SWEET and BITTER

Article first published as TV Review: SWEETBITTER on Seat42F.

One of Starz’s newest half hour dramas is SWEETBITTER, based on the Stephanie Danler novel of the same name. In it, Tess slips away from her home to move to New York City with barely any money or possessions to her name. Finding a cheap flat, selling her car for rent money, she desperately looks for work until she lands at one of the best restaurants in the city as a waitress. But will she survive the demanding work and low pay in the service industry to find her dreams realized? And what exactly are those dreams?

SWEETBITTER doesn’t make clear what Tess (Ella Purnell, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children) wants or what she’s doing in the Big Apple in the first episode. Instead, it seems the audience is just expected to understand her passion, shared by so many who have come before her. Tess’s journey is so much a trope that, until one stops to really consider it, it’s easy to miss the most basic, all-important details about the protagonist are entirely missing. We’re not even really told or shown where she’s from. This is just the stereotypical young person fleeing to the big city plot, a classic coming of age in a fresh, exciting world for a fish out of water, that has been done so often.

That being said, SWEETBITTER isn’t terrible. The cast is filled with fine performers like Caitlin FitzGerald (Masters of Sex), Paul Sparks (House of Cards), Tom Sturridge (On the Road), and Evan Jonigkeit (X-Men: Days of Future Past). Sparks, in particular, stands out, always great at playing the observer in a busy situation. Here, he’s Howard, the boss in the restaurant, but he still listens more than he talks, exuding quiet authority. It’s an ensemble cast that works, and that’s why one may forget about the glaring omissions. For a little while, anyway.

What is more concerning is the question, does SWEETBITTER know where it wants to go? The entire first episode is just Tess looking for employment, meeting all the other characters, and working through her first shift in the restaurant. The majority of the running time is spent on the last item of that list. So while we can see the type of person she is in a particular situation, we’re not sure what she hopes to accomplish or why she came, which means it isn’t clear where the story is heading. If the writers know this, great, but eventually they’re going to have to start showing it.

Instead, the series seems more concerned with the journey, which is a valid choice, if there were only a little bit better established structure around it. Tess takes moments in the chaos to savor an exotic food or talk to an old lady, and that’s fine. Those are interesting moments. But they would be all the more poignant if we understood the context or what they mean to her, rather than just taking at face value that these things are helping her to grow. How? And towards what?

SWEETBITTER seems to be all style and tone, without the depth of substance to support it. It’s enjoyable, but superficial. Given that it is based on a novel, presumably there’s a story set to emerge. But what works in the written world, a slow set up, may not be as satisfying in the television industry, where the end is less defined and there’s less certainty of a payoff, even a less than satisfying one. Hopefully, the next few installments will fill in the gaps, essential if the series wants to attract much of an audience.

SWEETBITTER airs Sundays on Starz.

Paramount is WACO

Article first published as TV Review: WACO on Seat42F.

You likely haven’t heard of the Paramount Network. After all, that network name has only been on air for about ten days. The channel formerly known as Spike TV, and before that, as TNN, has changed names once again. And with that change comes a new direction for the network, as evidenced by their miniseries WACO, which premiered this past week. I can’t imagine WACO airing under their past network names.

WACO tells the story of the FBI and ATF seizing the Waco, Texas ranch of cult leader David Koresch back in the spring of 1993. The six episodes cover the lead up to the 51-day stand-off, through the event itself. The story as portrayed here is based on two biographies, one from each side of the conflict. The first was penned by David Thibodeau, a survivor who joined the commune about nine months before the famous proceedings. The other is from the perspective of hostage negotiator Gary Noesner. Both play significant roles in the miniseries, and it provides some balance to get the law enforcement and a commune member’s point-of-view.

At the center of the cult is charming, relatable, earnest David Koresh (Taylor Kitsch, Friday Night Lights), a man who claims to have biblical visions. He has surrounded himself by many followers who buy into his words. Some, like Steve Schneider (Paul Sparks, House of Cards), are educated, and some, like Thibodeau (Rory Culkin, Signs) are not. WACO explores some of the mentality of a person who would follow Koresh, and how that can span across different demographics.

Tension within the commune starts well before the feds arrive. David has made everyone swear themselves to celibacy, except himself and the women he chooses to lay with. He calls it a sacrifice, but his best friend Steve doesn’t appreciate it when his wife, Judy (Andrea Riseborough, Bloodline), becomes pregnant. Nor does David’s main squeeze, Rachel (Melissa Benoist, Supergirl), seem all that happy about her man fathering a child by someone else. So it is clear there are issues long before things get violent.

At the same time, Gary (Michael Shannon, Boardwalk Empire) provides a look at how the FBI and ATF don’t exactly have it together, either. There is a culture that demands results and covers up mistakes. Funding is at stake, and not everyone seems determined to do the right thing to keep the money flowing. Gary is seen as the stereotypical hero, a man who will stick to his personal moral compass no matter what. Yet, Gary isn’t the one in charge. With all of the disagreements and political motivation shown, it’s no wonder that things don’t go smoothly when they’re asked to take down the ranch.

WACO is an entertaining and compelling miniseries. A top-notch cast ensures that it flows and the characters are understandably complex. At the same time, the various elements thrown together here provide a pretty detailed, comprehensive picture of the situation. They foreshadow the things that go wrong by showing us how the event didn’t unfold in a vacuum, and neither side was perfect. I don’t seek to excuse a cult leader, and I don’t think WACO does, either. But it does try to be fair in its storytelling, and I think it succeeds pretty well at that.

I liked the first episode of WACO a lot, and hope to catch the other five hours. If this smart, enjoyable, well-made series is the type of thing viewers should expect from the Paramount network, I think it will do its movie namesake proud and Paramount could become a cable player. Though it has awhile to go before we can call that for sure.

WACO airs Wednesday evenings on the Paramount network through February.

Experience THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE

Article originally published as THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE Review on Seat42F.

In 2009, Steven Soderbergh released an interesting little film called THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE. It followed a high-class escort named Christine (porn star Sasha Grey) who worked under the name Chelsea, providing the illusion of a relationship for men who could pay (a lot) for it. Now Starz, with Soderbergh producing, is bringing that world to the small screen in a weekly half-hour (non-comedy) show, premiering this week.

This time around, Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road) plays Christine / Chelsea. Instead of glimpsing a few select days, this version of THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE delves into why Christine would get involved in prostitution in the first place, as well as how she balances a “normal” life with her nighttime work. It’s a fascinating character study of a ripe, but little-seen, subject, begging for a series such as this.

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE rises and falls on Keough. Only spending a small amount of the running time with her clothes off, she has to have acting talent to remain captivating, something less of a concern in a film. Keough is Elvis’ granddaughter, and has a sex appeal like the King, but in a more reserved way, which left me unsure if she was any good or not through at least the first episode. Yet, the more I watched, the more I was captivated by her performance, which mixes an almost cold woman in her personal relationships with someone who craves the attention and power one gets from selling one’s body. She’s very interesting.

Christine becomes aware of this career option through her friendship with Avery (Kate Lyn Sheil, House of Cards), who already has a steady man financing her life. At first, Avery seems to want to show off and maybe shock Christine a little. But once Avery introduces Christine to her version of a pimp, Jacqueline (Alexandra Castillo, The 6^th Day), Avery becomes uncomfortable with how successful Christine becomes, almost overnight, knocking their pairing out of alignment.

This friendship is a lynchpin in the early episodes, but seems like it probably won’t be in the near future, despite Sheil being listed as a main player. The dynamic between Avery and Christine is a strange one, as much about competition as it is affection, and with no other friends shown, the more we see of Avery, the more she seems to reflect something about Christine. I’ll let others debate if this says something about female bonds in modern society, simply stating it makes for good TV.

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE doesn’t stay confined to the sex trade. We follow Christine to her internship at a prestigious law firm, where she works for partner David Tellis (Paul Sparks, Boardwalk Empire). Christine’s relationship with David is a strange one, too, Christine not seeming to fit into the normal framework of human interaction, and I can’t help but wonder how soon it will be before David gets pulled into her after-hours work. It seems an inevitability to me.

What is compelling about that, though, is the inclusion of Erin Roberts (Mary Lynn Rajskub, 24) as a core cast member. Erin works with David, and is nice enough to Christine. But I can’t see Erin approving of any personal relationship between David and his underling, and that seems like fertile ground for THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE to move to once it gets through the Avery arc.

And this is just skimming the tip of what this show could be. Delving into the mind of a smart, driven woman who makes some choices outside of the social norm (and hangs with creepy older gentlemen) is fascinating stuff, and this show is a lot more than just a titillating tease. Sure, I assume we’ll get some juicy kink eventually, but that’s not what the main draw is, and I would recommend it to anyone, male or female, who likes original quality entertainment. It’s a very well made show, with atmosphere and pacing that set it apart.

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE premieres this Sunday on Starz, which , for those who have abandoned cable (like myself), is now available as a subscription through Amazon.