Keep Quiet About GAME OF SILENCE

Article first published as GAME OF SILENCE Review on Seat42F.

NBC’s latest drama, GAME OF SILENCE, is based on a Turkish show. Four best friends went through a traumatic experience in their childhood that changed everything for them. Now, as adults, they remain scarred by their experience, and at least one of them would like to do something about it. Are they getting in over their heads?

Honestly, I don’t like GAME OF SILENCE very much. The story is somewhat interesting and seems constructed well enough. They cast is fine. Events are over the top to the point where they don’t seem believable, but one could say the same about most television shows. Superficially, it seems like a good premise. So what is it that doesn’t sit right with me?

Well, for one, the characters are a little flat. The central protagonist is Jackson Brooks (David Lyons, Revolution), who has left the old neighborhood behind to become a lawyer. Everything is going right in his life before the others come back, engaged to an intelligent, beautiful woman (Claire van der Boom, Hawaii Five-O) and about to make partner, a very tired set up. Yet, while Jackson resists giving that up when his buddies ask for his help, he doesn’t exactly stay out of things. Why did he try so hard to leave in the first place if he wasn’t going to stay out?

There is a girl the group looked out for, Jessie (Bre Blair, Last Vegas), whom Jackson used to have a thing for. Now, Jessie is with someone else, but that feels false, too. It seems like TV programs always have to force a love triangle, and this one feels particularly strained, given who her current partner is. How many folks in real life break up with one person and then start dating their friend? It doesn’t seem such a common occurrence, and I struggle to comprehend why the characters in GAME OF SILENCE felt this would be OK. The formula is sometimes acceptable when the story justifies it enough or there are fitting distractions from it, but that is not the case this time.

The other players are even more underdeveloped, at least at the start. Jackson’s gang, which includes Gil (Michael Raymond-James, True Blood), Boots (Derek Phillips, Friday Night Lights), and Shawn (Larenz Tate, House of Lies), all appear to be one-note, despite the fact that they are all played by recognizable faces from quality shows. Viewers are shown what the guys want, but not why exactly, and while to some degree that is being saved for frequent flashbacks, more could easily be done to differentiate their personalities and motivations than is present.

GAME OF SILENCE feels a lot like a number of films and miniseries from the past few decades. Some kids got into trouble, and then it comes back to bite them. From It to Mystic River, the main premise has been done before at a higher quality level. Why make something that so obviously invites comparisons if it’s not going to stand up to the level of what’s come before it?

That’s probably my biggest problem with GAME OF SILENCE. It just doesn’t feel fresh and exciting. It’s almost like I’ve already seen it before, even though I know I haven’t. It relies far too much on the familiar and the cliché, rather than building a world that viewers can get lost in. With the steep competition on the airwaves today, it’s got to do better than this to stand out. I applaud NBC for making something that’s not just another crime drama, but am disappointed by the lack of creativity that went into something like this.

GAME OF SILENCE premieres Tuesday, April 12 at 10/9c on NBC.

ONCE UPON A TIME "Drifts" "Home"

Article originally written for Seat42F.

ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME ended their third season last night with two episodes: “Snow Drifts” and “There’s No Place Like Home.” While Zelena (Rebecca Mader) really is dead and is not coming back to cause more trouble, her passing has re-activated her time portal. When Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) get too close, they are sucked back into the past. They decide to seek Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) to help them return to the present, but before they find him, Emma accidentally disrupts the meeting of her parents, so that must be fixed before she can go home.

“Snow Drifts” and “There’s No Place Like Home” are really a stand-alone two-parter, much more than the wrap up of the Oz arc. Well, not stand-alone, because they culminate everything that has been building for Emma over the past three years, but they aren’t strongly tied to the rest of this half-season. It’s a really fun, reference-intensive journey for the central character, not a battle to the death with a powerful foe.

In a way, it’s good that Zelena doesn’t come back because the false defeat would ring very familiar, similar to the way Peter Pan’s fall story wraps up. On the other, this makes defeating Zelena way too simple, as I complained last week about how easily she is taken down. The trouble she causes in these episodes are purely accidental, and she herself is gone.

Emma’s tale is an Enchanted Forest remake of Back to the Future. Not only does ONCE UPON A TIME borrow the story and some of the conceits, it makes reference to the film via dialogue, just in case viewers couldn’t make the connection themselves. I assume Disney / ABC Studios doesn’t have the rights to the film, or else we might have seen a DeLorean in Rumple’s vault. Still, the parallels are obvious.

Which does not take away from how successful “Snow Drifts” and “There’s No Place Like Home” work. Emma has long been dealing with abandonment issues, and plans to leave Storybrooke now that the crisis is over. This tale wakes her up to the fact that she has a home and belongs with her family. Not only does she miss them when encountering younger versions of Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Charming (Josh Dallas) that don’t know her, but she becomes a princess herself and is permanently injected into their story. This is Emma belonging, once and for all.

Along the way, ONCE UPON A TIME includes a number of bits for the fans. Recurring players such as Granny (Beverly Elliott), the Blue Fairy (Keegan Connor Tracy), Marco (Tony Amendola), and lesser seen faces aren’t really needed, but pop up to help the world feel fully rounded out, something the series needs to do more of in the present day. Even better, the familiar characters of Snow, Charming, Rumple, Belle (Emilie de Ravine), Red (Meghan Ory), and even another Hook are trotted out and interacted with, putting Emma back in connection with who these people were, not just who they are.

The story itself is not too complex. Rumple helps Hook and Emma correct Snow and Charming’s path, disrupting Charming’s marriage to Abigail (Anastasia Griffith, a delight to see again after a long absence) by way of using younger Hook and a ball, then making a daring rescue. The individual elements that come together are far more important than the plot arc, yet it feels cohesive and without any glaring flaws, a triumph for a time travel story.

Emma’s flashbacks, at an orphanage and with Neal (Michael Raymond-James, who can’t seem to stay away, thankfully), enhance the main story. They aren’t strictly necessary, but make sense for what “Snow Drifts” and “There’s No Place Like Home” are trying to do. Plus, they are more fun glimpses of the characters of the past.

The seamless blending of past and present are very well done in these two episodes. Not only do the actors get back into hair, costumes, and makeup to match their former roles, but some scenes already seen before are viewed in a different way, especially difficult to film with a now-very-pregnant Goodwin. Yet, though a combination of body doubles and special affects magic, the visual presentation is solid in the finale.

Of course, this being ONCE UPON A TIME, nothing is without kinks. Emma’s bleeding heart results in saving the life of Maid Marian (Christie Laing, whom you may remember from last year’s “Lacey”), which interrupts the budding romance between Regina (Lana Parrilla) and Robin Hood (Sean Maguire). Regina’s first reaction to this is anger, thinking Emma is just like her mother, Snow, in ruining Regina’s life because Emma doesn’t think of consequences. Hopefully, cooler heads will eventually prevail. We don’t need a tame, domesticated Regina, but we do need one that shows how far she’s come, not ignoring all the growth she’s experienced.

The only real problem I have with these episodes are that Rumple drinks the forgetting potion after learning that Neal is dead. This Rumple of the past hasn’t gone good yet (nor has our present Rumple, apparently, tainting his wedding to Belle in an unpleasant way). This Rumple’s sole goal is to be reunited with his son. Why is he content to listen to Emma when she says that Neal’s death is for the best? And Emma is known to be a terrific liar. Why can’t she do it now, when it’s most necessary?

The slightly lesser issue is that of popping up recurring players for no reason, which should be happening all along, but because it doesn’t, it feels odd now. Why is Abigail / Kathryn at the Royal Baby party, even though we haven’t seen her in a very long time? Aurora (Sarah Bolger) is glimpsed, too, but not her husband, and still no talk about which flying monkeys our heroes might have murdered. It’s these cracks that remind us of the larger flaws in the show itself.

The cliffhanger ending is excellent. We see a blue form emerge from a container that is being kept in Rumple’s vault, now unleashed on Storybrooke. Though I haven’t seen the film Frozen myself, the internet seems to be abuzz that the new figure ties into that. It seems like perfect symmetry, bringing on characters from a very popular film onto ONCE UPON A TIME. I guess this means Carrie Fischer and Mark Hamill might want to clear their calendars in the near future?

ONCE UPON A TIME pretty much nailed the landing, after a few missteps in recent months, and now all that’s left is for fans to wait for its fall return.

ONCE UPON A TIME is "A Curious Thing"

Article originally written for Seat42F.

This week’s ONCE UPON A TIME on ABC, titled “A Curious Thing,” is the Big Reveal episode in which we find out who enacted the latest Dark Curse to bring everyone back to Storybrooke and why. It’s also the hour in which the curse is lifted and a mini-showdown with the villain is had. So it’s action-packed and full of plot twists.

It makes sense to start in the Enchant Forest during the missing year when talking about “A Curious Thing.” Our heroes know that Zelena (Rebecca Mader) wants Snow’s (Ginnifer Goodwin) baby for her end game and are clueless about how to stop her. After learning from Belle (Emilie de Ravine) that Rumple (Robert Carlyle) has been resurrected, they break into Rumple’s castle to see if he can help them. Rumple is nuts, though, so his words seem like ramblings.

There is just enough sanity leaking through from Rumple to provide a clue as to who might be able to offer assistance – Glinda the Good (Sunny Mabrey, The Client List). Snow, Charming (Josh Dallas), and Regina (Lana Parrilla) set off to find her at once. Glinda, however, can’t defeat Zelena, telling them that they need someone who is very powerful, full of light magic. Meaning they need Emma (Jennifer Morrison).

Unfortunately, the only way to get Emma back is to enact a new Dark Curse. Regina can’t do it, as Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) is whom she loves most and he isn’t in the realm. So the task falls to Snow, who must kill Charming, her true love. He willingly sacrifices himself for their baby, but before the curse can sweep over the land, Zelena shows up and drops in a potion that will wipe all of their memories (she herself has a brew to protect her own mind). Thus, we have the Storybrooke of these most recent episodes.

Of course Emma is the Savior again. She is always the one needed, a baby born of pure love. Emma is always the key to everything in ONCE UPON A TIME, so it’s not a big surprise that her family needs her again to save the day.

It is troubling, though, that Snow has it in herself to cast the Dark Curse. After all, she’s supposed to be the truly good person, and while she’s flirted with darkness in the past, it has never suited her. Still, the way the writers carefully handle the situation, making it all about love, not evil, protects Snow’s character as it unfolds.

Is it a little too easy that Snow can have Regina split her heart so that Charming can live? Yes. It seems more like the type of plot twist invented after the fact. Having written themselves into a corner, the scribes come up with this clever contrivance to keep the story going as they have it. It works, but it’s also slightly disappointing, a little bit too easy. Though, to be fair, with only three hours left, ONCE UPON A TIME doesn’t have time to stretch out Charming’s peril.

In Storybrooke, Emma, Snow, Charming, and Regina come to the conclusion that Henry’s memories must be revived to break the curse and restore everyone else’s. For some reason, only Snow can find the magic storybook, looking in a place Emma just searched. That bit is weird, but “A Curious Thing” doesn’t have time to delve into it, racing to get the book into Henry’s hands.

Meanwhile, Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) and Smee (Christopher Gauthier) are trying to spirit Henry out of town because Zelena has vowed to kill the boy if Hook doesn’t kiss Emma and take away her powers. Zelena and her monkeys act to prevent the escape, but only Emma showing up and using her magic can drive off the Wicked Witch… for now.

Hopefully Emma will get over being mad at Hook. While Hook should have told her what is going on, at least he does his best to protect her son, proving he’s a noble man, which, funnily enough, confuses Smee. And while no one trusts Hook because they didn’t send him to find Emma and he insists they did, it will have to come out that Neal (Michael Raymond-James) is behind that development eventually.

Does it bother anyone else that, during the battle, the good guys are killing flying monkeys left and right? These are their friends, like Little John, Aurora (Sarah Bolger), Phillip (Julian Morris), and others! Our heroes know that Zelena curses people into being monkeys. Shouldn’t they be attempting less lethal means in the hopes that once Zelena is defeated her victims can be restored?

Henry is super confused by the monkeys’ appearance, but touching the story book restores his mind. Soon after, Regina plants True Love’s Kiss on his forehead, and everyone remembers everything. Again, this all seems just a little too easy, but given the pacing of “A Curious Thing” and how little time is left in the season, it’s necessary to move past it. I’d rather they go a little fast that too slow right at this juncture.

It’s great that Regina is the one who kisses Henry and breaks the curse. This only reinforces her redemption arc. In fact, everything about Regina in this hour, including what is going on in the past, screams that she’s a good guy now. She’s put her evil ways behind her and is happily in love with Robin Hood (Sean Maguire). Might this be enough to make her magic light, combining with Emma to defeat Zelena?

There have been more interesting character-driven episodes of ONCE UPON A TIME, but in terms of moving along the current story, “A Curious Thing” is a solid hour, full of revelations and run-ins. It’s exciting enough to get past a couple of little gripes about a too-easy solution, and overall, I really enjoyed it.

ONCE UPON A TIME only has two weeks left in its third season. Tune in Sundays at 8 p.m. ET for the conclusion.

ONCE UPON A TIME Sees "Green"

Article first written for Seat42F.

This week’s ONCE UPON A TIME, “It’s Not Easy Being Green,” takes us into the wonderful world of Oz. We see how Zelena (Rebecca Mader) first arrived in the land as a baby, how she grew up, and how she turned out, including a confrontation with a familiar wizard. In Storybrooke, the residents’ mourning of Neal (Michael Raymond-James) is interrupted when Zelena demands a showdown with her half-sister, Regina (Lana Parrilla).

It’s nice to finally get a chance to see Oz. ONCE UPON A TIME’s Oz-arc seems to be taking place almost entirely in Storybrooke, casting David (Josh Dallas) as the Cowardly Lion, Regina as the Tin Man, Rumple (Robert Carlyle) as the Scarecrow, etc., so I wasn’t sure we’d glimpse the merry old land. It’s a too-brief look, with none of the traditional plot being show, but what there is is terrific, including a spectacular looking Emerald City, the book-accurate silver slippers, and a twister.

The Wizard himself is quite a twist, and well done to boot. As Zelena confronts the man who can supposedly give her everything, she learns he’s just a humbug named Walsh (Christopher Gorham) who collects magical artifacts, thus giving him limited power. Yes, the same Walsh Emma (Jennifer Morrison) will later be engaged to. It’s a twist I didn’t see coming, and while Zelena effectively negates the traditional telling by making Oz into a flying monkey before he ever meets Dorothy, I did enjoy this take on Oz, the land and the place.

Zelena’s own tale is much less surprising because it more or less mirrors other characters we’ve seen before in ONCE UPON A TIME. Abandoned by her mother, Cora, Zelena is raised by a man who despises her for her magical abilities. Seeking her true family, Zelena discovers her sister is being trained in the supernatural arts by Rumple, whom she enlists as her own tutor, only to later see Rumple choose Regina over herself. She’s abandoned, bitter, and out for revenge.

Sometimes, this works out for the character, as Regina has grown into a full-formed individual who, while not obsessed with redemption, is slowly working her way towards happiness and peace with her neighbors. However, Regina has friends, family, and a dashing, handsome man named Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) who is now literally guarding her heart from the Wicked Witch. Zelena has none of this, her jealousy turning her vividly verdant, and so probably can’t be saved.

The question is, can our Storybrooke heroes stop Zelena? Regina throws a wrench into the witch’s plans by hiding her heart, a vital ingredient Zelena needs in order to go back in time and get a chance to do her life over, the end game revealed to viewers in “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” But Zelena is more powerful than Regina, and it should only be a matter of time before Zelena figures out where the missing organ is, endangering not only Regina’s chance at true love, but also the fate of every person on the show.

Besides her own considerable talents, Zelena still has the Dark One under her control. Attempts by Belle (Emilie de Ravin) to break through the Dark One’s persona to the real Rumple fail, the dagger’s control over Rumple appearing absolute. If the good guys can somehow steal Rumple away from Zelena, then they have a powerful ally to use against her. If not, the two strongest magicians in existence are on the wrong side and all appear\ doomed. Unless the Savior can find it within herself to step up again.

I really enjoyed “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” Though Zelena’s story is a little old-hat, the Oz stuff is cool, and the scenes between Zelena and Regina, Regina and Robin Hood, and Belle and Rumple are really, really good stuff, getting into the emotional substance of the series. Add to that a moving side story in which Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) gives Henry (Jared Gilmore) a bit of insight into his departed father, as well as a display of grief from the townsfolk, and there’s a lot to praise in the hour. Overall, this season of ONCE UPON A TIME has been the best yet, and the latest installment does nothing to diminish that impression.

ONCE UPON A TIME airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.