GOD-Like

Article first published as TV Review: ON BECOMING A GOOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA on Seat42F.

This review contains spoilers for the pilot only.

SHOWTIME’s latest series is ON BECOMING A GOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. Set near Orlando in the early 1990s, the series follows a widow whose husband invested heavily in a pyramid scheme, leaving her deeply in debt and desperate to support herself and baby. Can she navigate manipulative individuals and become the most conniving of them all? Or can she escape this life and find normalcy?

ON BECOMING A GOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA feels very familiar to those of us who have been around a few decades. Amway and other multi-level marketing companies had a big boom awhile back, and some are still around today. There’s also something very specific about the place and time, perhaps more recognizable from pop culture and shared references than reality itself.

Which does not mean the show is a parody of anything. That’s what it might seem at first glance, but it’s far too nuanced, layered, and relatable to dismiss it as just that. The parts referenced above are the comedy part of the premise, but there’s also a deep infusion of drama present.

Chief among the driving emotion is protagonist, Krystal Stubbs (Kirsten Dunst, Fargo, Bring It On). Krystal is grief-stricken and furious at her husband, Travis (Alexander Skarsgard, Big Little Lies), in almost equal parts. This is a man she really loved, but who committed terrible betrayals. This dichotomy is present in Krystal’s interactions with others, bouncing back and forth between being a compassionate friend to co-worker Ernie (Mel Rodriguez, Last Man On Earth), and being a con woman trying to get people to support her financially. She does both very well.

Krystal isn’t Walter White, profiting off the misfortune of others without caring who she hurts. She does show potential signs of such a persona, sure, but we see her desperation as a driving factor that is at times tempered by other motivations. Can we truly villainize someone who has been put in such a bad situation and just needs to be able to afford food and shelter again?

Other characters are less likeable. While the man who duped Travis, Cody (Theodore Pellerin, Genesis), is charming, he’s also fully concerned about himself, only being generous when it benefits him. But is this the folly of youth, achieving something and trying hard not to lose it, allowing oneself to be blinded to those around them because they lack experience? Leader of the whole scheme, Obie Gabeau II (Ted Levine, Monk), seems in a similar vein, hijacking a funeral to protect his business interests, sans the excuses.

But then we’ve got Ernie and his wife, Bets (sing-songwriter Beth Ditto), seemingly sweet and caring neighbors. They aren’t the two-dimensional model of that, despite their naivety; Ernie has already shown hints of mental issues at least partially sparked by an unreasonable boss (Usman Ally, Veep) that will likely pay off down the road. But they do balance the darker aspects of the show.

Heck, even Travis isn’t easy to write off. Yes, he should have communicated with his wife more and not gambled so much of their life away. And yet, the clips of Obie’s tapes that we hear provide insight to how an otherwise reasonable man could be led astray, convinced that what he was doing would pay off big for his family. Travis thinks he’s doing the right thing, and as wrong as he is, his intentions are not bad.

Watching the next few episodes, this is definitely a long-arcing series. So much of what the characters are going through will take quite awhile to play out, and there’s no clear end. Which isn’t an issue, because the characters are complex and interesting, and of course, very well-acted. The show is funny and moving, and it makes a viewer think and consider other perspectives. Yet, it can be taken at face value as entertaining, too, so it doesn’t make you feel like you have to think too hard, even if you’ll be doing so anyway.

ON BECOMING A GOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA is excellent. I hope you give it a chance. It is currently airing Sunday evenings on Showtime.

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH Deserves to Live

Article first published as THE LAST MAN ON EARTH Review on Seat42F.

I just wanted to get that out there before this review even starts. It is the most wholly original sitcom on television, taking a premise that seems unlikely to work and building something really cool on it. Having viewed the first two episodes, I’m not sure where exactly the show is going, but given the beauty of the premiere, I can wait and see.

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH begins in 2020, two years after a virus wipes out all of humanity. For some reason, there are no corpses or sign of anyone. The world is in pristine condition, as if everyone and every living creature in it just disappeared one day. I hope that’ll be explained further because that seems very unrealistic for what we’re told, and there is no mention of where the animals have gone. But that doesn’t matter for now because none of this is the focus of the series, nor should it be yet.

Enter Phil Miller (Will Forte, MacGruber, Saturday Night Live, Nebraska). Phil is the lone survivor, and he begins the pilot by searching the entire country for another human being. His search, as the title THE LAST MAN ON EARTH suggests, comes up empty. There’s no one left. What’s a guy to do?

Well, Phil isn’t just any guy. He’s a very specific type of guy. He isn’t the type of guy I am, nor the type most people would be, I suspect. However, the portrait Forte creates is an authentic, complex individual that I could absolutely see existing in the real world. He cares about a set number of things, and others, he won’t worry about until he has to. Hence why an examination of the premise can wait.

The first half hour is a really cool look at this character and how he deals with the situation he finds himself in. There’s a lot for Phil to do, being the only character in every single scene, and he gets through quite a few things in that initial episode. I don’t want to spoil much, but suffice it to say, as soon as you get to know the character a little bit, he acts exactly as one expects him to.

The thing is, there’s an emotional depth present that elevates THE LAST MAN ON EARTH above the typical sitcom. It’s known that Forte can do drama, even if he’s more familiar in comedy circles, and I wouldn’t call the first half hour a comedy any more than I would many of the thirty-minute programs on HBO and Showtime. There is funniness in it, to be sure, but there’s also real human pathos. THE LAST MAN ON EARTH does better than just deliver laughs. This is a tour de force for a deserving actor.

Because of an event at the end of the pilot, which I will not spoil, the second half hour is completely different. The second episode could possibly be more of a picture of what the series is going to be, and if it is a structure to be copied, I don’t think I will continue to love it for too long. But as a second episode, it’s highly appropriate and still very good. If the series moves on and grows from this point, then this is fine. I say this because I applaud the bold risk taking THE LAST MAN ON EARTH accomplishes and I don’t want it to get trapped in a box, which is a possibility, but not one I seriously think will happen.

Looking at the IMDB page of the show, or even the official site (which teases), it’s pretty clear that Forte will not remain alone in the series. Among those credited are Kristen Schaal (Bob’s Burgers), January Jones (Mad Men), Mel Rodriguez (Getting On), and Cleopatra Coleman (Step Up Revolution). Only one of these four appear in the first installments, and I’d prefer not to say who or under what circumstances. It’s because of this list, though, that I am optimistic about the show’s future, meaning it should continue to morph over time as it works its way through the realities of this post-apocalyptic world.

I’m sold. I hope you will be, too. THE LAST MAN ON EARTH premieres this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.

GETTING ON And On And On

Article first published as GETTING ON Review Season 2 on Seat42F.

HBO’s GETTING ON is back! For those that missed the six-episode first season a year ago, feel free to jump on into season two when the premiere episode, “No Such Thing as Idealized Genitalia,” airs this weekend, no prior knowledge needed. But for fans, you’ll delight in seeing the staff of the Billy Barnes Extended Care Unit of Mt. Palms Hospital in Long Beach, California again, who are basically up to the same things they were when last seen.

Dawn Forchette (Alex Borstein) is continuing to work for Dr. Jenna James’ (Laurie Metcalf) research study. Dawn doesn’t like working for Dr. James, and why should she? Dr. James is emotionally abusive and takes advantage of Dawn whenever she can. But for Dawn, who isn’t feeling well (something explored with a very unexpected twist late in the episode, and that will extend to future installments), she’s tired of bending over backwards to fit Dr. James’ requests in with her regular work and getting absolutely no appreciation for the effort. In fact, Dr. James expresses the opposite of appreciation.

Dr. James is under a lot of stress, admittedly. She is still fighting Dr. Paul Stickley (Mark Harelik) to get her research funded, something far from a certainty in her business. She has to put up with the hospice corporate vulture she hates (Jayma Mays, Glee) trying to make inroads in the hospital (again, something that will continue throughout the season because of another beautiful twist). She is drawn into a fight with an obnoxious patient (played by a familiar face I can’t quite remember – feel free to let me know who she is in the comments) for bed space. And she has to deal with the annoyance of Nurse Patsy de la Serda’s (Mel Rodriguez) “green” program, which results in lights turning off in the bathroom after mere seconds. But does that justify her behavior towards Dawn? Nope.

Technically, GETTING ON is a comedy. The laughs come at the characters’ expense, though. Is it fun to see Dawn get dumped on my Dr. James? No, but there’s something inherently amusing in the way Borstein shows the pathos of the downtrodden character. Does one laugh at Dr. James issues in the bathroom? Of course not, but again, there are some sight gags that will elicit a smile, even as we feel sorry for her. It’s smart, slow-burn comedy.

In “No Such Thing as Idealized Genitalia,” Nurse Didi Ortley (Niecy Nash) emerges as the heart of the show. This is something she’s been seen as before, but the role is reinforced in her behavior this week. Whether it’s taking care of her family or her co-workers, whether they could actually be called friends or not, Didi is a person who has compassion for others. This, all while making next to no money, and meeting much resistance for requesting even the smallest of raises.

This hospital highlights the ridiculousness of bureaucracy and the flawed nature of human beings. It does so without judgment, reflecting familiar traits in slightly exaggerated ways. There are very few moments you’ll laugh out loud at, but you will be amused as much as depressed by the proceedings. Though a scene where the characters finally get to air some grievances will come close to getting a chuckle.

In considering quality television, GETTING ON excels. It’s an authentic piece with nuanced characters. The cast is across-the-board excellent, both the stars and the supporting players. The world is well-developed, and if anything has changed in season two, it’s that the writers know their parameters better, making for a more fully realized premise. I highly recommend checking it out.

GETTING ON airs Sundays at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO.

TV Review: Running Wilde

     FOX's new sitcom Running Wilde hasn't gotten that much attention.  Despite following another new sitcom, Raising Hope which is a hit, and was the first show on network television picked up for a full season this year, not details on whether Running Wilde's run will be extended have merged.  Five episodes have aired, and I still haven't decided if I like it or not, though the show had plenty going for it, and I was initially excited.

     Starring Keri Russell (Felicity) and Will Arnett (Arrested Development) as Emmy and Steve, child sweethearts who were driven apart by the very different lives they lead.  Emmy was a maid's daughter for Steve's family.  Steve allowed his father to buy him off to give up Emmy.  Now adults, Steve wishes to have Emmy back, and Emmy is in a Peruvian rain forest trying to save a tribe from Steve's father's oil company.  When Steve invites Emmy to see him get a humanitarian award (which he is giving himself), she comes with her daughter, Puddle (Stefania Owen), in tow, though only so she can try to talk him into finally standing up to his father to help her cause.  By the way, there has been no mention yet as to who Puddle's father is, so it's certainly possible that she's Steve's, but Steve is clueless enough to never ask.  Or perhaps the backstory timeline for Steve and Emmy's relationship doesn't come close to Puddle's inception.  Either way, it'd be nice to have a little clarity there.

     By the end of the pilot, Puddle has convinced her mother to stay and live in Steve's treehouse so that Puddle can go to school and lead a normal life.  Emmy doesn't need much convincing, because even though she keeps shutting down Steve's romantic overtures, she is clearly very fond of him.  Plus, he's become her latest project, as she tries to mold him into what she considers a decent human being.  Oddly, Puddle narrates the series and almost seems billed as the star, but doesn't have a lot to do past causing her mother to move in the pilot.  This is definitely Arnett and Russell's show.

     Last week's episode clearly was the second episode, even though it was aired fifth, dealing with Emmy and Puddle first settling in.  Perhaps it was held back because it wasn't that funny, and other episodes aired early inspired more laughter.  I don't know, but I wasn't impressed.  I have chuckled at moments in the series, but not so much this past week.

     Of course, three people do not make a show.  Steve has two people working for him that are part of the starring cast: Migo (Mel Rodriguez), who is Steve's friend, even though he skims some of the fortune, and Lunt (Robert Michael Morris), the old queen that tutored him.  Both are good for a few punch lines, but have yet to have any real plot or depth.  Both were recast after the pilot, and Lunt's character originally had a different name and was a woman.  Fairing slightly better is Steve's neighbor / rival / best friend / foil, Fa'ad (Peter Serafinowicz).  Though Fa'ad was an enemy in the pilot and this past week's episode, other installments have showed him more as a friend.  Sure, a superficial friend, but Steve is just as shallow.  The two connect because of similar upbrings and attitudes, and I prefer it when Fa'ad is not just trying to one up Steve.

    Interestingly enough, Will Arnett's Arrest Development co-star David Cross plays recurring character Andy (also a recast from the Running Wilde original pilot), Emmy's fiance.  Arnett is also playing a supporting role on David Cross's new show, which is currently airing on IFC, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, as Cross's boss.  The two are wonderful together, and thankfully that has been used on Running Wilde somewhat, though not a lot.

     The jury is still out on whether this show will last, or whether it deserves to.  If you'd like to watch, good luck.  Running Wilde  has been running Tuesday nights at 9:30 on FOX, however, this week Raising Hope is doing a one hour special episode, so Wilde does not appear on the schedule.  It will be showing a rerun at 12:30 Saturday night (Sunday morning), and FOX's web site lists it's timeslot at Saturday at midnight, which is not a good sign.  It is unknown if it will return to Tuesdays, or burn off the remaining episodes on Saturdays, or just disappear all together.

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