HOMECOMING Dance

Article first published as TV Review: HOMECOMING on Seat42F.

One might think it would take a unique series to lure Julia Roberts to the small screen. While crossing over from film to television is anything but uncommon these days, there are still some stars that seem too big to make the move. Well, Amazon’s HOMECOMING is definitely unique. And if you’ve forgotten just how good Roberts is, this series will remind you of that.

Roberts stars as Heidi Bergman, an administrator and counselor at Homecoming, a facility to help soldiers reintegrate into society after traumatic active duty. Heidi truly seems to want to help, though she has to balance that desire with the strict, demanding instructions of her boss, Colin Belfast (Bobby Cannavale, Ant-Man). We learn early on that whatever she intends doesn’t pan out, and four years later, she’s working as a waitress. But why? What happened?

HOMECOMING is a twisty, suspenseful tale. Most of the plot is set at the facility in 2018, with the 2022 flashforwards making up only a few minutes of each episode. The tone is that of an old Kubrick or Hitchcock drama, with bizarre directing shots to match. It feels out of time in sort of a semi-reality where you can’t trust anything you see. The paranoia is purposeful and not unique to the viewer, as at least a couple of characters share it, too. The closest thing I can compare it to on the modern landscape is Mr. Robot, which makes sense because it has the same creator, Sam Esmail. The mystery plays out slowly in a way that begs to be binged. Thankfully, Amazon dropped all ten episodes of season one at once (though I’ve only had time to view three so far).

The cast around Roberts is every bit as good as she is, pulling together a remarkable ensemble. Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire) is Thomas Carrasco, the man following up on a complaint about the facility in 2022, and gently nudging the spilling of secrets. Sissy Spacek (Bloodline) is Heidi’s mother, Ellen, who tells her daughter she’s lying to herself. Alex Karpovsky (Girls) is an employee at Homecoming. Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding) is Heidi’s boyfriend in 2018, pushed aside in favor of her work.

Then there are the patients themselves. Stephan James (Selma) plays Walter Cruz, the main patient we see and the subject of Carrasco’s inquiry. Walter seems well-adjusted, like he doesn’t belong in the program, but is happy to go along with things. He gets along well with Heidi, developing a camaraderie that is more intimate than I imagine most doctors and patients share (though completely chaste, at least three installments in).  Their bond is immediate and interesting.

The thing that interrupts Cruz’s peaceful stint is his loyalty to fellow soldier Joseph Shrier (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless). Shrier is suspect of everything Cruz takes for granted, insisting that they aren’t even in Florida. Shrier is painted as the crazy man who is probably right, though only time will tell if he’s close to the truth. More importantly, he complicates Cruz’s tenure and treatment, keeping the story quite colorful.

HOMECOMING is based off of a scripted podcast by Gimlet Media starring Catherine Keener as Heidi. Which may explain why the episodes are less than half an hour each, despite being far more drama than comedy. And it’s probably the best adaptation of a podcast I’ve seen. It takes the best elements of that format, and even without having listened (yet, though I definitely will), I can see what parts have been carried over. However, it isn’t distracting as the show also makes full use of the visual medium, seamlessly blending the two in a beautiful, near-perfect marriage.

(Disclosure: I am the creator / head writer of a long-running, scripted, serialized comedy podcast called It’s All Been Done Radio Hour, so I might be a bit more enamored with the medium than most.)

I love HOMECOMING. I think it’s a stellar effort, well done on every level, and the perfect vehicle for Roberts and the rest of the cast. Check out the whole first season on Amazon Prime streaming video.

Not So PURE GENIUS

Article first published as PURE GENIUS Review on Seat42F.

CBS’s latest drama shows us an idealized world. In PURE GENIUS, a very rich techie creates a hospital with the goal of allowing true, immediate innovation for the doctors who work for him. Or rather, with him, since while he is technically the boss, he strives to create an environment where everyone, from the CEO to the janitor, is on an even playing field and gets a chance to contribute. Will his experiment work? Or will it run up against harsh reality?

For ease of access, the pilot begins with the head of this organization, James Bell (Augustus Prew, The Village), inviting the well-respected, but beaten down, Dr. Walter Wallace (Dermot Mulroney, Shameless, My Best Friend’s Wedding), to come check out the facility. Touring, Dr. Wallace (and the audience) meets the young doc who struggles to be taken seriously, Zoe Brockett (Odette Annable, House), the physician fighting prejudice to help the ‘hood he hails from, Malik Verlaine (Aaron Jennings, Movie 43), the put-upon assistant, Angie Cheng (Brenda Song, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody), and more (Royal Pains’ Reshma Shetty and One Life to Live’s Ward Horton). So we have our diverse ensemble.

I am very torn on whether to give PURE GENIUS a positive or a negative review. This show has things going in its favor, and things working against it. So let’s break it down.

First, the good stuff. The series is enticing. It’s easy to get very excited about the concept, stymied as people are today by regulation, bureaucracy, and budgets. The hospital as presented here is a utopia for its staff, who have been given much freedom and lots of resources to work with, and a beacon of hope for patients. Find something experimental on the internet that no one is making yet? No problem, they’ll just acquire the company and have them work for them.

The stories are moving. Who doesn’t love a bunch of do-gooders devoting their lives to helping others? These people are self-sacrificing, brilliant professionals who, if they were real, could save all of our lives multiple times over before lunch. They celebrate their wins, and mourn their losses. On a show like this, there will be a lot more of the former than the latter, providing frequent emotional victories for both the characters and the viewers. It’s enjoyable, feel-good entertainment.

Now the stuff that’s not so good, starting with the previous positive point. It is emotionally manipulative. Sure, it pushes you to care for those on screen, but it’s often forced, calculated even. A team of number crunchers writing a script purely based on analytics of reaction could not have done a better job crafting a show to push all the right buttons at the right times. It’s too perfect in that regard, obvious in its attempts to elicit response.

PURE GENIUS is also incredibly cliché. From finding out why Bell really created the place, to the way in which patients are helped, to the forced temporary setbacks, it’s a very rote, predictable show. It does a decent-ish job of disguising its case-of-the-week structure with flash, and yet, those versed in modern television will recognize it right away. I wouldn’t expect much freshness out of PURE GENIUS, and we probably won’t get it.

So it’s hard for me to recommend or not recommend this one. I enjoyed the first episode, and am tempted to watch more. But I probably won’t because, in the era of peak TV, there are plenty of better shows out there. I can’t fault anyone who wants to watch this series, though, because I do feel the draw of it. Let’s call it a wash and say if you like medical procedurals, this is a fun one with a nice take, though it’s a bit repetitive in its formula.

PURE GENIUS premieres Thursday, October 29 at 10/9c on CBS.

Still SHAMELESS

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Shameless - The Complete Sixth Season' on Blogcritics.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own.

Showtime’s Shameless begins airing its seventh season at the beginning of October, a quick turn-around for a cable series whose sixth season just ended its run in April. Accordingly, WB has released Shameless – The Complete Sixth Season this week, giving viewers time to catch up on the last twelve episodes if you haven’t gotten around to them yet. Or, if you’ve already seen them, picking up the two-disc set is a convenient way to get a refresher.

As has been the case with past runs of the soapy drama, Shameless‘s sixth year continues the plot threads from the year before. Fiona (Emmy Rossum) is sleeping with Sean (Dermot Mulroney), a relationship that isn’t good for either of them for oh so many reasons. Lip’s (Jeremy Allen White) choice of sexual partners is not any better, given that his lady is both married and his professor. Debbie (Emma Kenney) is trying to hide her pregnancy. Carl’s (Ethan Cutkosky) release from prison is followed by a rough readjustment at home, while Mickey (Noel Fisher) has just landed behind bars. And Frank (William H. Macy) is searching for God, though it seems highly unlikely that this man could ever truly turn over a new leaf, at least not for any real length of time.

All of that is only the beginning. From the neighborhood bar undergoing a shift in its patronage, to the Gallaghers fighting to keep their family home, season six, like past years, has no shortage of drama. Some of it is forced, but most of it doesn’t seem so for the clan that makes a lot of their own trouble. There is as much heart as there is comedy, and the terrific performances keep the show grounded, always stopping just short of being unbelievable. That’s why this is the best series of its type currently running, and I wonder how many years the quality can be sustained at this level. So far, it’s done well.

For me, the hardest thing to get past is the crassness, which, if anything, has only gotten worse in each subsequent season. This is not a family that shies away from cursing and dirty deeds, and they would not feel at home at a cocktail party. Yet, somehow, while that can be a turn-off in certain entertainment, it’s usually fine here. Even when one of the ensemble ventures into polite society, normally Lip, those he encounter have just enough allowance for him or have their own dark, if more cultured, secrets, to keep it all in balance. Tuning in regularly will definitely help viewers not to judge the lower class as strongly, with familiarity and empathy breeding affection and understanding.

I have to say, I am pleased to have Sammi (Emily Bergl) gone this year. As much as I like the actress, I never cared much for her character, and I don’t think her arcs really benefited the others’. The cast has undergone several changes over the years, with only the initially introduced Gallagher family members and neighbors Kevin (Steve Howey) and Veronica (Shanola Hampton) remaining untouched, and while some of them are regrettable (bring back Joan Cusack!), Sammi’s departure, along with her son’s, is a welcome one.

The extras on this set are slight, with only a batch of deleted scenes and two featurettes included. There are a lot of the former, batched with ten of the twelve episodes and spread across both discs, while the latter appear only on disc two. “Shamelessly Shanola” follows the actress around the set for a little under ten minutes, while “Running the Table: A Shameless Conversation” features Macy and Rossum informally grilling two of the show’s producers over a game of pool. Both are delightful and perfectly keeping in tone and style with the series, so I am glad they are included, even as I wish there was a bit more of the same.

Shameless – The Complete Sixth Season is available now and is definitely worth giving a look at.

Enlightened may not be the "Agent of Change" it hopes

Article first published as Enlightened may not be the "Agent of Change" it hopes on TheTVKing.

HBO's Enlightened brings its second season (and possibly series) to an end this week with "Agent of Change." The proverbial crap hits the fan as Jeff's (Dermot Mulroney) article about Abaddon becomes public knowledge. Amy's (Laura Dern) part in it is fully exposed, costing her her job. Before she goes quietly or triumphantly off into the night though, she burns a few more bridges.

Amy is a polarizing character you tend to either love or hate. Despite enjoying the show, I don't like the lead very much. I don't know if this is a testament to Dern for creating such a specific persona, one who is realistic and recognizable, even if not very likeable, or if they series' writers misjudge just how far Amy can be taken. I feel like this is why the show struggles to build a following.

That being said, I do still want Amy to have a happy ending. She is the protagonist, and we've spent enough time watching her. She is a pain and her self-righteousness causes more harm than good. But, at the end of the day, she should still find her niche. "Agent of Change" doesn't get her there, but it does leave her in a place of success, at least on certain fronts.

It's funny when Amy gets a meeting with the head of Abaddon, Charles Szidon (James Rebhorn, White Collar, Homeland). It takes no time at all for Szidon to convince Amy that he's a good guy who's trying his best. His earnestness and apparent sincerity could sway fans of the show, too. Yet, Amy should not be moved, given the evidence she's seen. She should be able to look past his words and remember his crimes, figuring he only offers her the dream job because it makes him look good. The fact that she doesn't, changing her mind at the drop of a hat, exposes the flimsiness and weakness of her personality, a lack of utter conviction about anything.

This wishy-washiness extends to Amy's romantic life, too. She is plenty willing to blow off Levi (Luke Wilson), a man who has gone to great lengths to get his life together for her, and whom she has strung along for awhile, when she is sleeping with Jeff. Yet, when Jeff asks for a break, whose house does she go to for comfort? Yep, Levi's. Her actions are not fair to either man.

I don't believe that Jeff doesn't care for Amy. I'm not convinced he's in love with her, but it does seem like he's asking for the time apart for professional reasons, not because he is using her for information. The glowing way in which he writes about her in his article, as well as his query as to whether she is OK after everything blows up, shows us this. If Enlightened does get a third season, it could be interesting to watch Jeff and Levi fight over Amy, especially when the "winner" who gets her could, in actuality, end up the loser.

The most uncomfortable thing Amy does in "Agent of Change" doesn't come from her guy troubles, or her final showdown with Szidon, where she grows a backbone at last. No, the worst scene is when Amy ruins her fragile relationship with Krista (Sarah Burns). Just when they rebuild a friendship, Amy storms into Krista's hospital room, not long after Krista gives birth, and lobbies angry accusations and profanity against an innocent woman. It's totally in character, but it's exactly why Krista has distanced herself from Amy in the first place. There is most likely no coming back from this for Amy.

The best moment of the episode, in my opinion, is when Dougie (Timm Sharp) tries to help Amy get out of the building with her evidence against Abaddon. He tells her that she's been a terrible employee, but he still wants to hang out with her, and he supports her mission. Friends can be found in the most unlikely of places, and to see them come together is heartwarming.

It's also nice that Amy salvages Tyler's (Mike White) budding arrangement with Eileen (Molly Shannon, Saturday Night Live), and, after kicking her daughter out of her home, Helen (Diane Ladd) finds something to be proud of Amy for. These are the touches that makes Enlightened worth watching, even at its most uncomfortable moments.

What would a third season of Enlightened look like? Obviously, Amy would not be at her job any longer, and that would make it hard to keep all of her co-workers in the cast. Tyler and Dougie, at least, lost their jobs, too, so maybe they would latch on to whatever Amy does next. But Krista would likely be gone, which, while I liked her, would not be a big loss, since her arc comes to a close so neatly this week. And obviously Amy would have another cause to go after in some half-thought out way.

"Agent of Change" is nice because it really brings things to a close in a way that makes sense. There may be some things that end uncomfortably, and plenty of balls left up in the air, but if Enlightened should be done, there is enough finished to not be too disappointing.

Still not Enlightened

This season, HBO's Enlightened is going dark, with Amy (Laura Dern) seeking revenge on her company, hoping to bring them down. Well, she claims in this week's premiere, "The Key," that she is not motivated by any need to get even, but I think that the lady doth protest too much. The question is, will her stated noble reasons to hurt her employer win out, or will her emotional state ruin the mission before it even gets started?

As Amy approaches reporter Jeff Flender (Dermot Mulroney, New Girl, My Best Friend's Wedding) with information she obtained from hacking executive e-mail accounts, she appears confident that she has enough dirt to bring the whole corporation crashing down. While watching, though, there is little suspense. Viewers know that she can't possibly have what she thinks she has, because that's just not the type of person Amy is. She doesn't succeed like this.

The choices Dern makes in playing the character are interesting. She overreacts, and forces drama where there need not be, at least, not as much as she makes present. She has a holier-that-thou attitude, but her flaws are obvious, and constantly on display. She gets completely ahead of herself, such as in "The Key," where she is printing a few e-mails, and already imagining herself as Time's person of the year for being such a great whistle-blower. She thinks she is clever in fooling her boss, but she's not.

We all know someone like her, but they are the person one avoids. Centering an entire series around her is a bold choice.

I admit, it has taken awhile for Enlightened to grow on me, likely for just such reasons. There's plenty of television programs that serve up a delicious anti-hero, but Amy is an annoying and whiny girl, who doesn't easily get audiences to root for her. I feel like this year's mission to actually turn her causes into something worthwhile may be an attempt to connect and build a fan base. It remains to be seen if that will work.

Yet, there is something that has kept me watching all this time. Maybe it's the wonderment that Dern has so fully committed to and fleshed out the character of Amy. Maybe it's the side characters, who get drawn into Amy's plans, and the need to see them make it out of her influence and be OK. I'm not quite sure why, but I do end up enjoying the show.

Sadly, Amy's vendetta has got to have some casualties. Most likely, that will be in the form of Tyler (Mike White), whose password she uses to hack the e-mails, and whom drives her across down to meet with Jeff, but then Amy leaves him in the car. Tyler's a long-suffering sidekick, and while he probably won't be going anywhere on Enlightened, that doesn't mean his character's job isn't in jeopardy.

I am not worried about Jeff. He's a smart, shrewd individual who knows exactly what he is doing. He is willing to work with Amy because he can use her to get the story that he wants, and he's not going to waste time with the drivel that she initially gives him. There may even be a little spark of attraction between them, him seeing something in her that he likes in the way that she is disgusted with her company's terrible, but not illegal, practices.

The question there is, will Levi (Luke Wilson) return home and compete with Jeff for her affections? Levi doesn't appear in "The Key" because the action picks up soon after last year's finale, and he is away at the retreat. Or is he? I'm honestly not sure, because he doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would benefit from Amy's favorite place in the world. However, when he does come back, and if he wants Amy again, there could potentially be some organic competition there. That Amy will most definitely blow way out of proportion.

Enlightened airs Sundays at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first posted on TheTVKing