GRAVES Humor

Article first published as GRAVES Review on Seat42F.

Premium movie service Epix joins the original scripted world this weekend with two new shows. One, a comedy, is called GRAVES, and is about a fictional former Republican president named Richard Graves. Twenty-five years after he served as the leader of the free world, Graves’ policies and decisions from the Oval Office come back to haunt him. Realizing he has let his country down, and facing a legacy as the possible worst president ever, Graves wakes up and decides to start fighting for the American people once more.

President Richard Graves is a conglomeration of a number of different Republican presidents. He held office around the same time as George H.W. Bush, considered failed at the time, though Bush’s reputation has improved in the interim, while Graves has gone down. He is a gold standard for certain members of his party, like H.W. has become, and like Reagan always has been. He also shares the failed assassination attempt backstory with Reagan. President Graves had the disastrous polices of George W. Bush, getting us into unpopular wars and slashing spending on important research, while ridiculously beefing up the military and tanking the economy. So he isn’t any one of these real POTUSes (POTUSi?), but rather, a bunch of them put together.

This is probably a wise move. It allows Graves to be fictional and make decisions without worrying about what the real men are and did, and also takes a realistic look at both the positives and negatives of GOP administrations over the past few decades. It’s an intriguing concept, especially when coupled with the desire to make up for past mistakes that Graves now exhibits, and I think Graves probably ends up being the ideal representative of the traditional Grand Old Party by the end of episode one.

The title role is wonderfully portrayed by Nick Nolte (Warrior, Luck, Gracepoint), who captures a layered, authentic man. Graves is a total asshole to those around him, hazing his new assistant, Isaiah Miller (Skylar Astin, Pitch Perfect, Ground Floor), ignoring the political aspirations of his wife, Margaret (Sela Ward, CSI: NY, Gone Girl), and destroying property that is only sort of his. But even in the pilot, Nolte is allowed a few moments to show the raw vulnerability, the compassionate side of the man, and exhibit that he does care about more than just himself, even when he lets down his loved ones. It’s a very interesting performance, and I liked it a lot.

To more fully flesh out the story, and also likely to add subplot drama, we are introduced to Graves’ daughter, Olivia (Helene Yorke, Masters of Sex), who shares many of her father’s negative qualities, and is going through something devastating herself. I really don’t know how Margaret will balance two break-downs at once while furthering her own agenda, but Olivia is more an obstacle than anything else right now.

Also in the cast are a number of enjoyable actors like Roger Bart (Episodes, The Producers), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Tania Gunadi (Enlisted), Khotan Fernandez (Royal Pains, El Sexo Debil), Angelica Maria (Que bonito amor), Callie Hernandez (Alien: Covenant), and Chris Lowell (Veronica Mars) as the as-of-yet-unseen son of President Graves.

All of these actors and the promising story are enough to get past my early distaste. GRAVES makes the grave (pun intended) error of beginning with some real political cameos, chief among them that of Rudy Giuliani. True, Graves isn’t thrilled with these guys, but he treats Giuliani nicer than most, and after recent polarizing press appearances, seeing Giuliani in this comedy context is likely to turn off many potential viewers. Hopefully, most will chalk it up to a decision made some time ago and look past it, because the rest of the pilot was worth watching. There are others that appear, but none nearly as offensive as the former mayor.

GRAVES premieres tonight on Epix, and viewers can check out the first two episodes free now on Epix’s website.

"Everybody Dies" in House series finale

As "Everybody Dies," the series finale of FOX's House opens, Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) is lying next to the dead body of his patient of the week (or, POtW) in a burning building. Throughout most of the hour, House converses with hallucinations of some important people in his life, as he tries to decide whether he should live or die.

"Everybody Dies" is dark. There is no denying that. It's obvious when the first image House sees is Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn), a fellow who killed himself. Strangely, though, Kutner is trying to talk House out of suicide, while House is the one arguing that life is pointless.

Then Amber (Anne Dudek) appears. Her death is more tragic, but she still argues for life. Stacy (Sela Ward) wants House to try to find happiness again, but he continues to resist. Finally, though, Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) tells him to just lie down, letting the choice be taken from him. This House does, before thinking better of it.

These people are House's subconscious, and as such, he appears to be waging a war within himself. It's thrilling to see these former characters reappear, but besides being a gift to viewers, who they are isn't so important as what they say. House knows that death is the easy way out. He is not going to be able to enjoy the sort of life he has been enjoying much longer, even though his life hasn't been all that fun. Soon, his best friend will be dead, and even sooner, House will be back in jail, wasting Wilson's (Robert Sean Leonard) final moments on earth. So why not end it all?

Even in this darkest of moments, though, House fights on, as he always has. By making the people from his past appear to him, he talks himself out of such a deed. It's telling that he starts with the most tragic figure, and builds to the ones that love him the most. The trajectory is an upswing, and in retrospect, House moves closer to life with each passing moment. But viewers are tricked into missing this by the POW scenes, which are of a more depressing nature.

While House is battling his inner demons in an extremely slowly burning building, he is not left to die alone. The two people he leans on most, who enable all of his crap, are desperately searching from him. Wilson and Foreman (Omar Epps) know that House is missing, and giving the desperateness of the situation, fear the worst. They even interrupt Dr. Nolan's (Andre Braugher) group therapy session to ask for advice. Eventually, they are able to put the pieces together and get to the building where House is.

But they arrive too late. House has decided to live, and is heading towards the front door, visible through the window to Foreman and Wilson, when the ceiling collapses. Gone in a rush of flame, a body identified as House is pulled from the wreckage. It's a tragic ending.

Or is it? House's wife Dominika (Karolina Wydra) and former colleagues, including Thirteen (Olivia Wilde), Taub (Peter Jacobson), Adams (Odette Annable), Masters (Amber Tamblyn), and Park (Charlyne Yi), wax poetic about him at his funeral. But Wilson alone lashes out in anger, instead, calling House a selfish idiot, which, of course, he is. Then Wilson is interrupted by a text message. He doesn't tell the others, but he goes and finds House, who has faked his death so that he can spend Wilson's final five months doing whatever Wilson wants to do. They ride off into the sunset together on motorcycles, great music playing, the ultimate happy ending.

Is this House's plan all along? Or is this something he comes up with at the last minute? It seems a little unrealistic that he is able to escape from the collapsing building, but at the same time, it's hard to complain about the perfect build up of suspense and twist. Not to mention, the metaphors of purgatory and hell are thrown in to make things even more surreal. "Everybody Dies" is a brilliant piece of art, and any inauthenticities can be chalked up to artistic license, not fretted about needlessly.

House has gone to dark places before, but the titular character has always emerged triumphantly. He argues that no one changes, but his growth over the years proves otherwise. Perhaps there have been backslides, as he is self-destructive. But in the end, the goodness within him wins out. This could be because of Wilson. The person House cares about most, the one who sticks by him through it all, needs him, and House wants to be there.

What will happen in five months when Wilson dies? House will not be able to just return to his former life. He gives that up for Wilson. Will he he hide out in a foreign land and practice medicine? Return and take his punishment so that he can honestly go back to his job? Who knows? Who cares? "Everybody Dies" is very satisfying and uplifting.

Before the credits roll, viewers are reminded of the positive impact House has had in the lives of his fellows, too. Cameron is married with a baby. Chase (Jesse Spencer) has taken over House's department, with Adams and Park staying on under him. Taub enjoys spending time with his daughters. These may not all be House's doing, but he has certainly played a role in who they are. Freeing them from himself by his death actually helps them to move on from his crap, and so it is a favor to them, too. Though he deserves credit for teaching them to how to live.

Well, everyone but Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein). It makes sense that she doesn't appear, seeing as how House caused her more pain than anyone, and she has the least reason to still care about him. But to bake anything, there will always be a few broken eggs, and she qualifies as this.

The only person besides Wilson who learns of House's survival is Foreman. Foreman is the only one this information would make a positive impact on. Gone from the team, Foreman has already found his happy career. He might blame himself for not controlling House better if he is allowed to continue to believe the lie. By sending him a signal, as House does, Foreman can go on, knowing that he has nothing to feel guilty for. Plus, of all the fellows, Foreman is the one least likely to tell on House.

Thank you to the cast and crew of House for eight mostly amazing years. It is a series that will not soon be forgotten, and one that has, at times, touched viewers just as much as House himself touches the other characters. House reminds us that a procedural doesn't have to just be a procedural, and there is plenty of mystery still to be found when examining the human spirit. We appreciate the lesson!

I highly recommend you read Barbara Barnett's review of "Everybody Dies" when it posts, and also pick up a copy of her book about House, Chasing Zebras. She has been a brilliant House expert over the years, and who has spoken with wonderful insight and wisdom. Going by her past work, and her thoughts during her live online chat party last night, her article will definitely be something worth reading for every House fan.

One last bit of trivia. The POW in "Everybody Dies" is played by James LeGros. LeGros starred in the short lived medical drama Mercy, and, besides guest starring in the House finale, he also appears in this year's season finale of Grey's Anatomy, which aired last week. Talk about success in the fictional medical community!

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! To purchase House DVDs and streaming episodes, please click here. Article first published as TV Review: House - "Everybody Dies" on Blogcritics.

House #7.18 "The Dig"

     So much is going on in last night's 150th episode of FOX's House, that's it's hard to know where to begin. The episode is entitled, appropriately enough, "The Dig." Each of the various stories, some large, some small, many intersecting, deal with layers. There is always something beneath what is being talked about and obviously going on. Many of these layers deal with emotions and relationships. Some deal with disease. Some with morality. All allow serious insight into the characters of House.

     Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) and Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) are absent in this episode, strange for a special 150th entry to the series. Yet, there is just no room for them. Too many stories are happening, and the episode is bursting at the seams as it is. Yet, who they are pervades other storylines, even though at this time, they are not on the journey, so they are present in some abstract way.

     Cuddy has broken House (Hugh Laurie), as he has been seen with even more erratic than normal behavior in recent weeks. She also had begun to heal him. House has been in a bad state for the entire run of the series, especially emotionally. This seems to all stem from when he first hurt his leg, and what he went through with Stacy (Sela Ward). He has occasionally shown compassion, mostly for strangers, but rarely lets his team feel valued. This week, House actually expresses some real tenderness for a member of his staff, which will be dealt with more thoroughly later in this review. That shows House is becoming more of a well rounded person. Perhaps it's a slow change, but it's there.

     The worrisome thing for friendship is that Wilson does not know how to deal with this new House. Wilson has been able to assist his friend through many issues in the past. Wilson has been shown to have a weakness for women that need fixing, but isn't his friendship with House about the same thing? When House goes off the deep end, jumping from a hotel balcony, Wilson backs off, having reached his limit. Even the always helpful Wilson can only deal with one type of person, not the now baffling House. Wilson tries to get involved again, as House returns to work, and then House gets married. Wilson retreats, siding with Cuddy, who is the type of broken he can deal with. As House takes his road trip to a spud gun competition, he doesn't bring Wilson along. Is this simply because House has ulterior motives for the trip, or is it a sign of a growing chasm?

     Thirteen (Olivia Wilde) might just be the replacement friend that House needs. She is almost as messed up as he is. Despite making a go in a serious relationship with Foreman (Omar Epps), Thirteen mostly cannot allow herself to get close to people. It's part of why she and Foreman ended. Instead, she seeks comfort from random strangers in bars and clubs. How is this different from House's preference of hookers? She takes party drugs. How is this different from House's addiction to Vicodin? She can come across as cold and calculating, like House. But when the chips are down, as they were with her brother, she comes through. As House will do for her.

     This rekindled kinship, not romantic, but made through commonalities and a sort of friendship, may be necessary very soon. In a recent interview, Robert Sean Leonard raises the possibility of leaving the show, should House be renewed, which it has not yet been, but is expected to be. He is heading to Broadway, and would like to get away from series television, at least temporarily. This would rob House of the one real friend he has, for a few episodes minimum, and House cannot possibly take losing Wilson so soon after losing his relationship with Cuddy. Unless Thirteen is willing to serve as a replacement best friend. Wilson is invaluable, but it's intriguing alternate path should the actor decide to depart.

     Most of this episode centers on House taking Thirteen on a road trip. She is released from prison, having served a six month sentence for excessive prescribing, and he waits to pick her up and make her accompany him to a spud gun competition. At first, it appears that House is just pulling another stunt to figure out where she has been for the past year. As things play out, the stunt element fades and does not return, unusual for House. He actually opens up to her a little bit about Cuddy, with whom he would be celebrating a one year anniversary, had she not dumped him. He also shows real interest in what happened to Thirteen, and not just as a puzzle as he first frames it. While she may take his silence as a lack of emotion after she confesses the full story, House is processing and wants to help. He does not mock her.

     While House stands there stunned, Thirteen having admitted she killed her brother, who was suffering mightily from Huntington's, it seems he might open his mouth and offer to do the same for her, when the time comes. Instead, he doesn't. But why would he? That is not the kind of act House would normally offer to do. It seems strange that that course of action fit so neatly in the scene, when it is a bit out of character. The writer's hold off on it, though, until the very end of the episode. That makes sense, as House really is stunned by the depth of pain he gets from Thirteen, and needs time to fully consider such a drastic promise. He comes through for her in the end, and that's what's important.

     Masters (Amber Tamblyn) becomes fascinated with a puzzle of her own. The team treats a hoarder and her husband, and Masters can't wait to dig through the mess of their house and sort out what is behind it all. She has shown an aptitude and interest in strange behavior before, and so it makes perfect sense for the character. It is regrettable that she will soon be leaving the series for a new one, though if that gets quickly canceled, it would be nice if she returned. Despite a rocky start, she has staked her right to work among the other strong personalities, and brings a unique perspective to the team.

     Is it possible that Masters has a little crush on Chase (Jesse Spencer)? It seems odd, as Chase is a pretty boy, and tends to go after traditionally hot women. Masters does not fit that category. She is a woman of substance and intelligence, who probably could look more attractive, but has more important things on her mind. She is likely drawn to the puzzle of Chase, more than his good looks. In the time she has known him, he has stumbled a bit, still a little shaken up from his divorce. She can see the genuine sweetness buried within, something it took awhile for Chase to show anyone else, and he has kept hidden ever since. So her feelings may not be out of line. The real question is, could he ever be truly interested in her? If she leaves permanently, we will likely never find out.

     Foreman is still cocky and judgmental. After all the things that have happened that could have humbled him, he still thinks he knows better than anyone else. At first, he can't believe Taulb (Peter Jacobson) has landed a young hottie, and tries to figure out what his roommate's secret is. Then he catches Taulb with separated wife Rachel (Jennifer Crystal), and scolds him for messing with a woman's heart. It seems Taulb can't satisfy Foreman, whether he is playing the field with great success, or returning to his life partner. Is Foreman jealous of Taulb? That may sound far fetched, until you spend just a moment pondering their interactions as of late.

     Taulb is showing serious growth. His reconciliation with Rachel has been long and winding, but thankfully is back on track. No matter how many times they call it quits, they feel so natural together. Taub is ready to put Rachel first, wondering if Foreman is right about Taulb messing with Rachel. So he does the right thing, willing to set her free so she can be happy, despite his unhappiness with being away from her. She denies him release, glad to be working things out. These two are built for the long haul, even if their marriage is still currently very much on the rocks. They have shared history, and it's not hard to see what brought them together in the first place.


     House continues its stellar seventh season Monday nights at 8 p.m. on FOX.

 

Article first published as TV Review: House #7.18 - "The Dig" on Blogcritics.

 

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