New Look for PERRY MASON

Article first published as TV Review: PERRY MASON on Seat42F.

HBO brought back a beloved character of literature, radio, and television this week with their new PERRY MASON show. This is a prequel story, set before the titular man becomes the defense attorney he’s been portrayed as in the past. Set in Los Angeles 1932 during the Great Depression, Perry is a noir private eye working for a lawyer and taking care of his family farm, which he should probably unload, given it boasts a mere two milk cows and is at an airport. How does the drunk absentee lawyer become a hero in the court room? Keep watching to find out.

Matthew Rhys (The Americans) stars as Perry Mason. Rhys is an extremely talented actor, as many already know. His performance in this is as impressive as it customary for him. There’s plenty to sink his teeth into for this role, as Perry is deeply troubled, mostly legitimately. His entire past isn’t revealed right away, so there are still some unanswered questions, such as why did he leave the military dishonorably? But the things we can see make him as sympathetic as he is tortured, so substantially.

Rhys is surrounded by other fine performers. John Lithgow (The Crown) is a lawyer Perry is working for named Elias Bichard Jonathan. Juliet Rylance (The Knick) is Jonathan’s more-than-capable assistant, Della Street. Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire) is Pete Strickland, Perry’s co-hort. Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) doesn’t show up in the premiere, but is playing a religious leader named Sister Alice that promises to be compelling. Chis Chalk (Gotham) is similarly absent from the pilot, but will be a good cop among the bad. Plus, Nate Corddry (Mom), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2), Eric Lange (Lost), and a slew of less recognizable, but no less skilled, actors join them in smaller roles.

The design, costumes, and sets are no less impressive. Every item of clothing, prop, and vehicle is beautifully recreated and sets the scene brilliantly, though we should expect no less from a big budget production like PERRY MASON. In particular in the pilot, the original Angels Flight train is recreated in its previous location. This is noir, but realistic looking noir.

As good as everything looks, a lot of the characters are total scum of the Earth. The cops we see are like a gang, more interested in lining their pockets than protecting and serving. The Hollywood execs aren’t any better, trash looking after trash with violence and threats. There are good people in this world, like Perry Mason, and they can even thrive without doing too many bad things. But they do have to exist in the muck alongside the worst of humanity, and that informs their characters, making the whole piece rather depressing.

This is where fans of the old PERRY MASON may have an issue with the new version. The old Perry was a shining beacon, while this one isn’t separate from the baddies. They are often the people he works with and for.

The biggest obstacle, though, might be just how disturbing some of the visuals can be. I’m no stranger to violence and gore, and who can be in today’s prestige television landscape? But PERRY MASON finds new depths in a single hour. A dead baby, rendered in stomach-churning detail, is only briefly on screen, and yet it feels like too long. I won’t go into anything further, but if child violence is a trigger for you, steer clear of this show. And even if it isn’t, it’s extremely hard not to be affected by its portrayal here.

Is the world ready for a gritty PERRY MASON? Will subsequent seasons grow him into someone a bit cleaner, or is this destined to be a one-off miniseries experiment? Either way, it’s a very well-made, well-acted series, and unless they do worse than the baby, I’ll be tuning in to see how it turns out.

PERRY MASON airs Sundays at 9PM on HBO.

ONCE UPON A TIME Comes "Bleeding Through"

Article first published as ONCE UPON A TIME Review Season 3 Episode 18 Bleeding Through on Seat42F.

Tonight’s ONCE UPON A TIME, “Bleeding Through,” finally reveals Zelena’s (Rebecca Mader) fiendish scheme as Regina (Lana Parrilla), Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin), and their comrades look to the past for answers. Zelena plans to do what has not been done before – travel back in time and change things. But to do so, she will need one more important key ingredient: Snow and Charming’s (Josh Dallas) unborn baby.

The formula of brains, heart, and courage is one familiar to Wizard of Oz fans. Zelena has Rumple’s (Robert Carlyle) mind under her control, has swiped Charming’s courage, and now uses Robin Hood’s (Sean Maguire) son as leverage to obtain Regina’s heart. This doesn’t feel like a trip down the yellow brick road, which is disappointing to fans of the Emerald City, but at least there is some cohesion as the plot moves forward, tying ONCE UPON A TIME to the marvelous land of Oz.

Why a baby, though? Does the infant represent Dorothy’s innocence? There have been no hints of gingham dresses about. Or perhaps the past is the home Zelena needs to get to and the child is her ticket there, similar to a pair of silver slippers. Whatever the reason, at least our heroes now know what Zelena wants so they can attempt to stop it.

My only question as this point is why is Zelena being so patient with Hook (Colin O’Donoghue)? She told Hook to take away Emma’s (Jennifer Morrison) magic or Zelena would begin hurting people. Hook has not acted, grumpily arguing with Emma to forestall having to do the deed, and Zelena hasn’t followed up. Why not?

I will say, the flashbacks in “Bleeding Through” are a bit weak in terms of story structure. Young Cora (Rose McGowan) is fleeced by a false royal (David De Lautour, Touch), then tries to cover up her pregnancy mistake by quickly marrying Prince Leopold (Eric Lange, Lost). Unfortunately for Cora, Princess Eva (Eva Bourne, Caprica) interferes, exposing Cora’s lies and winning Leopold for herself.

One problem I have with this is that Eva is supposed to be the good guy, and instead is portrayed as a sneaky brat. Snow thinks this makes the history she and Regina share more complex, admitting that she grew out of her own annoying phase, but that just isn’t how we’ve seen Eva before, and by extension, who Snow has grown into. Secondly, Snow then talks about how Cora is forced to give up Zelena against her will, but from what we see, it’s only Cora’s own selfish desires that necessitate abandoning the baby, and it still isn’t clear why Zelena ends up in Oz. The twister coming along at that moment is too big a coincidence.

There’s also the ick factor that Cora is romantically with Leopold, and even though they don’t consummate anything, Cora’s daughter eventually marries the prince, then a king, herself. Talk about some twisted family relations!

Luckily, the emotional journey Regina goes through in “Bleeding Through” helps make up for this. She reveals some honesty in her assessment of her mother, refusing to condemn Snow for murdering Cora, and even protecting Snow when it looks like Cora’s ghost wants to do her harm. She also shows her great capacity to love, even without a heart, having compassion to Snow and finally kissing Robin Hood. No other character in this universe has been able to love once their heart is taken, and so this makes Regina very special indeed, having the most resilient heart, as it were.

As usual, Parrilla kills the performance. Amid some silly stuff, her tears feel real, and she evokes sympathy in a complicated situation. It would be easy for Regina to be hokey, but Parrilla takes the things that don’t add up about the character and turns them into understandable layers. She comes across as the most mature person on the show, and thus can rise above the squabbles, and even begins apologizing for past wrongs. She is my favorite player on ONCE UPON A TIME for a reason, and “Bleeding Through” gives her yet another opportunity to shine.

Though this current Regina may not quite deserve it, it’s cool to see Belle (Emilie de Ravin) lay into her when Regina asks for help. Many have begun to forgive Regina for what she’s done, seeing first-hand how she has changed. Belle has not had this experience, and her hatred is the exact reaction she should have towards the former Evil Queen. It’s refreshing to get this point of view from someone.

Another scene that stands out in “Bleeding Through” is Rumple’s attempt to seduce Zelena in order to steal back his dagger. She believes him briefly because she is starved for affection, but of course doesn’t let down her guard, hardened as she is. Rumple, for his part, shows how much he’s changed when he respects the sacrifice his son, Bae, made to try to stop Zelena, rather than playing into Zelena’s plan, which could lead to Rumple saving Bae in the past. Rumple is putting the greater good ahead of himself once more, and his interplay with Zelena is both charged and authentic.

“Bleeding Through” hurts itself with going too far into the past and forcing backstory that doesn’t add up. Like McGowan’s previous appearance as Young Cora, the scenes seem forgettable and unnecessary. But solid performances and interactions in the present day save the episode overall, perhaps not ranking it among the best of the show, but certainly not one to ignore, either.

Only four episodes remain in ONCE UPON A TIME’s third season. It continues Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.