GRACE AND FRANKIE a Frank and Graceful Tale

Article originally written for Seat42F.

I cannot remember the last time my opinion of a show changed so drastically from the start to the finish of a pilot as it did for Netflix’s GRACE AND FRANKIE. The show, which launched all thirteen episodes of its freshman run yesterday, is the story of two women whose husbands come out as gay after forty years of marriage. The women hate one another, but they each may just be the only other person in the world who understands what the other is going through.

The first episode of GRACE AND FRANKIE, funnily enough entitled “The End,” begins with a corny theme song and a big, splashy announcement of the breakup at a double dinner date. While watching this scene, the situation seems incredibly cheesy and almost cliché, though the circumstances aren’t yet cliché at this point, and the characters feel flat and unrealistic. I was very tempted to turn it off.

As soon as you get past the opening of “The End,” though, the series immediately begins to deepen and improve. By the end of the half hour, viewers will not just understand how all of this happened the way it did, but feel like they’ve seen very raw performances from four actors at the very top of their craft. It’s not that the opening is bad, it is just not easy to understand until you get more from the characters. I cannot wait to go watch the other twelve installments.

GRACE AND FRANKIE stars Lily Tomlin (9 to 5, The West Wing) as Frankie, who is married to Sol (Sam Waterston, Law & Order, The Newsroom) at the start. They are a couple of spiritual hippies who are one another’s best friends. They have raised two sensitive sons (Brotherhood’s Ethan Embry and Fairly Legal’s Baron Vaughn), at least one of whom is adopted, and even after hearing the news, Frankie is the type who can’t bring herself to sleep in a different bed than Sol, at least not the first night.

GRACE AND FRANKIE also stars Jane Fonda (9 to 5, The Newsroom) as Grace, who is married to Robert (Martin Sheen, The Departed, The West Wing) at the start. They are an uptight, well-off couple who can’t stand one another very much. The poison in their relationship has led to a pair of judgmental daughters (Burning Love’s June Diane Raphael and Friends With Better Lives’ Brooklyn Decker) who are there for their mother, but also share her coldness a bit. She let herself be blinded to Robert’s tendencies because, even though their marriage wasn’t good, she thought this was normal.

Sol and Robert are in love and trying to spend their waning years happy. This is inherently selfish, as at least one of the wives points out, not leaving their spouses with a choice or much time to seek their own fulfillment. If the boys were going to do this, they should have done it twenty years ago, before life is almost over. Their last snatch at being who they want to be, finally something socially acceptable and their impending marriage legal, robs two other people of their own comfortable twilights.

Being able to see both sides of the guys’ decision, the one where they are finally doing what is right for themselves and the one where they are destroying a family, makes for quite a complex story. GRACE AND FRANKIE is easy to explain on the surface, but I was surprised and impressed by how deep it goes.

Where opposites attract for the men, they repel for the women, who know one another because their husbands are too close not to involve them, but have no desire to spend any time together. That the couples invested in a beach house together, the natural retreat for both females, provides a convenient way to force continued exposure. The show does manage not to fall into familiar tropes in which they
quickly become pals. As much as I want them to stay in scenes together, it must be authentic. “The End” gives me hope that it will be.

This series is also funny. Conflict breeds humor, and GRACE AND FRANKIE has conflict in spades. From a semi-inappropriate chair to the effects of a bitter tea, there is plenty of opportunity to be amused, too, even if it’s with a sad kind of laugh.

The acting in this program is excellent, as one would expect from this cast, many of whom have worked together in the past. It tickles me that both women have played major roles in shows that the other’s TV spouse starred in. These four are all people who have had a heyday some time ago, and yet prove their careers are not over by any stretch of the word. I’m glad their talents are not being wasted in their later years, as they are clearly still young and vibrant enough to put them to good use for an appreciative audience.

GRACE AND FRANKIE is on Netflix now.

THE NEWSROOM - "Election Night: Part II" Review

Article first published as THE NEWSROOM - "Election Night: Part II" Review on TheTVKing.

With the fate of HBO's The Newsroom officially still undecided, despite what star Jeff Daniels tweets, this week's season two finale, "Election Night: Part II," may very well serve as a series finale for the Aaron Sorkin drama. If it does, it will be a great loss for television, a medium that is bettered by such intelligent writing, bold characters, and inspiring stories, showing the media how they should be reporting. But in terms of closure, the episode satisfies pretty well.

"Election Night: Part II" has the team covering the results of the 2012 election, while waiting for the hammer to drop after the Genoa fiasco. Will (Daniels), MacKenzie (Emily Mortimer) and Charlie (Sam Waterston) are trying to resign to spare their colleagues' careers. Yet, the rest of the senior staff plans on leaving, too, showing their solidarity. This angers Will, but insults the others when he insists they not do this folly. They stick together and do the right thing; he taught them that.

One fantastic element of The Newsroom is the cohesion of the gang who work at ACN. These are not just co-workers, these are friends. They are united in a noble mission, and without the heads of the organization, the mission would fail, making the job not worth having. It is essential for everyone to stay together, and even after losing all credibility for Genoa, they can only recover by remaining on the job, working to build themselves back up.

This is the decision both Leona (Jane Fonda) and Reese (Chris Messina) come to, too. The heads of the company will not accept any resignations because they've studied the evidence and know that even though Genoa was false, the newsroom did as thorough job as possible given what they had. The snake Jerry Dantana (Hamish Linklater) screwed them; they didn't screw themselves.

I don't know why Charlie can't be gracious with Reese when Reese decides not to accept their resignations. Yes, Charlie has already decided that they will withdrawal their offers to quit, but he and Reese so rarely see eye to eye, he should celebrate, not fight, when this occurs. Yet, perhaps emotions are just running unusually high, as Charlie spends much of the episode yelling, faced with losing the profession he loves deeply, and so he can't bring himself to make nice with someone he considers so despicable.

It's funny how Reese and Leon have changed sides this year, now supporting those they tried to fire not so far in the past. I think crisis have a way of bringing people together, and also ACN being disgraced personally shames the Lansings, so they want to fight back, for their names as well as the network's. Even if their motivations are selfish, it's sure nice to see the pair of them in the room at the end, joining our beloved heroes.

We know The Newsroom's crew is righteous because even the lawyer who takes their depositions, Rebecca Halliday (Marcia Gay Harden), thinks so, and she seems a tough one to win over. She vows to defend them and argues against settlement. I hope she sticks around for a possible third season, as she will be needed to help with the major hanging thread of the Dantana plot, Don's (Thomas Sadoski) defamation lawsuit.

The Newsroom can never just do one thing at a time, though, so "Election Night: Part II" is about more than just the decision of who should stay and who should go. They also get to cover the 2012 election results, which is done in a very entertaining way. From Will constantly cutting off Sloan (Olivia Munn), to Neal (Dev Patel) being tasked with helping Sloan and MacKenzie with trivial things, to the bickering with the D.C. anchor, to Will gleefully sparring with Taylor Warren (Constance Zimmer), there's a lot to watch, and all of it very, very fun.

Taylor is another familiar face I'd like to see return. She ingrains herself in several characters, and her inquiry about having Jim (John Gallagher Jr.) work for her appears to be sincere. She's a sassy, combative type who unintentionally causes trouble, but her heart is in the right place, and she's a fair judge of character, even amongst people she disagrees with. She makes quite the impression this season, and the show could use more of her in the future.

Alas, any episode of The Newsroom would not be complete without some romantic stuff. Sloan and Don finally share a kiss in a spectacular, public fashion. This has been simmering all year, even if it usually is a very minor part of the subplot, and it's gratifying to see them get together, especially if this is it for the show.

Will and MacKenzie have an even better story, getting their feelings and secrets out in the open. MacKenzie is able to get the chance to explain her actions, with Will actually paying attention, and Will admits to wrongdoing, too. The viewers get to understand where both have been coming from, which leads to even more of an urge to see them put the past behind and get this couple together. They do, as Will produces the ring he lied about returning and proposes!

I don't think the dynamic of The Newsroom will change at all with Mac and Will married. They will still disagree and do all the things they normally do because they are passionate about their jobs and have always been united on that front. This doesn't change that. Unlike other shows where adjustments must be made for such a development, the only thing different will be them not pining over one another. Very cool.

The third couple fans root for is Jim and Maggie (Alison Pill), but they are not in a good place to be together, and any union at this point would seem false. That's probably why "Election Night: Part II" just has them bonding as friends over a screwed up call, and has Jim working to fix things between Maggie and her estranged roommate, Lisa (Kelen Coleman). Besides, Jim is happy with Hallie (Grace Gummer), as he should be, as it is a healthy relationship. Maybe, seasons down the line, this could change, but for now, they are where they should be.

Is The Newsroom the perfect show? Of course not. Characters frequently deliver parables instead of answering questions. The succeed as heroes when realistically they would fail. Personal moments happen most often in their place of business. And sometimes people devolve into caricatures. Yet, these aren't complaints because they are done so well, and are part of the charm of the fabric. The things that make it schmaltzy also make it awesome, and so while it isn't perfect, it is pretty darn good, and I sincerely hope it comes back, as it ranks among my favorite shows on the air right now. Even if Charlie acts a little too one-note in this episode, and I disliked knowing Genoa was a bomb from the start of the season.

HBO will likely announce the fate of The Newsroom soon.

THE NEWSROOM Declares "Let's Kill All The Lawyers"

Article first published as THE NEWSROOM Review Season 2 Premiere on Seat42F.

Grade: 91%

HBO’s THE NEWSROOM is back for a second season with “First Thing We Do, Let’s Kill All the Lawyers.” The main part of the story takes place two weeks after the events of last year’s finale, and the various characters must deal with the consequences of their actions, both professional and personal. If you have not yet watched the episode, I recommend viewing it before reading this review, to avoid anything being spoiled, as the various story points will be discussed below.

Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) is a subdued man in “First Thing We Do, Let’s Kill All the Lawyers.” Although he is fired up and passionate when dubbing the Tea Party ‘The American Taliban,’ he now must pay the price for doing so, namely, being pulled off of the network’s 9/11 tenth anniversary coverage. He deals with this by drinking and smoking and becoming a wimp on-air again.

While it is absolutely in keeping with his character to go back and forth between fearless crusader and appeasing ratings-whore, one must wonder how long the see-saw can continue. Will’s spirits are already bolstered multiple times in the first year alone, and it would suck if none of those efforts have lasting effects, always returning him to the same sad state in their aftermath. Will must find a way to break this cycle, committing to the persona he wants most.

It is my opinion that the way for him to do this is to be with Mackenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer). She still doesn’t know what is in the voice mail Will leaves her while high, but it’s obvious that she is sensing his anger towards her cooling, and is intending to reform as much of a bond with him as he will let her. She calls him in the middle of the night, and shares a drink with him at the bar. It can’t possibly be much longer before they are a couple again, and in that relationship, Will might finally stabilize.

Though where is Lonny (Terry Crews) during this installment? Why do we not see him guarding Will in the bar? Hopefully, Lonny’s absence is temporary, just an oversight caused by not needing the actor enough to warrant an appearance in this particular episode.

In keeping on the romantic track, Jim (John Gallagher Jr.) is unwilling to be friends with Maggie (Alison Pill) after she chooses to move in with Don (Thomas Sadoski), and so takes an assignment following the Romney campaign, where he is shunned for Will’s Taliban comment. This doesn’t seem like the environment where wounded Jim can heal, certainly not a comforting, supporting one, but maybe concentrating on work is what he needs. And if he finds victory in reporting the story, that could help. Running may seem cowardly to some, but Maggie has made her choice, so it’s understandable why Jim would find it hard to be around her, and perhaps he’s wise to get himself out of that environment.

Except, Jim may actually still have a chance with Maggie, as Don finds a YouTube video of her rant about Jim, and promptly decides they are over as a couple. I am very dissatisfied with this quick evaporation of their romance. Don and Maggie have plenty of ups and downs, but two weeks is all they can make it? Maggie chooses Don; that should count for something. And it seemed so fresh and realistic that Jim and Maggie weren’t going to ever be together because Maggie would be with Don, no matter what viewers thought should happen, and this has been ruined. Though, Maggie clearly won’t just have a happy ending with Jim, given her appearance in future scenes, which I’ll get to shortly.

This does leave open the possibility of a Don / Sloan (Olivia Munn) pairing now. Things are plenty awkward between the two, since Sloan confesses her feelings for him, even though Don isn’t holding it over her in any way. But now that he’s single, maybe after a short, respectful pause, he may pursue Sloan, thus solving at least one rocky dynamic in the workplace. Although is Don gets with Sloan too quickly, that could screw up Maggie even more.

Because of Jim’s absence, a producer out of Washington D.C., Jerry Dantana (Hamish Linklater, The New Adventures of Old Christine), is tapped to fill in for him. Jerry is immediately a hindrance, vaguely appearing to be a team player, but also having his own ambitions. We don’t know all of the details yet, but Jerry and the guest that he brings onto a panel will definitely set off a huge mistake involving Genoa.

Genoa is a secret military that has landed the staff in very hot water, as evidenced by the fourteen-months-later framing scenes in “First Thing We Do, Let’s Kill All the Lawyers” in which Will, Mackenzie, and Maggie are seen with a team of lawyers led by Rebecca Halliday (Marcia Gay Harden, Damages). Our beloved characters are in trouble after a string of unfortunate events, one of which leads Maggie to Africa and a terrible hair cut and coloring. Bringing in Jerry is a huge mistake they will all regret. Too bad, he seems so nice-ish.

I’m a little tired of television shows doing the flashback to death. THE NEWSROOM is only the latest in a long line of series using that technique lately, and it’s been being done way too often. I’d rather see the Genoa disaster unfold slowly, not realizing that there’s trouble until it’s too late, like the characters do, rather than getting a puzzle piece by piece. I know this trope can be implemented effectively when done right, and THE NEWSROOM is brilliantly written, but in this case, I feel it is a big, easily avoidable misstep.

There are two smaller plots unfolding, too, that may have some big impact. In the first, Neal (Dev Patel) gets involved with Occupy Wall Street. For Neal, this story is both a far-out, unlikely movement, and something playing to his prowess with social media, so it straddles the two interests we’ve known him to have. Those who remember the protests know that they get lots of attention for a short time, but don’t go anywhere, so this is both an opportunity for Neal, professionally, and another dead end for him to pursue, the perfect plot for the character.

In the second, Charlie (Sam Waterson) chooses to pull Will off of the 9/11 special. This is something very uncharacteristic, in that he chooses to bench Will with nearly zero pressure from Leona (Jane Fonda) and Reese (Chris Messina) to do so. Weird; Charlie always defends Will. Did Reese getting kicked out of SOPA scare Charlie that much? It doesn’t seem like it should, in keeping with Charlie’s established personality. I wonder what’s going on there?

THE NEWSROOM is a fantastic series that deftly balances character-driven drama with real-world events and a commentary on the state of journalism. It takes the big stories we’re familiar with, and makes them personal to people we watch on screen and care about. There are a number of new arcs introduced in this season premiere which promise a great season, even if the episode itself lacks any of the stellar, inspiring moments that were a hallmark of the first year. Once we get past the weird flashbacks, I think that will sort itself out.

THE NEWSROOM airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.

The Greater Fool rules The Newsroom

HBO's The Newsroom presented a season finale this week entitled "The Greater Fool." This episode is so layered, and jammed with so many references, that it's surely worth watching repeatedly to catch everything. The gist of the plot: Will (Jeff Daniels) loses hope, Mackenzie (Emily Mortimer) tries and fails to cheer him up, Charlie (Sam Waterston) saves the day in more ways than one, Neal (Dev Patel) oversteps and makes things worse, the Jim (John Gallagher Jr.) / Don (Thomas Sadoski) / Maggie (Alison Pill) love triangle comes to a head in an unexpected way, and News Night finds its voice. So, basically, another fantastic episode, written amazingly, visually pleasing, and with wonderful acting that sells the piece.

As "The Greater Fool" begins, we learn Will is in the hospital and wanting to quit the program. Interspersed are flash forwards showing him in a tour de force tear down of RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) on the air. At first, I want to gripe that The Newsroom kills the suspense of the drama they're trying to build up. But upon reflection, every viewer tuning in knows that Will will get back on television. This in of itself ruins any suspense. So why treat the audience like they're dumb? Fans know Will will rally and this episode will show what it takes for him to do so, so there's no reason to pretend at anything else. The Newsroom knows its viewers are smart, and acts accordingly.

One of the awesome things about "The Greater Fool" is all of the callback to the first episode of the series. The Don Quixote comparison returns in a big way, Will finally realizes that Mackenzie was actually at his college speech, and the girl who asked the dumb question that day is hired as an intern. Nearly a year and a half after it began, there's a pleasing symmetry that ties this freshman run up in a neat bow.

Of course, there are some things left hanging. Can Will admit that he still loves Mackenzie, as we're pretty sure the voice mail says, when he's not high? Is someone really going to try to kill Will? These are questions left for season two, which I cannot wait for!

People who regularly tune in to The Newsroom often do it to be inspired. It paints a picture of what reality could be, if we're lucky. There are naysayers, of course. Charlie and company's effort to turn Leona (Jane Fonda) around to their way of thinking, breaking through her cynicism, speaks to that nicely. In "The Greater Fool," we get to see Leona begin to give her blessing through a combination of blackmail and canoodling. Are the methods worth the outcome? Absolutely. Good has beaten evil, and News Night 2.0 will be allowed to go on. Talk about inspiring!

I like that The Newsroom does not feel confined to play by all the rules of the traditional television love triangle. In any other show, Maggie would wake up to Jim's interest in the season finale, finally ditching Don, who is an inferior mate. But that's not the way it plays out in "The Greater Fool." Sure, there's the terrific Sex and the City scene, where Maggie and Jim find each other. But as Sloan (Olivia Munn) points out, Don is not a bad guy. And when he makes a grand romantic gesture, Maggie stays with him, as most girls would. Jim's decision to keep things going with Lisa (Kelen Coleman), whom he likes but doesn't love, much as we've seen in Don with Maggie, makes Jim no better than Don. Though Don chooses to commit himself to Maggie in a real way, perhaps making him just a little bit man than Jim. For now.

These are merely the highlights of "The Greater Fool." It would be easy to go on for page after page about this episode, the meaning of the title, all of the supporting characters, breaking down each action or word for meaning. The Newsroom is designed to be chock full of substance. But who has time to do that? And even if I did, aren't I just robbing you of the joy of figuring these things out? So in keeping with the show's theme of knowing your audience is smart, I'll leave it here for now. Feel free to comment on the article, or tweet me @JeromeWetzelTV and I'll be happy to discuss any element further.

The Newsroom, my favorite show of the summer, will return to HBO in 2013.

Article first posted on TheTVKing