CASTLE ROCK Is Off the Map

Article first published as TV Review: CASTLE ROCK on Seat42F.

CASTLE ROCK is a new mystery series on Hulu. Set in the titular town, a small place in Maine that is literally not on the map (after unincorporating), there are is much dark and unexplained that happens here. The latest (first for the series) begins with the suicide of Warden Dale Lacy of Shawshank Prison, an event few believed likely to happen, and it only gets more twisted when it’s discovered that Lancy has kept a malnourished man prisoner in the burnt out section of the facility.

You probably recognize the name Shawshank. After all, there was a very popular film called The Shawshank Redemption set there, and that’s no coincidence. CASTLE ROCK is a Stephen King program that is not based on a specific King novel or short story. Instead, the oft-mentioned locale becomes the setting of this new television series that is very much in the spirit of King’s other works. And while there are numerous references to his writing, no prior knowledge is needed to follow this tale, as much as it can be followed at this time. (That being said, there are Easter eggs galore for hardcore fans.)

A lot about CASTLE ROCK is unknown at the start and likely to be for a while. It’s chilling tonally, similar to the best of King’s adaptations. The colors and lighting are dreary, and every character is hiding at least one big secret. It’s highly serialized, of course, and much better than recent King series like Under the Dome. Instead, I would liken it more to an elongated version of the best of King TV movies or similar genre works like American Horror Story. Though, the show does feel distinctly King-like.

At first, the cast seems sprawling, odd for a show with so few series leads. However, it soon becomes clear that there are a small number of important people that will drive the storu forward, while most play a supporting role, helping the plot along as needed. It seems likely that some of the recurring players will be in most or all of the season.

There are a lot of familiar faces. Terry O’Quinn (Lost) plays Warden Lacy, with Frances Conroy (American Horror Story) along as his wife. Bill Skarsgård (It) is “The Kid,” a.k.a. the man found in the cell that Lacy kept hidden. Noel Fisher (Shameless) is the prison guard who finds The Kid, while Ann Cusack (Mr. Mercedes) is the new warden who has to deal with the discovery and potential fallout. Sissy Spacek (Carrie) is Ruth Deaver, mother to the show’s real lead, Henry (Andre Holland, The Knick). Scott Glenn (The Defenders) is the former sheriff who found Henry when he was lost as a child and is currently shacking up with his mother. Melanie Lynskey (Togetherness) is the creepy girl next door, while Allison Tolman (Fargo) plays her sister. And Jane Levy (Suburbia) is… well, I’m just not sure who she is, but her name is Jackie Torrance, indicating she may be a descendent of Jack Torrance, famously played by Jack Nicholson in The Shining. This isn’t a complete cast list, which should tell you a lot of talented people were all too happy to sign on.

I’m inclined to agree with them all that CASTLE ROCK is worth your time. It’s complex, well-made, visually interesting, and an overall quality production. It’s creepy to the point where I couldn’t watch it right before going to sleep, a distinction I haven’t given a show in awhile. It’s also filled with promise of payoff, as the creators, Sam Shaw (Manhattan) and Dustin Thomason (The Evidence), clearly know their King and having a blast playing in his world.

The first three episodes of CASTLE ROCK are available now on Hulu, with new installments every Wednesday.

Still SHAMELESS

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Shameless - The Complete Sixth Season' on Blogcritics.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own.

Showtime’s Shameless begins airing its seventh season at the beginning of October, a quick turn-around for a cable series whose sixth season just ended its run in April. Accordingly, WB has released Shameless – The Complete Sixth Season this week, giving viewers time to catch up on the last twelve episodes if you haven’t gotten around to them yet. Or, if you’ve already seen them, picking up the two-disc set is a convenient way to get a refresher.

As has been the case with past runs of the soapy drama, Shameless‘s sixth year continues the plot threads from the year before. Fiona (Emmy Rossum) is sleeping with Sean (Dermot Mulroney), a relationship that isn’t good for either of them for oh so many reasons. Lip’s (Jeremy Allen White) choice of sexual partners is not any better, given that his lady is both married and his professor. Debbie (Emma Kenney) is trying to hide her pregnancy. Carl’s (Ethan Cutkosky) release from prison is followed by a rough readjustment at home, while Mickey (Noel Fisher) has just landed behind bars. And Frank (William H. Macy) is searching for God, though it seems highly unlikely that this man could ever truly turn over a new leaf, at least not for any real length of time.

All of that is only the beginning. From the neighborhood bar undergoing a shift in its patronage, to the Gallaghers fighting to keep their family home, season six, like past years, has no shortage of drama. Some of it is forced, but most of it doesn’t seem so for the clan that makes a lot of their own trouble. There is as much heart as there is comedy, and the terrific performances keep the show grounded, always stopping just short of being unbelievable. That’s why this is the best series of its type currently running, and I wonder how many years the quality can be sustained at this level. So far, it’s done well.

For me, the hardest thing to get past is the crassness, which, if anything, has only gotten worse in each subsequent season. This is not a family that shies away from cursing and dirty deeds, and they would not feel at home at a cocktail party. Yet, somehow, while that can be a turn-off in certain entertainment, it’s usually fine here. Even when one of the ensemble ventures into polite society, normally Lip, those he encounter have just enough allowance for him or have their own dark, if more cultured, secrets, to keep it all in balance. Tuning in regularly will definitely help viewers not to judge the lower class as strongly, with familiarity and empathy breeding affection and understanding.

I have to say, I am pleased to have Sammi (Emily Bergl) gone this year. As much as I like the actress, I never cared much for her character, and I don’t think her arcs really benefited the others’. The cast has undergone several changes over the years, with only the initially introduced Gallagher family members and neighbors Kevin (Steve Howey) and Veronica (Shanola Hampton) remaining untouched, and while some of them are regrettable (bring back Joan Cusack!), Sammi’s departure, along with her son’s, is a welcome one.

The extras on this set are slight, with only a batch of deleted scenes and two featurettes included. There are a lot of the former, batched with ten of the twelve episodes and spread across both discs, while the latter appear only on disc two. “Shamelessly Shanola” follows the actress around the set for a little under ten minutes, while “Running the Table: A Shameless Conversation” features Macy and Rossum informally grilling two of the show’s producers over a game of pool. Both are delightful and perfectly keeping in tone and style with the series, so I am glad they are included, even as I wish there was a bit more of the same.

Shameless – The Complete Sixth Season is available now and is definitely worth giving a look at.

SHAMELESS Finale Finds Two of "Lazarus"

Article first published as TV Review: 'Shameless' - 'Lazarus' on Blogcritics.

The Gallagher family in Showtime’s Shameless has always had a rough go of things. Saddled with an unreliable, alcoholic patriarch, Frank (William H. Macy), the kids have to take care of themselves. But in the fourth season, which closed this week with “Lazarus,” the obstacles they face get noticeably more challenging and adult. It’s a good thing these characters have plenty of practice hanging tough, so they are likely to survive the increased hardships.

Fiona (Emmy Rossum), is the oldest, and so serves as the mother figure for her younger siblings. This season, though, she gets a taste of a normal life and job, and perhaps feeling guilty for being pulled away from the kids, or undeserving of success, or stressed out from all she’s done, she spirals. “Lazarus” begins with Fiona in jail for a 90-day sentence on a drug charge and breaking probation. Luckily, by the end of the hour, she is released due to overcrowding and returns home, beginning to put her life back together, working as a waitress for Charlie Peters (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Magic City, Grey’s Anatomy).

I don’t think Fiona has an abuse problem; I think she is just going through something. She may not need NA or AA to stay clean because she’s not addicted to substances, but the program could still benefit her. It teaches one to look for inner strength and to work hard to better oneself. Fiona, now an adult, needs to set the course for the rest of her life, and in a sweet scene with brother Lip (Jeremy Allen White) late in the episode, it sounds like she’s taking the lesson to heart, pulling out of her dive. Thank goodness, because she’s probably the most admirable person on Shameless, prior to recent events, and she deserves to find happiness.

Part of what will help Fiona is to finally realize she doesn’t have to do everything for her family. During her stay behind bars, the household runs just fine. Lip, while busy with college, manages to pitch in and still pass his exams. Debbie (Emma Kenney) and Carl (Ethan Cutkosky), who really grow into their own stories this year, which include romances, are old enough to take care of themselves, rather than being a burden. There’s still young Liam, whose accidental endangerment begins Fiona’s mess, but with so many responsible brothers and sisters, everyone can share his care, meaning it doesn’t all fall on Fiona any more.

It’s really cool to see the other Gallaghers become more responsible. Lip’s college tenure is a success thus far, and for all his girlfriend, Amanda’s (Nichole Bloom), faults, she does help him manage his time effectively. I’m not sure he’ll stay with her, the siren call of Mandy (Emma Greenwell), who needs protecting, tempting him back to his old life, but it will probably be beneficial if he stays where he is. Debbie also matures and goes through her first real relationship, with things not playing out quite as she expects, but she finds within herself the ability to cope and get through troubles. Carl picks a terrible girl in Bonnie (Morgan Lily), but at least he shows compassion when helping out her younger siblings, indicating he will follow in his siblings’ laudable footsteps, not his father’s stumbling ones.

Carl is the most in danger of being like Frank. Unlike the others, he still looks up to the old man. The powerful final scene of “Lazarus,” evoking the installment’s title, in which Frank, who has survived nearly dying of liver failure and a stolen kidney, shouts profanity at the heavens and then begins drinking again, is disturbing, all the more so because Carl stands beside him. Up until now, Carl is rebellious, but he is also sweet, too. If Fiona, Lip, and Debbie get pulled away to their own things and forget about Carl, there is every chance he will continue to be susceptible to Frank’s poor example, which could turn him in the wrong direction. Or maybe he’ll learn the hard way not to be like Frank when Frank finally kicks the bucket, which seems a near certainty in the near future.

While all of these positive things are happening for the Gallaghers, one huge negative rears its ugly head out of nowhere in the Shameless finale. Middle child Ian (Cameron Monaghan), who has been acting strangely all season, suddenly reveals himself as being bipolar. This isn’t something easily overcome with rehab, like a drug problem, and the family is all too familiar with the symptoms, as their absentee mother suffers the same affliction. They may be able to get Ian help and medications to balance him out, but the fact remains that Ian has become the new burden on the family. Thank goodness they love him enough, and are tough enough, to help him.

They won’t have to do it alone. Ian’s boyfriend, Mickey (Noel Fisher), another character who really grows as Ian forces him to step out of the closet, is protective of Ian. He may not understand what Ian is going through yet, and isn’t in favor of medical treatment, but he cares for Ian and seeks to protect him. With these feelings firmly in place, it seems like Mickey can be brought around to what needs to be done, and that he will stick by Ian through this process. I could be wrong, and for drama’s sake, Mickey likely won’t shift easily, but I’m optimistic he can be the man Ian needs him to be.

The Gallaghers may be the center of Shameless, but they aren’t the only characters in it. I’ve particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Sheila (Joan Cusack), now married to Frank, though time will tell if that means anything, and Sammi (Emily Bergl), Frank’s eldest daughter whom he has only recently reconnected with. The two women fight bitterly over how best to take care of Frank, then return home and share a pot roast. Sammi’s fighting drive that causes her to park her trailer outside of Sheila’s house contrasts nicely with Sheila’s need to take care of people, while not really being a pushover. The timing of this latest moment, after Sheila loses a custody battle for five Native American children and Sammi could really use a parent when Frank escapes the hospital and her, couldn’t be better. I look forward to seeing how they develop next season.

Then there’s the bombshell at the end of “Lazarus”: Jimmy/Steve (Justin Chatwin) is still alive. We’ve thought him dead for an entire year, and now he’s in a car on the Gallaghers’ street with an as-yet unnamed woman (Dichen Lachman, Dollhouse). What is he doing here? How did he survive? Why has he come back now? It’s a tantalizing tease for the fans as we wait for the show’s return next January.

Character development and unexpected twists are hallmarks of the high-quality sseries about an at-times heart-warming, low-income family. It’s moving, soapy drama (entered for the first time as a comedy for the upcoming Emmys), but it’s also really developed stuff, making it better than most of its peers. Shameless has been renewed and will air its fifth season in 2015.

SHAMELESS Brings "Pleasure" To Those Who Watch It

Article first written for Seat42F.

Showtime’s SHAMELESS begins its fourth season this week with “Simple Pleasures.” Picking up shortly after last year left off, a lot has changed, despite the relatively short time jump. This season represents a new chapter in the life of the Gallaghers, and I’m anxious to see how it develops.

If this show has one lead, it’s Fiona (Emmy Rossum). She’s never been doing better than she is right now. Similar to how we last saw her, she has a steady job and is dating a good, solid, honest guy, Mike (Jake McDorman). But what we didn’t see before is that her new higher income and social circle have allowed her to actually have a life outside of the home. I don’t think she’ll ever neglect the family she’s in charge of, but it’s nice to see her not solely defined by it.

Part of why Fiona has the luxury of moving forward is because Debbie (Emma Kenney) and Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) are growing more mature. They do so in differing ways, but their emotional and physical development has taken a step forward, making them seem more adult. As such, they should have more solo stories from here on out than previously, on level with Fiona, Lip (Jeremy Allen White), and Ian (Cameron Monaghan), whom they have always seemed to be a step behind. Maybe the youngest Gallagher will even finally get a thread.

Now, neither Carl nor Debbie have left childhood behind completely. In some ways, Debbie and Carl are still kids, which is actually nice, as children don’t grow up overnight. The question is, are they just acting older because Fiona has left them on their own more and they are forced to take more responsibility? Or are they going through normal development at a natural pace?

There is more room for Debbie and Carl because a number of main characters are no longer occupying screen time. As “Simple Pleasures” begins, Frank (William H. Macy), Ian, and Jimmy / Steve (Justin Chatwin) are all missing. This does change the dynamic of the series overall. As viewers, we sort of know what’s happened with them, or at least we have more information than the other characters, but their fates are still unresolved as the episode starts.

Early in the hour, though, one of the three does show up, kicking off what could be a whole new arc for the character. I don’t want to spoil things, so I’ll remain vague, but let’s just say that the person in question has taken the path they were on as far as they can go, and they will either change or be done entirely in the near future. The other two are completely absent for now.

Sheila (Joan Cusack), despite having no direct reason to still be around, maintains a presence on SHAMELESS. She is a lost soul, and with her entire family gone, it makes sense that she would turn to the Gallaghers, whom she has more connection with than anyone else in town. It seems a delicate arrangement, and I’m not sure it’ll last, but I love Cusack, so I’m in no hurry to see Sheila go.

The Milkovichs, long characters on the show, have more of their own story in “Simple Pleasures” than we’re used to. Mickey (Noel Fisher) is pining over Ian, of course, and regretting his marriage, while Mandy (Emma Greenwell) is very much still in love with Lip, who is away at college (yes, the episode follows him there, apart from everyone else). Because the Gallaghers are no longer are serving the same roles as before and Sheila’s loved ones are absent, there’s plenty of room for the Milkovichs to step up, and I am curious where their threads might go next.

Besides all of this, there’s a big twist with Veronica (Shanola Hampton) and Kevin (Steve Howey), someone relatively important dies, and a couple has sex for the first time. So “Simple Pleasures” is eventful on its own, even while kicking off a brand new batch of stories with some changed characters.

SHAMELESS returns this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.

Hatfields & McCoys bring History alive

Premiering to record breaking numbers for cable, it is clear that the History Channel has a hit on its hands with the new miniseries Hatfields & McCoys. It's not too late to catch the six hour saga, as it continues to repeat. And catch it, you should. This is what the History Channel should do more of! Bring the stories of the past alive in well scripted, well produced drama. In this goal, Hatfields & McCoys succeeds admirably.

That's not to say the series is perfect. At times the dialogue seems hokey, though it could be authentic to the time. And sure, dramatic license is taken to spice up historical events. But the core here is a true story, and watching a series such as this will not only entertain, but enlighten the viewer to an important chapter of America's tale. That is a laudable feat.

Hatfields & McCoys stars Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves, Swing Vote) as Devil Anse Hatfield and Bill Paxton (Big Love, Twister) as Randall McCoy. Starting out as friends during the Civil War, tensions begin when Devil deserts to return to his family. This is an act Randall, a god-loving loyalist, cannot wrap his head around. It may be a minor incident, with no death involved, but it's the start of a deep misunderstanding between two honorable men, as each holds different priorities the other cannot comprehend, both of which are just.

If only that were the end of things. But then a pig is possibly stolen, and the hotter heads in both clans stir trouble. Not seeing the harm in minor clashes, Randall and Devil do not act to bring order to the families they head until it's too late. Then, as the body count rises, and the offenses continue, both are caught up in the battle themselves. Each insult must be answered with another. Not every cousin and brother can be kept in line. It's easy to see, without demonizing either party, how things spiral out of control, until it becomes nearly impossible to stop the feud. Of course, there is an end point, but for those who aren't history buffs, you'll have to watch to find out what the final straw is.

To keep Hatfields & McCoys interesting for six hours is no small chore. To accomplish this, an entire host of supporting characters are introduced in the two clans. It's hard to keep track of who belongs with who at times, making one long for the simple two-color system modern sports teams utilize in creating jerseys. They are all from a similar area of the country, and live similar lives, so by sight, there is no difference. And some of these players are taken out before they get the chance to do anything truly notable. But each adds to fleshing out the world, and keeping things moving, as well as providing a felt cost as the body count rises.

Among those who make an impression, in no particular order: Uncle Jim Vance (Tom Berenger, Inception, October Road), the war-loving Hatfield; Perry Cline (Ronan Vibert, The Borgias) as the McCoy's sleazy lawyer cousin; 'Bad' Frank Phillips (Andrew Howard, Limitless, Burn Notice), who serves as a mercenary for the McCoys to avenge a personal grudge against Uncle Jim; Levicy Hatfield (Sarah Parish, Mistresses), Devil's supportive wife; Judge Wall Hatfield (Powers Boothe, 24, Deadwood), who thinks the legal system will sort things out; Cap Hatfield (Boyd Holbrook, Milk, The Big C), a half blind sharpshooter; Cotton Top (Noel Fisher, Shameless, The Riches), a Hatfield who is mentally stunted; and Sally McCoy (Mare Winningham, Mildred Pierce, Grey's Anatomy), Randall's slightly insane wife. Each of these actors do a wonderful job, and deserve as much credit as the two leads for selling the miniseries so well.

Of course, there is a love story. How can there not be? Johnse Hatfield (Matt Barr, Hellcats, Harper's Island) is a player, who falls for Roseanna McCoy (Lindsay Pulsipher, True Blood, The Beast), a sweet girl. Their families refuse to let them be together, even though the young ones argue a marriage will help prevent an all out war between the clans. Surprisingly, love does not win.

As compelling as the story may be on the surface, it's a little hard to reconcile the presented soulful, truly good Johnse with the one who is eventually seduced by wicked cousin Nancy McCoy (Jena Malone, Sucker Punch, Life as a House), and then has four more wives later in life, as the ending scroll tells us. This feels like it might be the most twisted away from reality plot, done to further the television expectations.

Luckily, any weak points in the script, besides being overlooked because of the fantastic acting, are overshadowed be spectacular production value. Settings and costumes look great, and the music, when it doesn't veer into melodramatic territory, really helps set the tone. There is a lot to praise here, and the overall impression is very impressive. Look for some Emmy nods later this summer, and perhaps even a few wins.

If you missed it the first time, check out Hatfields & McCoys, currently running on the History Channel.


If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Article first published as  Hatfields & McCoys bring History alive on TheTVKing.com.