In the Shadow of THE LOOMING TOWER

Article first published as TV Review: THE LOOMING TOWER on Seat42F.

Hulu’s latest miniseries is THE LOOMING TOWER. Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Lawrence Wright, the ten episodes cover the lead up to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Beginning in 1998, with some flashes to hearings well after the fact, we see both the FBI and CIA bungle up their own investigations while refusing to work together, telling the vital story of how Osama bin Laden may have been prevented from killing thousands, but wasn’t. It’s pretty good drama.

At the center of THE LOOMING TOWER is John O’Neill (Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom). He’s head of the FBI New York branch, and he has personal issues with just about everyone in his life. His subordinates seem to mostly respect him, but his bosses don’t, nor do the CIA officers he comes in contact with. Thankfully for O’Neill, Richard Clarke (Michael Stuhlbarg, Fargo) listens to him, but Clarke can only do so much. If O’Neill’s professional flaws aren’t enough for you, he has multiple girlfriends and a wife in various locales, so he’s a deeply flawed character.

Contrast that with Ali Soufan (Tahar Rahim, A Prophet), a more traditional hero. Ali may have joined the FBI on a dare, but he is totally committed to working under O’Neill and trusts the boss’ judgment. He doesn’t hesitate to drop personal matters at a moment’s notice when called upon to do his duty, and is only too eager to put himself into dangerous situations if he thinks he can do some good. O’Neill tempers Ali by looking at the bigger picture, but that’s about the only place where O’Neill is better.

Other than those two, most of the other characters are much smaller. From CIA antagonist Martin Schmidt (Peter Sarsgaard, The Killing), to Schmidt’s loyal underling, Diane Priest (Wrenn Schmidt, Outcast), to teacher Heather (Ella Rae Peck, Gossip Girl), to many others, THE LOOMING TOWER is stuffed full of players, each with their own story and agenda, most of them minor to the main plot. This makes sense for a dramatization of this nature, which surely has a lot of moving parts. And with ten episodes, the miniseries doesn’t need to stay too focused. Still, much of their scenes seem like fluff, rather than driving the story forward, even if the supporting characters are fully formed.

An exception to that is Robert Chesney (Bill Camp, The Night Of). Although his role as a member of O’Neill’s team is not a huge one, he has some very compelling scenes in the first couple of hours that really make him an interesting character.

THE LOOMING TOWER has the weight of an HBO-level miniseries, and is a strong contender come awards season. It has great performances and the heft of being mostly real. The production value and directions are of good quality, and its narrative is smart and cohesive.

Where it wavers for me a bit is the pacing. It feels like it’s balancing too much, and is weighed down by it. When certain characters are on screen, it flies beautifully. When they’re gone, or when we’re venturing into O’Neill’s romantic territory, it falters. I enjoyed the first two hours I watched and will likely watch more, but I can’t help but feel that a leaner series would have worked better. The time frame covered could have been extended if they still wanted to make the same number of episodes.

One thing I thought was pretty cool was that the World Trade Center towers are not glimpsed for quite awhile at the beginning. And the only shot of them in the first two installments is in the background, not a focus of anything happening. They loom over everything, but aren’t part of the story. Not yet, anyway.

Hulu has released three episodes of THE LOOMING TOWER, with more coming weekly.

THE SLAP Stings

Article first published as THE SLAP Review on Seat42F.

Zachary Quinto as Harry, Thomas Sadoski as Gary | THE SLAP | Photo : Virginia Sherwood/NBC

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NBC’s new mini-series, THE SLAP, premiered last night. Based on the book of the same name, and following a successful Australian adaptation, this drama tells the story of a man slapping a child who is not his own at a party and the fallout from the incident. It will unfold over eight weeks, presumably showing us the varied lives of the group gathered who witness the encounter, as well as what happens to the man who slaps.

THE SLAP starts out interestingly enough. Narrated by the great Victor Garber (Alias, Titanic, Eli Stone), viewers are introduced to Hector (Peter Sarsgaard, The Killing, Jarhead), a man just turning 40 who is passed over for a major promotion at work. Hector is also frustrated with his wife, Aisha (Thandie Newton, Rogue), the type of woman who passes up a free vacation to Greece because she’s busy with her job, which leads to him fantasizing about the babysitter, Connie (Makenzie Leigh, Gotham). Hector is able to resist those fantasies until he finds out that Connie shares them, but even then, he’s not willingly to all-out cheat on his wife. Yet, anyway.

The first twenty minutes of the show, painting the portrait above, are actually interesting. They’re not wholly original, of course, a restless man in a mid-life crisis being a familiar archetype, as is the ingénue that catches his attention. But because Sarsgaard and Garber are involved, I liken it to a weaker version of The Affair playing out, and it’s good.

Unfortunately, the show goes downhill fast when everyone else arrives at Peter’s house for his birthday party. Suddenly, there are lots of people whom the show does a poor job of explaining the relationships between, mentioning a few connections, but mainly just tossing everyone together. There are also some very flat roles, and tons (and I do mean tons) of foreshadowing for the upcoming conflict. The party sequence takes what seems like a higher-quality, quiet drama and turns it into a predictable cartoon.

This is most obvious in the dynamic between fathers Harry (Zachary Qunito, American Horror Story, Star Trek) and Gary (Thomas Sadoski, The Newsroom), as well the behavior of Gary’s son, Hugo (Dylan Schombing, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce). Hugo is the epitome of an out-of-control, spoiled brat, making messes on purpose and endangering the other children. Gary and his wife, Rosie (Melissa George, The Good Wife, reprising the role from the Australian version), don’t punish Hugo, allowing the walking, talking kid to breast feed instead. This offends Harry, who has extreme anger issues, and Gary and Harry bicker often.

The slap itself is equally ludicrous. The kid is a brat, absolutely, and should be spanked (in my opinion) – by his parents. Instead, Harry slaps him not to stop an action being taken, but to get his attention and to punish. I know there are anger issues involved, but what kind of grown man hits a child in their face, hard, especially in those circumstances? Harry is a complete, irredeemable monster, and his lack of being apologetic is inexcusable, even among those who approval of corporal punishment.

I think all of the telegraphing of the event is worse than the slap itself because, not only is the series called THE SLAP, but promos for it heavily feature Harry smacking Hugo. I haven’t seen the Australian version and have no idea how it was marketed, so I’m judging the U.S. production purely on its own approach. I’d probably still object if I didn’t know Harry and Hugo were the two involved in the titular event because of the lack of subtlety in how the situation is presented, but if viewers weren’t aware of who slapped who, at least THE SLAP could trick us with teasing several possibilities instead of delivering something so ridiculously packaged.

I don’t blame the failure of THE SLAP’s first episode on the cast. All of those listed above are usually great performers (though Quinto seems miscast here), and they are joined by Uma Thurman (Smash, Kill Bill), Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl, Easy A), Brian Cox (Braveheart), Marin Ireland (Homeland, Masters of Sex), Maria Tucci (Law & Order), and Lucas Hedges (Moonrise Kingdom). This is a pretty strong ensemble, so if they can’t make a script work, that’s saying something, unfortunately.

Still, The Slap is not completely without promise. Like I said, I really enjoyed the first twenty minutes or so. If the other seven episodes can really focus on character development, using the actors’ strengths to tell a moving, personal drama, it could be worth watching. But the sheer shallowness and sloppiness of most of this first hour is disappointing, so while I’ll probably give the series a second chance, if it doesn’t clean up its act, it likely won’t get a third.

The Slap airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

DVD Review: ‘The Killing – The Complete Third Season’

Article first published as DVD Review: 'The Killing - The Complete Third Season' on Blogcritics.

After initially being cancelled at the conclusion of season two, AMC brought The Killing back for a third season last year. The Killing‘s first two runs, each spanned a single murder case and its effect on the victim’s family and community. The third season, now out as a three-disc DVD set, The Killing: The Complete Third Season, follows a string of serial killings, keeping the focus more on the detectives working the case, with fewer side characters than either of the first two seasons.

At first, it’s a bit startling to get into The Killing‘s third outing. Many of the characters regular viewers have come to know quite well, such as Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell), Mitch Larsen (Michelle Forbes), Stan Larsen (Brent Sexton), Gwen Eaton (Kristin Lehman), and more are gone. This shrinks the world considerably, and I do find myself wondering from time to time, what are they up to? A mention here or there perhaps (which barely happens for a couple of characters) isn’t enough, and no one from the first case returns.

However, the linchpins of The Killing are and always have been Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman). Although the investigation plot explores other avenues, the narrative always returns to the pair of detectives and how they handle the pressures of the case. Both are back, and while Linden is not working for law enforcement when year three begins, it doesn’t take long for the duo to return to form, chemistry intact.

Which is not to say there’s no one else in the mix this time around. A convicted killer on Death Row, Ray Seward (Peter Sarsgaard, Jarhead), someone Linden had put away, figures prominently when the bodies piling up cast doubt on his guilt. A tough orphan living on the streets named Bullet (Bex Taylor-Klaus, Arrow) tugs our heart strings as we see the depressing world she and her friends inhabit. 

The Complete Third Season feels tighter, which it has to be, by necessity. I am one of the few who didn’t get angry when Rosie Larsen’s murderer wasn’t brought to justice in the first season, thinking The Killing brilliant for bucking expectations. In season three, the story is just as good and the mystery equally compelling, but the writers bend to the will of the people by neatly resolving the plot at the conclusion of the twelve installments. This speeds up the pacing a bit, which should satisfy those ‘fans’ who drifted away.

I like the way in which season three reaches into the backgrounds of the characters, Linden in particular. Even though the case at hand is new, it brings up things referenced in the first two years, and events that happened before the series begins. This gives the arcs a sense of continuity, and allows the show to draw a bigger picture than a simple, self-contained season would produce.

If you’re hesitant to jump in, knowing AMC canceled the show again after viewer numbers stayed low for the revival, know that Netflix ordered an additional six episodes, available now, so that The Killing can complete its tale and end on its own terms. What that means is we now have a complete, four-season saga to enjoy.

Unfortunately, there are no extras at all included on this disc. I don’t understand why the studio would choose to forgo bonus features, other than to possibly save money, and this is in line with other recent Fox DVD releases. But it’s highly disappointing, all the same, as the story of the show’s resurrection should have been told, at the bare minimum.

The Killing – The Complete Third Season is available now.

THE KILLING Returns to "The Jungle"

Article first published as THE KILLING Season 3 Premiere Review on Seat42F.

Grade: 93%

About a year after its cancellation, THE KILLING returns to AMC with the two-hour opener of season three. Titled “The Jungle; That You Fear the Most,” the story picks up a year after the events of the Rosie Larsen case, with Holder (Joel Kinnaman) seeking out a reclusive Linden (Mireille Enos) when his current murder investigation seems to tie into her former career.

As someone who loves THE KILLING, I am thrilled that it has been rescued from the TV graveyard for another year. The first two hours of the new season, despite the things that have changed in the main characters’ lives, and the absence of many familiar faces, feels like a return to form. In the same bleary, dark setting, the depressing tone of murder hangs in the air.

Similarly, Linden and Holder are able to pick up right where they leave off. The chemistry between the pair in their first meeting, having not seen each other in quite awhile, immediately reminds me of what was so good about the first two seasons. There is genuine affection there, but also a want to avoid the things that they dislike in themselves when glimpsed in each other. Even a little lie about a dropped smoking habit demonstrates this beautifully, and says a lot about the two.

Like the first two years, season three takes awhile to get started. We see a dead body early in “The Jungle; That You Fear the Most,” but I would not claim that the investigation gets off on the right track. There are plenty of details that will likely eventually be clues, and we are introduced to a great many people who will be suspects. But THE KILLING is a slow burn and will not be rushed into getting the leads to where they need to be.

Unfortunately, they won’t be able to drag their feet too long. Unlike seasons one and two, which spent twenty-six hours solving one murder in a very intriguing fashion, really dwelling on the pain and suffering and toil that goes into such a venture, season three promises to catch the killer in twelve hours. This makes sense to keep eyes glued to the screen, given the legions of so-called “fans” who abandoned ship after season one failed to wrap things up and got THE KILLING canceled in the first place, but it’s disappointing to those who would like the show to take its time and do what it does best.

Unlike the Larsen case, in which a family grieves, the victims (plural because we’re dealing with a serial killer) in season three appear to be homeless teenagers. It’s a very bleak scene, kids living on the street, and a number of them are in the central cast. This contingent includes: Bullet (Bex Taylor-Klaus), a tough, butch lesbian; Kallie (Cate Sproule), Bullet’s best friend who has been kicked out by her mother, Danette (Amy Seimetz, Family Tree); and Lyric (Julia Sarah Stone, Vampire Dog), Bullet’s crush who is with a wannabe model named Twitch (Max Fowler, Mayday), who is just using Lyric. Some of these kids may care about one another, but it’s not the same thing.

Which is good. THE KILLING doesn’t want to repeat itself, and it doesn’t. It moves forward in a new direction that continues the personal journey of the two leads of the show, and introduces another group of people living in Seattle. The homeless kids are not something that has really been explored on a weekly basis in series television before, and they raise awareness of a real-life issue, while creating a rich, fresh tapestry for the story.

But sometimes to move forward, one must go back. Linden is stuck in a low-wage job, her son, Jack (Liam James, no longer a main character), lives half a country away, and she is still haunted by a previous murder, especially when she learns that the killer she put away, Ray Seward (Peter Sarsgaard, Jarhead), may be innocent of the crime. Jack asks Linden what she’s still doing in Seattle, and this premiere tells us: she has unresolved issues that she must deal with before she can move forward. Newlywed Regi (Annie Corley) may disagree, but from a narrative perspective, Linden needs to get back into the police game.

Holder, on the other hand, seems to be doing well. He’s close to a promotion, dressing in suits, and is definitely the more competent part of his professional partnership with Carl Reddick (Gregg Henry, Scandal). He also seems happily in a relationship. So his tale might just be to realize his calling, which he may have already found, rather than advancing solely for the sake of advancement.

On a side note, Jewel Staite (The L.A. Complex, Firefly, Stargate: Atlantis) plays Holder’s love interest, and is introduced with an instant Serenity reference. Joss Whedon fans owe THE KILLING a debt of gratitude.

Besides Holder and Linden, the most compelling character this year will probably be Ray. Sarsgaard gives us a man who may be innocent, but who sure doesn’t seem like he is, and is not making any friends on Death Row. Does this mentality stem from trauma in his past? A coping mechanism? Is he feeling guilty for something? Is he just a jerk? Sarsgaard makes me want to find out.

Two wonderful hours, and it’s like THE KILLING never left. With a great story, fantastic set up, and a group of new players every bit as interesting as those of the first two seasons, I look forward very much to watching this latest mystery unfold. Even if I’m still hoping for a Mayor Richmond (Billy Campbell) cameo at some point.

THE KILLING premieres Sunday, June 2nd at 8 p.m. ET on AMC.