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.

Political Animals need not be caged

The season finale of USA's limited series event, Political Animals, aired this week. The title of the episode is "Resignation Day." But to whom does this refer? Is it Elaine's (Sigourney Weaver) last day as Secretary of State, having promised President Garcetti (Adrian Pasdar) that she would step down? Or will Douglas (James Wolk) be the one quitting, having leaked sensitive information that will make him untrustworthy, and thus unemployable, in his chosen field? Or perhaps Susan (Carla Gugino) will be forced to leave the paper, having crossed more than one line in the pursuit of a story?

Thankfully, although a second season had yet to be ordered, none of these come to pass, so all of the characters can stay around and relevant. A shocking tragedy resets everyone's priorities, ending several arcs succinctly, and kicking off a couple of new possibilities for the future. Should another go-round be ordered, there is plenty more story to ell, and given the tease at the end, with Elaine smiling at Bud's (Ciarán Hinds) insistence she run for president herself, the writers already have some ideas mapped out.

Let's back up a second. As Political Animals' freshman run plays out, Elaine considers taking on Garcetti, worried he isn't sticking to his guns the way he should be. But Garcetti comes 'round when Elaine calls him on the carpet, and ends up offering her the Vice President position in his challenge for a second term. However, before she can make the decision about whether to accept, Garcetti is seemingly killed in a plane crash, and sleazy V.P. Fred Collier (Dylan Baker) is put in charge instead, necessitating Elaine's own run, rather than leave a cad like Collier in power.

Had Garcetti survived, and as his body had not been found yet, he still could be alive, Elaine would surely have stood by him. Political Animals has done a good job making politics neither black nor white, and at the end of the day, Garcetti was the man Elaine hoped he would be. Yet, Collier is much more a villain, providing a delicious antagonist for season two, which points to Garcetti most likely being deceased. After all, the more drama a series can muster up, the better, right? Though a last minute reveal of finding Garcetti alive after Elaine and Collier battle it out, while stretching reality to the breaking point, could be even juicier.

Thankfully, Political Animals does not thrive on unnecessary drama, delivering a good story without venturing too far into that television trope of forcing antagonism. Yes, Douglas does cheat on Anne (Brittany Ishibashi) with Susan, but that's the only real misstep I can find in this first batch of episodes. There is upheaval and scandal, to be sure, but it almost always stops before going too far, keeping true to the characters, as they have been established.

One moment from "Resignation Day" really stands out, and crystallizes something this show does very well. Susan tells Douglas that, despite cheating on his fiance and betraying his mother, he is still a good guy. And somehow, as hard as it is to accept on paper, she's right! Not only that, but after writing Bud off as a womanizer who can't keep his mouth shut, Political Animals goes out of its way to prove he also loves his (ex-, for now) wife, and has willingly sacrificed himself for her career. This is the mark of a compelling character, who, likes the others on this show, lives in the fuzzy gray world of reality, rather than being shelved as either hero or villain. Very cool.

Another sweet point in "Resignation Day" is when Elaine tells Susan the truth of the whole power struggle. The friendship between these women is a real highlight of Political Animals, and what keeps the political world from coming across as too slimy. Providing a relationship both hang on tight to amidst the turmoil givens each a strong foundation they can stand on, and provides viewers with ways to root for them. Who needs mean girls when nice works so much better?

I would be remiss if I didn't praise the fantastic Ellen Burstyn, who plays Elaine's mother, Margaret. Whether making her daughter consider what her decisions do to the family, or confronting Anne and T.J. (Sebastian Stan) about their demons without judgment while struggling with her own, she is a powerful force on the series, and one that drives along a number of stories that could stall out without her assistance. She is doing some seriously brilliant work here.

Then there's the scene where Barry (Roger Bart) comes to make up with Elaine, his priorities put in order by what happens to Garcetti. These kind of pathos help the show thrive, and thrive it does. The cast has been signed for multiple seasons. Let's hope Political Animals gets that chance.

First posted on TheTVKing

You can't cage these Political Animals

Grade: 86%

USA decided to take a risk with its new show, POLITICAL ANIMALS. The network has actually taken several risks in the last few years, each progressively braver than the one before it. There’s nothing wrong with how the network made its name, with a number of similar shows, each using the trademark formula. Still, it’s nice to see something new, and this show resembles its peers not at all.

POLITICAL ANIMALS is easily the biggest departure from USA’s tried and true formula yet, and it’s a big success, at least creatively. The writing is very smart, the acting is fantastic, and the scope is much broader than the average basic cable drama. The “Pilot,” which aired last night, is a superb story, wonderfully setting up each character, as well as telling a tale or two or three.

Created by Greg Berlanti (Brothers & Sisters, Everwood), many will immediately assume he is a fan of Hilary Clinton. That’s because the central character of POLITICAL ANIMALS, Elaine Barrish (Sigourney Weaver, Alien, Avatar), is a former first lady of the popular, two-term 42nd president, who, after losing a presidential race to a charismatic newcomer (Adrian Pasdar, Heroes, The Lying Game), accepts the position of Secretary of State. Elaine is bold, principled, and suddenly more popular than ever, hugely successful as the nation’s top diplomat.

But as the “Pilot” unfolds, it is clear that Hilary may just have been a starting point. There are definite differences. Some are cosmetic, such as the fact that Elaine has twin sons instead of a daughter, while others, including divorcing her husband, Bud (Ciaran Hinds, Rome, Munich), are perhaps wishful thinking. But what it really boils down to is that Hilary is a public figure, and none of us will ever know what goes inside of her head. Ellen is a television character, who will do things to keep the show interesting, such as sleeping with her ex-spouse. Not only that, but Elaine must be fully fleshed out, filling in those details missing from the general consciousness about Hilary. As such, a lot of creative license is taken, and the character will quickly stand apart from her inspiration.

A number of things happen in the “Pilot.” Firstly, the family celebrates the engagement of Elaine’s son, who happens to also be her chief of staff, Douglas (James Wolk, Happy Endings, You Again), to Anne Ogami (Brittany Ishibashi, Ghostfacers, Eagle Eye). It looks like the perfect pairing, and they do seem to get along pretty well, despite the family tensions. But Anne is secretly bulimic. Is this condition a result of the pressures of marrying into such a powerful family? What kind of girl chooses this kind of life? These are questions only barely begun to be explored.

Other son, Thomas James, or TJ (Sebastian Stan, Gossip Girl, Kings), is a homosexual with a drug problem. Having previously attempted suicide, he is not well suited to this particular family, finding the spotlight painful and grating. He is still loved, at least by his mother, but that isn’t enough to keep him in line. What kind of trouble will he cause her and the others?

In fact, TJ sets up the other major thread of POLITICAL ANIMALS. In the “Pilot,” Elaine is being followed around by a reporter named Susan Berg (Carla Gugino, Watchmen, Californication, Entourage) who made her name by exposing Bud’s cheating ways, and is now using the story of TJ’s screw up to blackmail her way into an interview. Of course, this being TV, Susan’s life is just as messed up, as her boyfriend / boss betrays her in more ways than one, and she begins to feel Elaine’s pain.

There is a very nice parallel between Elaine and Susan. They are similar types of women, to paraphrase the episodes, bitches who don’t like being called bitches. They are driven, intelligent, sexy, and get what they want through hard work and tenacity. Sometimes they may be shamed by others, but there is a lot to be admired in both women. And by the end of the “Pilot,” they begin to see that in each other, too.

In the first episode, amid all of this other stuff, there is also a hostage crisis in Iran, a great example of how POLITICAL ANIMALS mixes the big picture and the intimate family moments. This is a winning formula, showing how the people in charge cope with everything thrust upon them, a look that most people don’t generally get into their lives. Sure, the episodes will be trumped up for dramatic effect, but they also feel fairly real because the series gets the details right.

There are lots of things going on, but none of it feels rushed, especially in the hands of a terrific cast. These include supporting actors like Ellen Burstyn (Big Love, The Exorcist) as Elaine’s drunken mother, Dylan Baker (Damages, The Good Wife) as the Vice President, and Roger Bart (Desperate Housewives, The Producers) as the president’s chief of staff. All of this combines to make a fantastic show.

This is definitely a can’t-miss series of the summer, and presented as a limited run, it won’t be a major time commitment to check it out. POLITICAL ANIMALS airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on USA.