneyball), with everyone else, at least initially, revolving around them. Dud is an unemployed surfer dude who can’t surf (because of a lingering injury) who is having trouble clawing his way out of debt and recovering emotionally from his father’s death. Thankfully, his twin sister, Liz (Sonya Cassidy, Humans) seems willing to help.

Ernie also struggles financially, but at least he has steady employment. Well, as steady as working on commission can be. But he’s been around and he knows the players, so as long as he can stay away from gambling, he does OK. Even if the woman he loves, Connie (Linda Emond, Law & Order: SVU), won’t leave her husband, content with just hooking up.

It’s also worth mentioning Blaise (David Pasquesi, Veep), a medical marijuana salesman who bartends at the lodge. Blaise doesn’t necessarily drive the story forward, but is an interesting personality who thankfully has a decent amount of screen time.

Things really get started when Dud finds a ring that leads him to Lodge 49. The place feels familiar to him, and he takes it as a sign that he must get involved. Since membership is loose and easy, Dud has no problem joining Ernie, Connie, Blaise, and others at the hang out. Where it will go from there is anyone’s guess, but there does seem to be an emphasis on the mystical and philosophy, and indications that the lodge might have some secrets to be uncovered.

I like LODGE 49. It’s hard not to. The characters can be frustrating, and are certainly often in frustrating situations themselves, but they’re not bad people. Viewers will want to see them succeed. Some of their problems are relatable and far from easy to solve. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like the show will gloss over those and make salvation easy. There’s a little bit of a hyperreality to the piece that is pleasant. And Dud is basically The Dude, so it’s hard to go wrong there. The cast, while not well known, look familiar and deliver strong performances across the board.

Where I hesitate is the slow pace and lack of revelation. It’s fine to have a mystery, great even, but it needs to be clear things are going somewhere and clues need to keep coming to light. In the first hour, we do get some of Dud’s backstory, which comes later than is ideal, but is still soon enough to be informative. However, the lodge itself is teased out so agonizingly slowly, it just doesn’t look like the audience will get much of anything out of it until late in, not just the season, but the series. To move too quickly could fundamentally change the premise if the twist is big enough, but the longer it’s drawn out, the bigger it needs to be. If it takes too long, it will be extremely hard to get right.

It used to be, quality shows were few and far between on television, so audiences were willing to wait on a series like this and see what the pay off will be. Now, with a huge number of programs competing for attention, and having been burned by shows that teased but didn’t deliver, LODGE 49 seems likely to go into the ‘I’ll get around to it’ pile that most likely won’t actually get around to. Unfortunate, because there is potential here, it just needs to be shown more quickly and more fully.

LODGE 49 airs Mondays on AMC.

VEEP Learns How "D.C." Works

Article first published as VEEP Learns How "D.C." Works on TheTVKing.

HBO's Veep ends its second year with "D.C." Selina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is ready to announce she won't run for re-election with the president in two years, and so lets her staff go. Then, learning the president is resigning, she asks them all back to gear up for her own run, only to have it fall apart as rumors spread around Washington and the president decides to campaign after all. Of course, none of that matters when the president comes to Selina and announces he's done, so she can try for the presidency.

I have a feeling these back and forth types of situations go on all the time in Washington D.C. It's a city of wheeling and dealing, and one where betrayals happen frequently if someone things they can further their own career. With so many power-hungry, ambitious people in one place, there is bound to be lots of drama.

Veep makes these attitudes hilarious somehow. Even as Selina's staff scrambles to find a life raft off of her sinking ship, we root for them. Selina is a mess, as is very clear in almost every scene in which she appears. Because of this, one can understand and sympathize with those wanting to find a more stable environment where they won't constantly be putting out their fires.

Well, it's easy to pull for most of the staff, anyway. Dan (Reid Scott) jumps ship early and with gusto, even sharing a speech he writes for Selina with Chung (Randall Park, Larry Crowne). I don't know if it's because he doesn't have the history working for Selina, and so never seems as loyal as anyone else, or because he shows so few scruples in his interactions, but Dan is the most unforgiveable of the bunch. Unfortunately for him, this gaff either proves the others are rubbing off on him, or he is just as much of a mess as everyone else, and so belongs there.

It's interesting to see the parallels in "D.C" between Selina and Andrew (David Pasquesi, The Mob Doctor) and Amy (Anna Chlumsky) and Ed (Zach Woods, The Office). Amy hates seeing how Andrew affects Selina, and how they use one another. Ed and her aren't quite so passionate, but they do use each other, much as Selina and Andrew do. Perhaps Amy is emulating her boss more than she thinks.

The plot that doesn't really work for me this week is Gary (Tony Hale) being torn between Selina and his girlfriend, Dana (Jessica St. Clair, Best Friends Forever). It not only feels too much like Hale's character from Arrested Development, but also doesn't really fit the persona of Gary, whom we've only seen worship Selina. Perhaps it's believable that he would latch onto someone else, but we didn't see that evolution, and Dana's interest in Gary doesn't come across as realistic.

Overall, though, Veep really works in the most unexpected of ways. Louis-Dreyfus is a comic genius, surrounded by other heavy weights. Each nuance and tick lands, and even the most pathetic becomes funny in their capable hands. It may be the earnestness with which the cast plays, which also includes Matt Walsh, Timothy Simons, and Sufe Bradshaw, commits to every situation and moment, or the level of authenticity they bring to their selfish screw-ups, but there are usually several things to laugh out loud at each and every week.

This has only been helped more by bringing in Kent (Gary Cole) and Ben (Kevin Dunn) this season. Like when Parks and Recreation added Ben and Chris, having two established, talented actors expand the world of the show, as well as compliment the core group in their every scene, only makes the series better. I credit them both for season two being a marked improvement over season one.

I don't know what season three will look like, exactly. We may actually get to see Selina run for office, which will be cool, since Veep begins after she loses the first race. With the set up the series has provided, there are a myriad of directions and possibilities to explore, and each has their advantages.

Whatever the reason, Veep is doing very well, and I can't wait to see it come back next spring for a third go-round.