Go Back to SALEM

Article first published as TV Review: 'Salem' - Series Premiere' on Blogcritics.

WGN America enters the original programming game this week with Salem. Set in the town of the same name during the famous witch trials of the 1600s, it claims to be based on real events, though in the first hour, “The Vow,” it quickly becomes clear that what’s shown can only be true if you believe actual magic was present at that time and place. Still, it’s an interestingly built period piece, far more enjoyable that I expected.

As Salem begins, John Alden (Shane West, Nikita) goes off to war, leaving behind the backwards town of Salem, which is run by the cruel George Sibley (Michael Mulheren, Rescue Me). Years later, John returns to find the love who is supposed to be waiting for him, Mary (Janet Montgomery, Made in Jersey), married to Sibley and the town panicked by a witch invasion. To that end, Cotton Mather (Seth Gabel, Fringe) comes to help out, using his preacher’s pulpit to decry the dark arts.

One way Salem could go, would be to tell historical happenings as close as they can, letting paranoia and small-mindedness run the mood of the citizens. Instead, Salem chooses a different tact, immediately outing Mary to the viewers as a powerful witch. We don’t yet know how Mary became what she is, having seen her run off into the forest to try to get rid of John’s baby that she carried, then, years later, keeping Sibley under her command and palling around with the creepy Tituba (Ashley Madekwe, Revenge). We also don’t know if John’s return could possibly save her soul, which appears lost.

On one hand, I’m glad Salem does this. The machinations of the ladies with their spells and manipulations make for a driving story. We have Mary torn between what she is and what she used to be. Women of that time period often were not strong figures, and giving this power to them changes that. With real magic on the side of the witches, they have a fighting chance of persevering against the awful injustice that a handful of folks, Sibley chief among them, is reigning down on Salem. Plus, Salem is superior to some other recent witch-centered shows (Lifetime’s Witches of East End springs to mind).

On the other, this is sort of a bastardization of history. Many of the people, including John Alden, Cotton Mather, and Tituba, are actual figures, now being twisted in strange ways. Not to mention, the real events are intriguing enough, a cautionary tale of what happens when the population buys too far into superstition. Someone could make an incredibly complex character study on the emotional mindset of those involved, and how innocents might be taken down by lies and rumors.

But, Salem is what it is. It keeps the time period, which makes it different than most of the other supernatural series populating the airwaves, and adds its own elements. It has a pretty decent cast, with the actors, who have often been weak in other series, suited to the characters they are playing here. It looks neat, and the effects are well done. It also sets up a consistent tone and some simmering arcs that can play out over the course of the season or longer. It feels like the love child of AMC’s Turn and FOX’s Sleepy Hollow, but also has its own perspective.

I am not yet confident enough in the quality to truly recommend Salem as appointment television. But I am intrigued enough to set my TiVo to catch the next couple of episodes and see where it goes. Salem airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on WGN America.

Spies of Warsaw Not So Sneaky

Article first published as Spies of Warsaw Not So Sneaky on TheTVKing.

BBC America recently presented the four part miniseries Spies of Warsaw, which is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. David Tennant (Doctor Who) stars in this tale of intrigue and romance in Europe during the late 1930s, as the build up to World War II rages on. Unfortunately, it is dreadfully dull.

I was really looking forward to Spies of Warsaw. Tennant is "my Doctor," as the saying goes, and I couldn't wait to see the project he picked next. Yet, tied down by a rote, slow-moving plot and a restrained character, he lacks the spark and draw from his much more famous role. Tennant is still fantastic, and I won't complain about his acting, but he feels trapped in the part, and cannot give it the liveliness it needs to salvage the piece. Where is the humor he is oh-so-good at? Even in a drama, that should be allowed to shine through, at least a bit.

He isn't alone. Janet Montgomery (Made in Jersey, Black Swan), who plays Anna, the romantic interest for Tennant's Colonel Mercier, gives quite a tame performance. Their romance lacks the steam and passion one would expect in such a tale. As with Tennant, I don't blame Montgomery, but rather the lackluster material she has been given to work with. Why does Anna barely fight her attraction to Mercier before falling into bed? Who knows? And are we supposed to care?

Perhaps I'm just not the target audience for this piece. Many love a good, slow broil in their British period pieces, and Spies of Warsaw doesn't feel drastically different from other imported miniseries I have viewed from previous decades. The clothing and sets are well produced, and the team seems to get the details right, as near as I can tell. There may be something there for fans of, say, The Far Pavilion, which, unlike this, I rather enjoyed. But Spies doesn't feel modern or well-paced, drug down by a sluggish story in which not a lot happens. I thought we were past that era.

What's worse is that Spies of Warsaw teases the viewer. It ramps up steadily throughout the four hours (OK, actually closer to three sans commercials, though it feels like four), almost as if building to a climatic pay off that will be worth the slog. But it never materializes, and I was left feeling disappointed, as if I had wasted my time. The tension never fully appears, nor is there major resolution. Even Mercier's disapproving boss, Jourdain (Burn Gorman, Tochwood), lacks enough bite to create real conflict.

I also feel like Spies of Warsaw suffers from a limited vision or budget. We get glimpses of the larger world, at parties, or in characters who inhabit some role much bigger. But none of it is explored or shown. So many scenes feel like there should be more going on around them, or more people visible in the surrounding areas, and yet are reigned in.

Similarly, we are told of a nuanced world of grey, in which people inhabit the shadows and make difficult decisions about complex issues. Yet again, we never see this. Nothing seems all that complicated. Colonel Mercier is the hero, and that is all he remains. Hitler and the Nazis are the bad guys, and they will be defeated.

This tone, in both the plot structure and visual elements, combine to make for something not all that impressive. I really wanted to like Spies of Warsaw. Unfortunately, I never found an accessible entry that made that possible.

Spies of Warsaw is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.

Made in Jersey should stay there

Grade: 66%

MADE IN JERSEY is a CBS show with a more youthful appeal. It’s a case of the week legal procedural, whose lead character happens to be a young, hip Jersey girl recently transplanted into NYC, more street smart than everyone around her, rather than the older folks who normally populate the station’s dramas. Will this be enough of a change up to be interesting, even while keeping with the same formula? Will viewers in their twenties join the senior citizen crowd in watching this show?

Probably not. Despite the pretty-Ugly Betty-esque lead, Martina Garetti (Janet Montgomery, Entourage), who has tons more personality than the average CBS character, the basic ingredients are the same. There is a case. It must be solved by the end of the hour. Other characters will think Martina isn’t up to the task, and she will succeed anyway. Happy ending.

Now, there are a couple of extra elements that set MADE IN JERSEY slightly apart. In keeping with Martina’s background, she has a large family whom she enjoys being around. Led by matriarch Darlene (Donna Murphy, Trust Me), the boisterous bunch will probably cause Martina added stress, and give her little side stories, like the first episode’s bit about her niece wanting a tattoo, distracting her from the legal work at hand. But considering none of them are listed in the main cast on the show’s website, they probably won’t figure too heavily into the season.

It’s hard to tell from the first episode what the chemistry will be between the various full-time cast members. The two lawyers Martina interacts with most aren’t on the show’s website either, making me think some recasting was done, and they will be replaced by others who might have a different reaction to Martina’s plucky ways.  Kristoffer Polaha (Ringer, Life Unexpected) and Megalyn Echikunwoke (The 4400, CSI: Miami) will apparently be joining the firm soon, and whether they will be friend or competitor or something in between remains to be seen.

Other people are already established on MADE IN JERSEY. Martina’s boss, Donovan Stark (Kyle MacLachlan, Desperate Housewives, Portlandia), is a whimsical fellow, sort of a toned down version of the Malcolm McDowell role on TNT’s Franklin & Bash. He takes a shine to Martina at once, seeing something of himself in her. It’s not a particularly fresh take on a superior, but played wonderfully by MacLachlan, it’s hard to complain.

Cyndi (Toni Trucks, Music and Lyrics) is Martina’s assistant. This is a step up from many young lawyers on TV, who don’t have their own helper. She is also a friend, so she serves a dual purpose on the show. Viewers need more of her past, though, if we’re going to appreciate her. Martina has only been at the firm a few weeks, and they are already gal pals. How did this happen? Why do they click so well? This is a relationship that should be explored.

Then there’s Riv Brody (Felix Solis, NYC 22). His investigator should be a popular character, but it’s hard to root for him when he seems so inept. Martina talks about how storied Riv’s work is, and yet, in the “Pilot,” she finds all sorts of things that Riv misses. Hearing the audio tone, something her niece discovers, makes sense. The chalk dust on the sleeve, though, among other things, should have been seen by Riv, not Martina. This is done, presumably, because Martina is the lead, and Riv is just a supporting character. But why have him at all if he’s only going to follow Martina around and admire her work? How did he get such a reputation as a top notch detective when a young lawyer does his job so much better than he does?

MADE IN JERSEY can’t exactly be called disappointing because, as a crime procedural on CBS, the bar isn’t set all that high anyway. All it has to do is deliver the same package every week, and an important mass of viewers is happy. But for those who value good television, this looks to be a total dud that isn’t worth your time. Which is a shame, since there are a couple of characters here I could really like.

MADE IN JERSEY premieres September 28^th on CBS.