Who Is THE GREATest?

Article first published as TV Review: THE GREAT on Seat42F.

Last month, Hulu premiered THE GREAT, a series about Catherine the Great and her combative marriage to Peter in Prussia during the 18th century. Far from a straight period piece, though the costumes don’t look modern, it’s an outrageous, cartoonish take on the scandals, with huge liberties drawn in events and lineage. Despite the complete lack of accuracy, which the show does not disguise, it’s a fun, salacious romp in the vein of Gossip Girl or other teen dramas. But do the kids want to watch this genre in a foreign land and time? If they won’t, I will.

I’ll admit, I loved Gossip Girl, and a few other shows like it. I have also thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve watched of THE GREAT. It’s not high-brow, but it is high-quality in the way its made. The plot makes sense, and the characters are well-developed. The acting is delightful. Yet, something about the way it leans into the messiness and away from facts makes it seem less-than the sum of its parts. This doesn’t affect the glee to be had in watching, but it does keep it out of a list of prestige television. Even though, from the standpoint of originality and its production, it might just deserve to be up there. There’s a certain superficial sheen over the whole thing, which is not a complaint, but a stylistic choice.

Elle Fanning (Super 8) stars as Catherine. Elle plays her as intelligent, but prone to giving in to emotion. She can fake her way along at court, but is so self-righteous that she struggles at first to do so, even when it endangers herself and others. THE GREAT doesn’t spend too much time dwelling on this, but just enough. Layers are added as the piece unfolds, such as her surprising taking to Leo (Sebastian De Souza, Medici), the lover her husband ‘gifts’ her. But her best moments are when she plots with her lady’s maid, an out-of-favor noble named Marial (Phoebe Fox, Eye in the Sky). (It must be said, Fox steals every scene she’s in.) Fanning may be at her best when Catherine runs roughshod over counselor Orlov (Sacha Dhawan, Iron Fist), whom she wants to help kill her husband, while he just wants to bring modernity slowly and safely to the country, one beard at a time.

Speaking of the husband Catherine is locked into a mortal battle with, Peter is played by Nicolas Hoult (X-Men: First Class). It’s easy to underestimate what Hoult is doing with the childish dummy, a petty tyrant who embraces pleasure and demands love and devotion while giving none in return. This isn’t Peter the Great; this is his son (grandson in real life) who cannot live up the shadow of his father, and is too consumed with love for his dad to see that everyone else has perceived the failing. It’s a thankless role, one viewers will root against, but upon later reflection, Hoult is killing it in the part, certainly a contender for best performance in the show.

There are also plenty of players at court. Like Peter’s lover, Georgina (Charity Wakefield, Wolf Hall), who has more depth than you might expect. Georgina’s husband, Grigor (Gwilym Lee, Midsomer Murders), doesn’t like sharing his wife, but has to take that out on others than the man who is to blame. The Archbishop (Adam Godley, Breaking Bad) is like a Rasputin at first, though far less effective. Drunkard general Velementov (Douglas Hodge, Penny Dreadful) is in control of practically nothing.

If you’re trying to learn about Catherine and Peter, it must be noted that they were married many years before he was in charge, though in this series, he’s already ruling when she arrives. Instead, his Aunt Elizabeth (Belinda Bromilow, Doctor Doctor) was the competent leader, portrayed in this as a crazy, though kind, nut. And once Peter did ascend, Catherine deposed him within six months. I don’t think that’s the path THE GREAT will take, as the battle between them is too much a part of the fabric of the show.

I find myself reluctant to praise THE GREAT too highly purely because of the zaniness it embraces without trying to be an obvious comedy. Yet, as I’ve said, I find much joy in watching it. If you want something that is both deadly and light, silly in its seriousness and serious about its silliness, or just a grounded period romp, then check it out

THE GREAT’s entire first season is available on Hulu now.

Blu-ray Review: An Adventure in Space and Time

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Doctor Who’ – ‘An Adventure in Space and Time’ on Blogcritics.

As part of Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary celebration, BBC America aired a made-for-TV movie called An Adventure in Space and Time. This two-hour film gives us a piece of the story of the early days at the BBC when Doctor Who was first being made, with a focus on the show’s first titular star, William Hartnell (David Bradley, Harry Potter, Broadchurch), and producer Verity Lambert (Jessica Raine, Call the Midwife).

This project is a huge one to tackle. Not only does An Adventure in Space and Time reveal the origins of a legendary show, which is one of the longest-running series ever, but it also represents a bold, brave era for the network, an important tale to tell. Talk about groundbreaking, Doctor Who was the BBC’s first real attempt at science fiction and Lambert was the youngest producer at the network, the only female producer at the time. An important tale of this magnitude deserves better than this TV movie, unfortunately.

Now, let me preface my opinion by saying An Adventure in Space and Time is pretty good, definitely enjoyable. I think the acting is terrific, and I am excited to learn new things about this show and era. It is well-paced and the production looks good.

But it feels like a TV movie, rather than an epic film, not a good choice for such an iconic moment in history. Much of the story is told in small vignettes, stand-alone occurrences, rather than a cohesive narrative. Either Verity or Hartnell could easily rate their own full movie, but instead, each part is cut down so that there’s room for them both in one production. By combining them, both are under-served, without much exploration as to what Verity herself did to help the show along. Hartnell’s plot is bit more complete, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, but still, I would like a few more details, including a slower descent at the end. Not to mention, the film starts at the end then flashes back to the beginning, a tired trope that comes across as quite cheesy.

Bradley and Raine could pull off more complex versions of the roles, I’m sure. They both manage to get a lot into their parts, conveying beyond what’s on the page. We see Hartnell’s rise and fall, and what it costs him. We see Verity coming into her own. Were they given more time, or if this were made into a miniseries rather than confined to two hours, these actors could have absolutely risen to an award-bait level.

They are joined by Sacha Dhawan (Outsourced, Chuggington) as director Waris Hussein, another part that feels like it didn’t get is due. While playing a smaller role in the history, and thus confined to only a portion of the movie, Dhawan makes an impact. Sadly, he is not developed much beyond filling a vital, but small, position.

Other than those three, most of the rest of the cast are merely on the sidelines, with only a couple that sort of stand out a bit. Brian Cox’s (Bob Servant Independent, Deadwood) Sydney Newman is overblown and cartoonish, in a good way, fitting for someone of his temperament in his position. Claudia Grant seems to capture Carole Ann Ford perfectly. Lesley Manville, Jeff Rawle, Jemma Powell, and Jamie Glover all play parts that should matter, but are largely forgettable, likely more because of a lack of focus from the script than the performers themselves.

Luckily, this release is flush with extras. The very first Doctor Who serial, “An Unearthly Child,” is included in its entirety (with its own bonus features) so fans can compare the look of An Adventure in Space and Time to the actual episodes. There’s a “Making Of” narrated by Carole Ann Ford herself, as well as a featurette on William Hartnell, delete scenes, and reconstructions. Best of all (in my mind) is a comedy sketch about the creation of Doctor Who starring producer Mark Gatiss and David Walliams. These help make the set feel worth it, and as I said, the film itself isn’t bad, if you can get past the squandered potential.

An Adventure in Space and Time is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.

An Adventure in Space and Time

Article first published as TV Review: 'An Adventure in Space and Time' on Blogcritics.

As part of Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary celebration, which was in full swing last week, BBC America aired a made-for-TV movie called An Adventure in Space and Time. This two-hour film takes us back to the early days at the BBC, when Doctor Who was first being made, and gives us a piece of that story, with a focus on the show’s first titular star, William Hartnell (David Bradley, Harry Potter, Broadchurch), and producer Verity Lambert (Jessica Raine, Call the Midwife).

An Adventure in Space and Time is an important tale. Not only does it reveal the origins of a legendary series which is one of the longest-running shows ever, but it also represents a bold, brave era for the network. It was the BBC’s first real attempt at science fiction. Lambert was the youngest producer there, and the only female producer at the time. Because of this, it deserves better.

I won’t say I didn’t enjoy An Adventure in Space and Time. It was actually pretty good. I thought the acting was terrific, and I was excited to learn new things about this show and era. It was well-paced and the production looked good.

But it felt like a TV movie, rather than an epic film. Much of the story was told in small vignettes, stand-alone occurrences, rather than a cohesive tale. Either Verity or Hartnell could rate their own full movie, but instead, each part is cut down so that there’s room for them both here. I felt like both were under served in this way, without much exploration as to what Verity herself did to help the show along. Hartnell’s plot is bit more complete, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, but still, I would have liked a few more details, including a slower descent at the end, and the cheesiness of starting at the end then flashing back should not have been allowed.

Bradley and Raine could pull off more complex versions of the roles, I’m sure. They both manage to get a lot into their parts, conveying beyond what’s on the page. We see Hartnell’s rise and fall, and what it costs him. We see Verity coming into her own. Were they given more time, or if this were made into a miniseries, rather than confined to two hours, these actors could have absolutely risen to an award-bait level.

They are joined by Sacha Dhawan (Outsourced, Chuggington) as director Waris Hussein. Waris is another part that feels like it didn’t get is due. While playing a smaller role in the history, and thus confined to only a portion of the movie, Dhawan makes an impact. Sadly, he is not developed much beyond filling a vital, but small, position.

Other than those three, most of the rest of the cast are merely on the sidelines, with only a couple that sort of stand out a bit. Brian Cox’s (Bob Servant Independent, Deadwood) Sydney Newman is overblown and cartoonish, in a good way, fitting for someone of his temperament in his position. Claudia Grant seems to capture Carole Ann Ford perfectly. Lesley Manville, Jeff Rawle, Jemma Powell, and Jamie Glover all play parts that should matter, but are largely forgettable, likely more because of a lack of focus from the script than the performers themselves.

I do think An Adventure in Space and Time is worth watching; as I said, I enjoyed it. I just mourn for the potential that hasn’t been reached, especially when there is never a more opportune time for a project such as this.

Wired hits DVD in the US this Tuesday

     New on DVD from Acorn Media is the well received 2008 British TV miniseries, Wired. Three episodes make up this tale of financial deceit, double crossing, theft, and self preservation. Louise Evans (Jodie Whittaker, St. Trinian's, Venus) is approached by her friend, Anna (Charlie Brooks, EastEnders, Bleak House), to help some bad men steal a bunch of money from a rich client at the bank where Louise works. When Louise refuses, the villains threaten her daughter, Erica (Helena Fox). Louise goes along with it, only to be approached by Detective Crawford Hill (Toby Stephens, Die Another Day, Severance) to help the cops catch the crooks. Louise ends up playing both sides as she looks for the best way out of a terrible situation.

     Totaling around two hours and fifteen minutes, Wired feels like a heist movie rather than something made for television. The acting is top notch, the directing and art design makes the entire thing look realistic, and the plot is complicated and obtuse. Many characters aren't on a right or wrong side, but are doing what they can given the circumstances. Lest you worry about being bored when the robbery merely involves electronic transfers, rather than breaking into vaults, the pacing and various twists keep things flying along at quite a fast pace. From start to finish, it's hard to really be sure what anyone's motivations are, or what they might do next.

     Besides Louise, who is the star of the entire piece, Ben (Sacha Dhawan, Outsourced) is in a similar position, and provides a nice foil. Considering Dhawan was most recently seen in a zany NBC sitcom, it is refreshing to see him work his chops, and prove he can do gritty drama, as well.

     Manesh (Riz Ahmed, Dead Set, Four Lions) and Phillip (Laurence Fox, Inspector Lewis) are the bad guys Louise has direct contact with, but as they are only in the game for themselves, their loyalty, too, is called into question. Also appearing is Jason Watkins (Being Human) as Louise's boss. Delightful to see him in an environment that doesn't include the supernatural, though he does play a similar character. Instead of sucking blood, he sucks money from those who can afford it.

     Louise is a highly sympathetic main character. She obviously needs the money being involved in illegal activities will bring, but she can do without the threat, and so is willing to forgo the payout if it keeps her out of trouble. Though, if she can snag a bit in the process, she will. Her morality merely extends to protecting her daughter and herself, and she seems to have little qualm about defrauding the bank's clients.

     Really interesting is the dynamic between Louise and Crawford. Not a typical romance, they do have some sexual tension, and there are romantic moments for the duo, including a bedroom scene. However, while Crawford does let his emotional connection with Louise get in the way of the case, he doesn't aggressively pursue her. Louise is agreeable with the attention she is getting from him, but won't let herself be distracted much when the events are so serious. It is a really neat, unexpectedly original way to handle a love story.

     There are no special features.

     Wired will be released this Tuesday, June 21st on DVD. I highly recommend purchasing a copy.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Current Season Reviews.

Article first published as DVD Preview: Wired on Blogcritics.

Outsourced shows how "Rajiv Ties the Baraat"

     NBC's Outsourced ends its freshman year with a bang. Literally, lots of bangs, because there are fireworks at the end of the one-hour wedding episode. Rajiv (Rizwan Manji) finally walks down the aisle with his love, Vimi (Noureen DeWulf). All of Rajiv's co-workers are there to witness, as well as alternatingly hinder and help the ceremony happen. Happen, it does, and while the series may not return for a second season, at least it doesn't end quietly.

     Outsourced struggled to find its groove right off the bat. A sitcom about an American call center manager transferred to India, it has been accused of being offensive, but mostly by those who don't watch it. Instead, what has emerged is a heartfelt workplace comedy that has plenty of fun in a unique environment. There is a cultural education to be had, too, as the Indian employees celebrate their varies holidays, and teach the boss, Todd (Ben Rappaport) the rules and customs of their country. Although Todd's fellow manager friend Charlie (Diedrich Bader) often disrespects the Indian way of life, it is he who comes off as a fool, not the locals.

     In "Rajiv Ties the Baraat," assistant manager Rajiv gets married to the woman he has spent all season wooing. He invites many of his co-workers, and even asks Todd to be in the wedding party, a touching moment considering the derision Rajiv usually holds for Todd. Todd, on the other hand, has been supportive of Rajiv, so it is with a sense of satisfaction the two find some mutual respect on Rajiv's wedding day.

     The only main character not invited initially is Gupta (Parvesh Cheena), but as much as Gupta is sure to be an embarrassment at the wedding, Todd realizes it would be worse for the company to leave him at the office without supervision. Poor Gupta is good natured, but bumbling. He doesn't really try hard, but he sure wishes he did, and is so darn persistent.

     Big disaster strikes when Vimi catches Rajiv at a bachelor party. More accurately, Charlie, Todd, and the others tie Rajiv up and surround him with dirty novelties from the company they all work for. Vimi admits to indiscretions of her own when she forgives Rajiv, but his over thinking what she may have done nearly destroys the wedding, too, until Todd convinces Rajiv he's still a lucky man.
 
     This may seems like a familiar story or complication in a love story, and that's because it is. The stories on Outsourced are not alien or strange. They are highly relatable. If nothing else, this series gives faces to the other end of those frustrating tech support phone calls, and helps Americans see the people with the heavy accents are just like us. OK, not just like. But their emotions are the same as anyone's, and that's something people can understand.

     The other side of the coin, of course, are the differences, which is the reason to watch the show. Outsourced presents a rich Indian culture, at no time on better display than the wedding featured in "Rajiv Ties the Baraat." There is dancing, colorful clothing, beautiful decorations, and fireworks set off over the ocean. The groom rides to the ceremony on a decked out elephant! All of the elements combined to make an exciting, unusual wedding not usually glimpsed in American sitcoms.

     While Outsourced's attempts to put India in the best light, and still make the show funny, have been mixed, those elements gelled very well in the finale. For the first time, an episode made a case for renewal, and gave something to be missed should it be canceled, as will likely happen. Too bad Outsourced didn't capture that magical spirit sooner, or it could have joined the strong lineup of NBC sitcoms in a more permanent way. At least it got a full year. Many shows have not.

     For fans, there is a last minute love story tossed in for Madhuri (Anisha Nagarajan) and the previously silent Ajeet (Guru Singh), some wild comedic moments for Pinky (Thushari Jayasekera), love found, lost, and found again by Manmeet (Sacha Dhawan), and a shared hand holding moment for Todd and Asha (Rebecca Hazlewood), so every character went out satisfied. Except Tonya (Pippa Black), who didn't appear in either part, but doesn't usually fit in all that well anyways. Should the show get renewed, it would not be surprising if Tonya is dropped.

      NBC should give Outsourced a second season to see where it might go from here. It is still on the bubble, and a final decision is expected any day now. If not, at least it did its best, and could not have gone out any better than with "Rajiv Ties the Baraat," the best episode of the season.

UPDATE: Outsourced has been canceled.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Current Season Reviews.

     To watch streaming episodes of Outsourced online, please click here.

Article first published as TV Review: Outsourced - "Rajiv Ties the Baraat, Parts 1 & 2" on Blogcritics.

"Guess Who's Coming to Delhi" on Outsourced?

     Many critics weren't instant fans of NBC's Outsourced when it premiered last fall, and that may be putting it mildly. However, I found it slightly amusing, and worthy of some time to grow. Months later, while it remains the weak point in a very strong night of sitcoms, Outsourced has become pretty darn enjoyable, and I don't think the racial humor is excessive, as some have accused. Or at least, the offensive stuff isn't all there is to the show.

     Take last night's "Guess Who's Coming to Delhi," for instance. Sure, the cultural insensitivity was still there. Charlie (Diedrich Bader) even got a complaint about it from one of his staff. Jerry (Matt Walsh) arrived in India for the first time to check out the operation, and he completely disrespected customs by kissing women's hands, taking a bunch of his employees to a bar and buying them shots, and tipping a cow, which landed himself and others in jail. But the characters who did those bad things were looked upon by the others as fools. Jerry spent time behind bars! What better payback is that? It's not like the show is condoning that sort of behavior.

     The nice thing is, now that the series has had time to flesh things out, the characters are getting better defined. Rajiv (Rizwan Manji) is still a tool who hates Todd (Ben Rappaport), but he also shows signs of compassion now and then, and really wants to marry the woman he loves. Todd himself has begun to embrace the culture around him, respecting traditions and boundaries, once he is aware of them, anyway. Gupta (Parvesh Cheena) is still the workplace idiot, but his efforts to help Charlie for no benefit to himself demonstrates what a big heart he has. I have really started liking these people.

     Plus, the humor can be pretty funny. Yes, it was wrong for Charlie to rip arms off a statue of a god after using it as a back scratcher, but it was also fairly humorous. Watching Pinky (Thushari Jayasekera) dance or Ajeet (Guru Singh) barely tolerate Jerry were both pleasures. Gupta realizing that a picture of tourists in front of the Eiffel Tower was taken in Vegas instead of Paris because of the drinks in their hands was also pretty good. These are just a few examples.

     If you gave up on Outsourced last fall, give it another try. You might like what you see. Outsourced airs Thursday nights at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Article first published as TV Review: Outsourced - "Guess Who's Coming to Delhi?" on Blogcritics.


For frequent mini-reviews and occasional TV news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Outsourced a bit better than expected

     I was quite perturbed to learn that NBC was holding Parks and Recreation until mid-season.  I admit that, because it shows that I was already biased against the network's newest sitcom, Outsourced, for pushing a great show off of the fall schedule.  The cheesy commercials for Outsourced didn't help, either, so when I sat down to watch it, I wasn't expecting much.  It wasn't terrible.  I'm not saying it's great.  But this cast of pretty much all newcomers delivered a few funny gags, but also, unexpectedly, some real heart.

     Ben Rappaport stars as Todd Dempsy.  Fresh out of manager training, he learns that the call center that he worked at has been outsourced to India, with all of the American employees being let go, save for him.  That is, as long as he is willing to move halfway around the globe to run the center where it is not based.  Reluctantly, because he is saddled with college debt and needs the job (highly relatable to today's audience), Todd takes the promotion and is off.

     The first worked Todd meets is Rajiv (Rizwan Manji, Privileged), the assistant manager who wants Todd's job.  Whether he gets it because Todd is promoted back to the states, or fails miserably and is fired, he doesn't care.  Because of that, he has hired a staff that isn't exactly the best in the business.  And yet, they don't seem that bad.  Perhaps it's Todd's inspired leadership, but whatever the reason, by the end of episode one, most of them were doing quite well.  That's where the heart comes in.  Todd refuses to give up on any of the misfits, believing that they can all succeed.  He may still be on a high from his management training, but it works.  Even Madhuri (Anisha Nagarajan), whom Rajiv hired just to fire in front of the other employees to scare them, manages to sell an add-on.

     The cast is populated with a few interesting characters.  One is a man in a turban who had no lines, but always left the room when Todd showed up.  I am curious what that is about.  I also liked Manmeet (Sacha Dhawan), despite his terrible name.  He just seems so enthusiastic about life, the job, and women, it's hard not to catch a little of his good spirits.  I'm sure many of the other minor characters will begin to stand out over time.  It's sort of like The Office with a competent boss.

     Of course, there is romantic tension already set up in the pilot.  Todd's two love interests are clearly going to be beautiful native Asha (Rebecca Hazlewood), who seems like the smartest person on his staff, and the Australian manager of another call center in the building, Tonya (Pippa Black, Neighbours).  Todd's foil will be the far less tolerant Charlie (Diedrich Bader, The Drew Carey Show), another call center manager.  His part seemed unnecessary, and unless they improve his dialogue, I'm hoping that his tenure on Outsourced is short lived.

     I am still wishing that Parks and Recreation gets back on the air soon.  It is far superior to Outsourced.  However, the latter delivers more than just stereotypes (more jokes were had at the expense of Americans than Indians), and it will be worth watching at least a couple more episodes.

     Outsourced airs Thursday nights at 9:30 on NBC.