AMERICAN GOTHIC Prime Example of Summer TV in America

Article first published by AMERICAN GOTHIC Review on Seat42F.

Next up in the crappy-summer-shows roster is CBS’ AMERICAN GOTHIC. A soapy murder mystery, I understand why this series was held for burn-off during the hot months because it feels a lot like several other shows that premiered earlier in the year, were soon canceled, and I’ve mostly forgotten about (like The Family). Will this show find an audience and fare better? Probably not, so I wouldn’t blame you if you stop reading now and ignore its existence.

If you’re still reading, let’s talk a little bit about AMERICAN GOTHIC, though. It has a pleasant enough cast, which makes for many suspects, each with their own dark secrets (because no one in a world like this is ever who everyone thinks they are). By making a lot of them related, it’s supposed to be more shocking when things come to light, or harder for the characters to distrust one another, but it’s not because of the very familiar tone. There is a serial killer, but don’t even bother trying to figure out who it is at this stage because there will be a million red herrings and twists.

It’s not very satisfying to watch a show like this because it doesn’t feel like there’s a plan from the start. I could be wrong, and there’s no way to know that until the end of the season, but unlike in the best mysteries, that drop important clues early on, shows like these tend to concentrate more on doing the unexpected than crafting an intricate story. They try to go for the plot that comes out of nowhere, rather than something that naturally flows or was previously hinted at. It makes theorizing with your friends just not that great since no one really has any insight into what’s going to happen. It’s an all-too-common style that we can use less of on television, and the way the pilot plays out all but confirms that’s what AMERICAN GOTHIC is.

I realize I haven’t given you a lot of specifics about why I think the show is bad, but I really don’t want to ruin anything for those who are genuinely interested. Let’s just say there are things involving a cat, a box, and a hospital room that smack as gratuitous and have helped forge the opinion above.

As I mentioned before, the cast is good. With so many quality programs on the small screen these days, it’s not a surprise that even the lesser fare can attract talent. After all, it’s often hard to tell from just a script whether the series will be great or not. AMERICAN GOTHIC does have a solid ensemble, and they sell the material pretty much as convincingly as possible.

The central figure seems to be Alison Hawthorne-Price (Juliet Rylance, The Knick), a wife and mother running for mayor of her city. As the campaign unfolds, we meet the rest of the clan, brought in to help her win. There’s matriarch Madeline (Virginia Madsen, Sideways), former drug-using brother Cam (Justin Chatwin, Shameless), Cam’s disturbed son Jack (Gabriel Bateman, Stalker), elementary school teacher sister Tessa (Megan Ketch, Jane the Virgin), Tessa’s detective husband Brady (Elliot Knight, Once Upon a Time), and long-missing brother Garrett (Antony Starr, Banshee). There’s also a father to the group, who is not in the official cast list, so presumably not a main character, and Cam’s still-addicted ex, Sophie (Stephanie Leonidas, Defiance), soon pops back up.

It is a relatively large family, but again, that’s needed so we have a lot of suspects and a dozen episodes of secrets can come out. After all, a lot of different boxes are checked with the grouping above, no one having a boring life that won’t affect the proceedings, and no two crossing orbits too much. It’s a familiar formula that probably won’t work any better than it usually does.

AMERICAN GOTHIC premieres Wednesday, June 22 at 10/9c.

"The Bear" of Watching ONCE UPON A TIME

Article originally written for Seat42F.

 This week’s ONCE UPON A TIME, “The Bear and the Bow,” goes easy on the Dark Swan (Jennifer Morrison) plot and gives more screen time to Rumple (Robert Carlyle), Bell (Emilie de Ravin), and Merida (Amy Manson). What does it take to make someone a hero is a question where the answer depends on the individual, and throughout the hour, we get to see each of the three confront it.

Back in Camelot, Merida kidnaps Belle to have Belle use magic to save Merdia’s brothers from rival clansmen who seek to steal away Merida’s power. Belle thinks Merida has it in her to help herself, and with Belle having seen the steep price that magic extols on a person, she shies away from giving Merida the sort of help Merida requests. This does make for a dangerous situation, but as Belle predicts, Merida rises to the occasion and saves the day, finding the hero within herself.

It’s too bad Merida doesn’t remember this. In Storybrooke, she tries to kill Belle in order to make Rumple step up and be a hero. Merida isn’t confident that Rumple will do so, but feels she has no chance of defeating Dark Swan herself. If only Merida remembered the lesson that Belle taught her, she would probably be able to fight back. Whether she could win or not is debatable, but she should try.

Rumple also wavers in his own heroism. With the Dark One removed from him, Rumple reverts back to the coward he was oh so long ago. Belle reminds him that he overcame the Dark One’s negative influence in order to be a hero, but Rumple doesn’t see it that way. Without the power that the Dark One gives him, he can’t find anything inside of him that allows him to be a hero.

That is, until Belle is in danger, of course. Rumple does everything he possibly can do to run away, but when Belle refuses and Merida (as a badly animated bear) goes after Belle, Rumple steps up, just as he has done in the past for his son. Rumple’s love is what makes him great, just as others in ONCE UPON A TIME have found their best sides because of love.

The greatest hero in “The Bear and the Bow” is Belle. She doesn’t slay any beasts or overcome her own doubts, but instead inspires the best in others. She is brave and true and does what’s right, having faith that others will come along and do the same. It takes someone with a very strong sense of courage and certainty to this, and because Belle can see the good in people, she possesses this in spades. She is the real protagonist of the hour, and I think that’s pretty obvious to most people paying attention.

Despite all of these efforts, Dark Swan does get Rumple to pull Excalibur from the stone, despite Merlin’s (Elliot Knight) warning and presumably dire fate. What Emma will do with it remains to be seen, but one can assume that it’s not good if Dark Swan was willing to do something horrible to Merlin in order to get to it.

But it gives me great hope that Belle and Rumple will now be firmly joining the rest of the good guys in Storybrooke. I still think Rumple’s arc these past couple of seasons has been shaky. He earned heroic status halfway through season three, and as awful as it was that story veered off for him these past two years, it suddenly no longer feels earned that he has it again now, considering where he was very recently (almost as bad writing as Arthur (Liam Garrigan) trying to dispose of the mushroom in the fire). Despite that, I look forward to seeing Rumple face off against Dark Swan, and his knowledge of the Dark One might just be what the team needs to defeat the evil spirit once and for all.

ONCE UPON A TIME airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

ONCE UPON A TIME "Dream" On

Article originally published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review "Dreamcatcher" on Seat42F.

This week on ONCE UPON A TIME, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) frees Merlin (Elliot Knight, Sinbad) from the tree in which he is trapped, but far from resulting in a happy ending, it only raises more questions. Weeks later, in Storybrooke, Regina (Lana Parrilla) uncovers Emma’s treachery against their son, Henry (Jared S. Gilmore), in a “Dreamcatcher,” bringing the heroes closer to figuring out Dark Swan’s plans, but driving a wedge between mother and son.

Where Regina and Henry and Emma and Henry are now is almost completely reversed from where they are at the start of ONCE UPON A TIME. Is Henry destined to never have both of his mothers be on the right side at the same time? Is the show really about the balance of light and dark, rather than about good triumphing over evil? If so, the ending will surely be a tragedy for everyone, the core characters too intertwined at this point to cast one as a pure villain.

How much is Emma to blame for what she is doing? When Rumple (Robert Carlyle) is the Dark One, he manages to let his love shine through and even engage in self-sacrifice in the name of love. Yet, he is consistently drawn back to his fiendish ways, the good in his heart never taking hold. Knowing this, can anyone truly blame Emma for anything she does, and isn’t she as much of a victim of the Dark One as anyone else? So by that logic, Rumple should be forgiven for everything, right?

Well, this is where free will versus mind control come into play. The question is whether Emma is being corrupted or if she’s been replaced in her own body. ONCE UPON A TIME keeps saying it’s the former, but actions seem to point to the latter. “Dreamcatcher” muddies the waters more by bringing a child in this, as while Henry is rapidly growing more mature, he can’t possibly instantly forgive Emma when she’s cured, which she must be. It’s a very depressing plot to consider.

The way Emma hurts Henry is by turning Violet (Olivia Steele-Falconer) against him in order to get a tear. Look, Henry is 13 years old, so only in a fairy tale would he end up marrying Violet (though, admittedly, this is kind of a fairy tale). Also only in a fairy tale would Violet be as taken in by Henry as he is by her, which actually makes her rejection of him feel more real than it ends up being. But whether Violet is the one he’s meant to be with or not, it’s a hard thing to lose a first love. So what Emma does is cruel.

I think all of this helps identify a fundamental issue with ONCE UPON A TIME. It wants to be set in the real world and also in the fairy tale world, but the two don’t mix well when it comes to rules governing reality. Things can either magically work out and heroes can always triumph over villains, or we can live in complex shades of grey. By never making up its mind which is going on, ONCE UPON A TIME is constantly contradicting itself and feeling authentic to neither.

Which isn’t to say that “Dreamcatcher” is an entirely bad episode. Despite some issues with the things happening above, the poignant story of a mother breaking a son’s heart does engage viewers. Rumple’s struggle to become a hero, and Merdia’s (Amy Manson) frustration when he fails, is also interesting. The concept of the pensieve dreamcatchers in the show is a cool conceit, even if it’s nothing new, and uses Regina’s past well. And I’m still invested enough in the characters to care what happens.

At least ONCE UPON A TIME hasn’t totally fallen apart in sense and continuity as some past arcs have done. Hopefully, it can still pull out a decent ending from this. It remains enjoyable and good, if not as deep or cohesive as it should be.

ONCE UPON A TIME airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

SINBAD Kinda Bad

Article first published as SINBAD Kinda Bad on TheTVKing.

SyFy is airing the British series SINBAD, beginning this week. With a similar feel as the recently-concluded Merlin, SINBAD seeks to retell the story of a legend with young, sexy actors, lots of special effects, a mix of magic and science, and enough mythology to keep a series going for awhile.

When first we meet Sinbad (newcomer Elliot Knight), he is a street rat, rigging fights and picking pockets to make ends meet and support his family. With brother Jamil (Devon Anderson, EastEnders) in tow, Sinbad runs through the town, making lots of enemies, but without many worries or stresses. He assumes his charm and wit will get him out of any tough situation. Up until this "Pilot," it does.

Then things go horribly wrong, with Sinbad and Jamil arrested not only for thievery, but also for the death of the heir to the city, Lord Akbari's son. Lord Akbari (Naveen Andrews, Lost) is furious, intent on making Sinbad feel as bad as he does. Akbari takes some revenge, which I won't spoil because it is quite pivotal, but it's not enough to satisfy the lord, who intends to keep hunting Sinbad down, though he doesn't get a second shot at the boy in the premiere.

We all know that Sinbad won't be put to death in the "Pilot" of a series that bear his name, so there is little risk of spoiling things to reveal that he escapes Akbari's prison. But the stakes do seem pretty real anyway, a credit to the writing. SINBAD starts off making us care about the characters, and after introducing us to Sinbad's life for half an episode, dramatically changes it, which is the kick start of the story.

I think it's a good decision to hold off on the main plot until halfway through the hour so that viewers get a sense of who Sinbad is. After all, if he is going to change and become a hero, he has to have a starting point, a pit from which to climb out of, if his journey is to mean anything. This "Pilot" sets that up nicely.

Unfortunately, the follow through leaves something to be desired. After being cursed by his own grandmother (Janet Suzman, Tinga Tinga Tales) to always roam the seas, seldom ever setting foot on land (spurred another plot point I won't spoil), Sinbad wastes no time in making up for his bad deeds. The boat he sets out on encounters some scary water demons, and he pretty much single-handedly saves the day, rescuing almost everyone, and earning himself some new friends.

This comes way too easily. The crew knows what kind of person Sinbad is the moment he steps on board, but after witnessing his somewhat selfless actions, they are won over. This doesn't present any real challenge for the character, not having to fight his way up the ladder, instantly being instantly beloved. I guess it's understandable, as the others have only Nala's (Estella Daniels, Thorne: Scaredy Cat) words to paint a different picture of the lad, she being the only one personally wronged by Sinbad.

Having Sinbad be a hero washes out the personality of the rest of the crew, at least in this "Pilot." The compassionate doctor, Anwar (Dimitri Leonidas, Grange Hill), the funny cook (Junix Inocian), the sturdy crewman, Gunnar (Elliot Cowan, Da Vinci's Demons), and Rina (Marama Corlett, The Devil's Double), a fellow stowaway, all seem like chumps, falling for Sinbad's schtick. Of course, they probably are chumps if not one, but two, stowaways managed to make it on board. But if they are to be as layered as Sinbad, it doesn't happen in this installment.

As such, despite a promising start, I am not won over by SINBAD. It looks fantastic, to be sure, and Sinbad is a legend begging for a good adaptation. But on the heels of other mediocre historical drama efforts, such as Da Vinci's Demons and The Borgias, it blends into the pack, not giving us enough to really make a name for itself.

My hope is that the magic aspect of the series will be played up as the episodes unfold. In that realm is the path for SINBAD to win loyal viewers, establishing itself as an enjoyable genre series. The characters and story just don't have enough depth for it to break into the mainstream, nor to entice me to watch the other eleven episodes.

Should you be so inclined to tune into the series, be warned that SINBAD has already been cancelled in Britain, and these twelve installments will be the only ones one made.

SINBAD airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET.