Traveling THE RED ROAD

Article first published as THE RED ROAD Review on Seat42F.

Sundance’s second original drama, THE RED ROAD, premiered last night. It’s set in a New Jersey town near New York City, but the community is quite rural, with a significant Native American population sort of segregated from the whites in territory, though not in story. The first episode, “Arise My Love, Shake Off This Dream,” introduces us to a number of different characters in both of those communities, each with secrets and connections to a number of other different players. Basically, there is a lot going on.

THE RED ROAD does not stop and lay out what the story and characters are, exactly. We’re dropped into the middle of the tale, and it is very hard to sort things out at the start. Because the action jumps around between so many different people, viewers are left trying to puzzle out the chess pieces on a murky board. Which means it’s not very accessible.

The tone is dark, slow, and dramatic, much like a number of other high-level crime shows. Stylistically, THE RED ROAD fits into a group that includes The Killing, Top of the Lake, Rectify, True Detective, Low Winter Sun, and others. This very clearly shows us that Sundance’s brand will be along the lines of the best of HBO and AMC, very good quality indeed.

But this particular series doesn’t quite live up to that. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I’m not finding the connections I have in those other shows. The actors do a fine enough job, with several really great showcase moments, so I don’t think it’s their fault. I blame the writing for feeling just a bit shallow and flat in an otherwise realized world. Also, the setting doesn’t seem that defined, with audiences left confused how this can be so close to New York and look so very different.

The stand-out actress is Julianne Nicholson (Masters of Sex) as Jean Jensen. Jean is the wife of cop Harold Jensen (Martin Henderson, Off the Map). They’re going through some strife in their marriage as Jean gets sober, not necessarily well handled, as she has mental problems to boot, and the lack of alcohol may be letting them out in a bigger way than before. So we get a number of crazy-Jean scenes that show us just how good Nicholson can be, which is very.

Henderson does a fine job balancing her out, playing the kind, loving husband. When Jean makes mistakes, Harold tries his best to cover them up and protect her. When their teenage daughter, Rachel (Allie Gonino, The Lying Game), runs off with a Native American boy, Junior (Kiowa Gordon, Twilight), Jean takes off with her rage and a gun, but Harold calms those in Jean’s wake and safely finds the girl. His other daughter, Kate (Annalise Basso, Bedtime Stories), feels comfortable coming to Harold because she trusts him. All of this says a lot about the man.

The third main cast member is Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) as Phillip Kopus. Phillip has a history with Jean, perhaps romantic, definitely tangled up in her brother’s drowning. Now, he’s fresh out of jail, working for a crook who happens to be his father, Jack (Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan), and not exactly patching things up with his mother, Marie (Tamara Tunie, Law & Order: SVU), and kind of being big brother to Junior, in a way. And before the end of “Arise My Love, Shake Off This Dream,” Phillip has Harold right where he wants them.

I hesitate to say there are any obvious good guys or bad guys in THE RED ROAD. Phillip isn’t exactly on the up and up, but there’s also something magnetic about him. Harold, by contrast, is good to his family, but not always on the right side of the law, so there may be consequences for him. Jean is in a terrible place, causing her to do horrible things, but she might be fine if she can get cleaned up and calmed down. So the show lives in a world of grey.

Too bad it’s not a world that sucks you in. The ingredients are present that this should really be a show to watch, but I just don’t quite feel it. I’ll keep tuning in to see if it changes because it’s still better than most broadcast offerings, but it doesn’t seem destined to the critical darling and award winner that its peers have managed to be.

THE RED ROAD airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Sundance for the next six weeks.

Off the Map: The Complete Series now on DVD!

     ABC's Off the Map had a lot going for it when it premiered in January. For one thing, Jenna Bans, who worked on Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, created it. Shonda Rhimes, the brain trust behind Grey's, produced it. The cast was excellent. Set in a South American jungle, it was a unique medical show about some very strange cases, and American doctors trying to escape their past having, while to adapt to the local culture. Think Grey's meets Star Trek: Deep Space 9 in a setting that looks like Lost. Yes, those are all intended to be serious compliments.

     The series begins as Lily Brenner (Caroline Dhavernas, Wonderfalls) comes to the clinic, haunted by the memory of her dead fiance. She is accompanied by two other new, young doctors, Tommy Fuller (Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights) and Mina Minard (Mamie Gummer, The Good Wife). Fuller is a plastic surgeon who has a family who doesn't like or respect him, as he spent his college days drinking. Minard let a patient die while exhausted, thinking he simply had a case of the flu, instead of the zebra of a case that it actually was. So she was kicked out of her residency program. All three hope this will be a nice change of pace, allowing them to re-evaluate their lives. Of course, they soon realize they are biting off more than they can chew.

     Then there's the older doctors, who have been there long enough to know the lay of the land. Dr. Ben Keeton (Martin Henderson, Big Sky) is the strong, male lead. Mentor to all, he is the subject of Lily's initial crush, but he already has someone. Kind of. That's Ryan Clark (Rachelle Lefevre, Twilight), who is struggling with her own severe medical problems. Otis Cole (Jason George, Grey's Anatomy) is said to be a jerk, but he's pretty likeable, and has a thing for Zita Alvarez (Valerie Cruz, True Blood). Zita is actually from the region, so unlike the others, she isn't trying to forget anything.

     It's a motley crew, to be sure, but one that's good in a crisis, and can get things done effectively. Which they do, over and over again, for the thirteen episodes of Off the Map's too-short run. Each character actually shows not only some depth in personality and back story, but growth. For instance, Lily only really drools over Keeton for a short time before switching to a guy that is actually available. Otis figures out his feelings for Zita, instead of continuing to stew over them. New relationships bloom where they may not be exactly expected. And there isn't a weak actor in the cast.

     There are such drastic improvements on most of the characters' outlooks, it's with bittersweetness that one begins to wonder where the series would have gone, had it continued. Surely, new, fresh faces would have joined the ranks, and life would have gone on. Not everyone can stay in the jungle long-term, but Off the Map already established a core group that could brave the dangers of the jungle and come through with flying colors.

     The principal cast is not the only reason to watch. A slew of fantastic guest stars, from Michael McKean to Aimee Garcia to Cheech Marin to Judy Reyes cross the threshold of the small, poor clinic. Each brings their own intriguing twist with them. Plus, the staff often deals with strange medical conditions and has to rescue patients from dangerous conditions. Tourists aren't easily prepared for such a risky environment, and many end up in the make shift hospital. As such, there is a lot going on in each and every episode. Plus, no subtitles for when the locals speak Spanish, making viewers feel as lost as the doctors!

     The DVD release's special features reflect the strange setting in which the story takes place. Clocking in at around five minutes, "Jungle Medicine" examines some of the strange medical mysteries the characters encounter, and promises that each is based on a real-life story. The eight-minute "On Set At Off the Map" interviews cast members and producers about what it was like to film in Hawaii, as well as how they made things look like South America. There are also eleven deleted scenes and a standard two-minute blooper reel. Not too shabby for a series that only last thirteen episodes!

     In short, it's a real shame Off the Map won't be back this fall, and despite the cliffhanger of an ending, I do recommend purchasing this three disc set. It's a wonderful adventure with rich characters in interesting scenarios, and not at all a waste of time to watch. It's a unique show with some brave choices that set it apart from standard fare.

     Off the Map: The Complete Series boasts Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, Spanish and French subtitles, and 1.78:1 Widescreen picture. Which means it looks and sounds fantastic.

     Buy Off the Map: The Complete Series today.

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Article first published as DVD Review: Off the Map: The Complete Series on Blogcritics.

Off the Map - "Saved By the Great White Hope"

Click here for all of Jerome's Current Season Reviews.

     With Shonda Rhimes on board as producer, and the main characters mostly doctors by profession, you can be forgiven for thinking that ABC's new Off the Map is just another Grey's Anatomy clone. Forgiven, because it sounds likely, but you would be mistaken. The show is not created by Rhimes, but rather by Jenna Bans. Bans has worked on Grey's and Desperate Housewives, so she's part of the ABC family, but also brings something slightly different to the table. That's what Off the Map is: different, but not so much so that it feels out of place among the network's popular series.

     When Lily Brenner (Caroline Dhavernas, Wonderfalls) first appeared on screen, I immediately pegged her as Meredith Grey type. Then I started thinking Christina Yang. Soon, it became apparent that she was neither, and both, with a dose of House's Cameron mixed in, as she did lose her fiance. But Brenner is more than that. She's that idealistic hero, brave and smart, that can rise to the circumstance, that every great show needs. After saving a man (the great Michael McKean guest starring) who trapped his arm in a zip line, and then making sure he got to dump his wife's ashes before he took off in a helicopter, Brenner has already made herself TV's newest leading lady. She owned the show.

      Brenner may have stood out to me, but she is not alone. Two other young docs arrived with her in the form of Tommy Fuller (Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights) and Mina Minard (Mamie Gummer, The Good Wife). Each of the three has something in their past that has driven them far away into the wilderness, as we're told each person that comes to the clinic from the U.S. has. Brenner's is the dead fiance, which caused her to take an extended leave of absence. Fuller has a family who doesn't like or respect him, as he spent his college days drinking. He has already earned the nickname 'Plastics' because his idea of a great surgery is implanting fake breasts. Minard let a patient die while exhausted, thinking he simply had a case of the flu, instead of the zebra of a case that it actually was. You know, when you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras? We're told she was kicked out of her residency program for the mistake, though that seems a little harsh to me. Perhaps there is more to the story?

     Not only the young ones, but the elder doctors must have issues, too. Something has to make Otis Cole (Jason George, Grey's Anatomy, Eli Stone) the jerk that he is. At least, he's called a jerk. I found him very likable, as George's characters always are. In fact, I liked him best of the elder docs on staff. He has spirit, a sense of fun, and he doesn't put up with anything that he shouldn't, especially from snotty new arrivals.

 

     Cole isn't the only one displeased with the newbies before he even gets to know them. Zita Alvarez (Valerie Cruz, True Blood, Dexter) had an even better reaction. The barb she gave that stuck with me was about the new doctors not even bothering to learn Spanish, though clearly that's what most of the locals speak. I like this, because it reinforces the idea that this clinic is someplace to run to, not someplace anyone really wants to be. As such, it sets a different tone from other medical dramas immediately, and tells us something vital about each of the characters, even though its not an obvious characteristic of everyone... yet. Not only that, the culture barrier is emphasized nicely to the audience by not subtitling the Spanish speak. I'm as clueless as those new doctors as to what the residents are saying. Very neat.

 

     Though George is certainly a hunk to many, as a show with Rhimes involved, there has to be a Mc-someone, and he is there in the form of Dr. Ben Keeton (Martin Henderson, Big Sky. From the moment Brenner and Minard ogle his abs as he takes off his shirt, you know he's going to have a Mc-nickname soon. Plus, he has an accent, so double points. Honestly, I found Keeton a little bland, the only character I thought that of. I'm sure it's simply because he didn't get enough development. We got only the barest glimpse into his issues at the end of the episode, and there will surely be more to come.

     Speaking of the end of the episode, I was incredibly disappointed that Ryan Clark (Rachelle Lefevre, Twilight, What About Brian?) had so little screen time in the pilot. She is one of my favorite TV actresses, and we still know nothing about her character. As she is listed as a principal cast member, it can't be long before more of her is revealed, but I'm impatient in that regard.

     I won't say that this show changed my world, or that it belongs at the top of the ratings. But I will say there's something pretty cool here, and it's not just another procedural clone. As such, I urge you to check out Off the Map, which airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on ABC.

Article first published as TV Review: Off the Map - "Saved By the Great White Hope" on Blogcritics.