GIRLS Not For "Females Only"

Article first published as GIRLS Not For "Females Only" on Seat42F.

HBO’s GIRLS makes a strong comeback this week with “Females Only.” At that start of the third season, a couple of the girls are starting to seem more like women and less like children, getting their stuff together. And the other two, one of whom previously was the most put-together, are practically in free-fall. But sometimes you have to make mistakes so that you can learn from them.

“Females Only” opens with a peaceful morning montage, which only lasts until the first dialogue-driven scene, moments later, which is quite messy. I love the contrast and the literal interpretation of ‘rude awakening.’ It just seems like such a smart way to begin the year.

The confrontation happens when one of Adam’s ex-girlfriends, Natalia (Shiri Appleby), shows up to chew out the man who she feels screwed her over. Actually, it’s more her friend Angie (Amy Schumer) that does the chewing out, but you get the picture. All of this happens in front of Hannah (Lena Dunham), who is actually feeling good about where she is with Adam (Adam Driver) at present.

Now, the Natalia / Angie / Adam scene could have been a way to tie up loose ends, or to bring back a familiar face, but GIRLS uses it for so much more than that. In fact, the scene drives the way Hannah and Adam connect later in the episode, which is well mixed with an amazing group dinner scene. This installment is really clever in the way the events support one another, and are used to illustrate a relationship.

Adam and Hannah’s relationship will never look like what many of us think of as normal. Yet, there is something real and special between them, something we can admire as sweet. The more the viewer gets to know Adam, peeling back the layers, the less weird he seems and the more sympathetic he becomes, despite his antisocial behavior. “Females Only” is a very good Adam episode.

At the same time that we’re learning about Adam, we also get a further look into the dynamic between Marnie (Allison Williams) and her mother (Rita Wilson). Marnie has everything on track except her love life, with Charlie (Christopher Abbott) having abandoned her. However, her mother sees only the negative things going on for Marnie, which explains some of how Marnie feels about herself. Very enlightening.

It’s shame Abbott departed the show under public and rocky circumstances last year. Charlie and Marnie are in a good place at the end of season two, and that could very well have continued. But it’s also kind of a good thing that he is gone because it gives Marnie more room to grow. Last year was a lot about finding herself, which she has now done on several levels. Now, she gets to explore another element of her personality without a guy present to distract her.

Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) has a new plan laid out in front of her, and while her part in the premiere is small, it is funny and extremely typical of what we’re used to from her.

I do feel like the enigma of Jessa (Jemima Kirke) is unraveling, which is a good thing. “Females Only” finds her in rehab, a situation that is not to her liking, and she quickly makes it miserable for everyone around her, too. Which is not to say it doesn’t do her any good. As much as she fights against this establishment, she does have a revelation or two about herself, and it helps fans of GIRLS to understand her.

The interesting thing about Jessa is that she’s not entirely wrong in her outlook, even when her approach is completely backwards from what it should be. She is a very honest person, and generally truth is a good thing, but she somehow manages to misuse it. It’s a defense mechanism, and one she will eventually have to shed if she wants to get along with the world. But she does make some valid points in the midst of her poor behavior. Or, at least she convinces us she does, which is sort of the same thing, and something to admire about her character.

The thing I am enjoying about season three of GIRLS, right from the get go, is that each character is finding out who they are, and we at home are doing so, too, at the same time. This show has always been about a journey, and we’re now far enough long to get a picture of the longer game. I think this first episode is very well done, and is a sign of good things to come.

GIRLS premieres with a double episode (this review only covers the first half) Sunday at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.

Girls still not getting it "Together"

Article first published as Girls still not getting it "Together" on TheTVKing.

As HBO's second season of Girls comes to an end in "Together," there are some resolutions, but there is also more mess. Which is par for the course. The girls at the center of this show are very flawed, but authentic, portraits of young women these days, who may not have been as prepared for the real world as they'd hoped, and, as the title of the show suggests, still straddle the line between child and adult.

Some have criticized this series from the beginning, and some who loved the first season have turned on it in the second year. I don't fall into either of those categories. It makes me uncomfortable to watch some of the plots Girls delivers, especially those that focus on Hannah (Lean Dunham) because I just want to shake her and make her make the smart decision, but I think it has kept the specific, unique voice is started with, and is inarguably unlike anything else on television.

Hannah is mostly a train wreck by the end of this season. Her OCD is coming back in spades, she breaks a Q-tip off in her ear, she has lost at least three friends, and she isn't going to meet the deadline for her ebook, which means she will be sued for the advance payment she already spent. Her physical appearance, and I'm talking about presentation, not weight, is sloppy. She can be pretty, and not that she has to be all the time, yay for feminism, but her utter lack of pride in putting herself together, even at the times when she should, says something about her that is not pleasant. Some of these things, just the OCD, really, aren't exactly in Hannah's control. But the rest are avoidable if she would just mature.

Hannah, more than anyone else in the show, is a kid, and is really having trouble with growing up. She fights it at every turn, almost as if she thinks she has to be immature in order to hang onto something. Her parents (Peter Scolari and Becky Ann Baker) haven't helped that much, being enablers. Finally, though, by "Together," they are cutting her off and forcing her to deal with things on her own.

I do think Hannah has the ability to get her life on track. She is definitely smart and talented, even if she frequently squanders both. It's going to be so much harder for her now, since she has burned some bridges and proven herself unreliable, but she still could succeed if she wants to. However, I feel like her immaturity is kind of an addiction, and she will probably have to bottom out, which she hasn't done yet, before she can get better.

At least Hannah has Adam (Adam Driver). No matter what Adam may have said, his relationship with Natalia (Shiri Appleby, Life Unexpected) is a rebound. She does help him to grow as a person, and round off a few of the weirder edges of him that need softening. He still very much holds a torch for Hannah, though. Will his support be what she needs, or will he just be the latest to aid in her selfish ways, which will ultimately destroy her when he, too, steps back, like her parents did?

Adam's relationship with Hannah is not the same kind of enabling that her parents do. He really does focus on building her up, something the older pair seem to have forgotten, though who can blame them, after everything that Hannah has done? He loves her for who she is. The question is, will that be good for her, or reinforce the bad choices?

Jessa (Jemima Kirke), MIA in the finale, may not return to help Hannah out anytime soon. As much as Jessa dislikes her father's roaming ways, she has certainly inherited the lifestyle. When things get tough, she disappears, as unreliable as he is. It's sad, but like Hannah, Jessa is a snapshot of who her parents made her into at this point, and has yet to find her own way. I'm not saying that she will necessarily be a better person when she does, but maybe it will help somewhat, at least she will own it.

Marnie (Allison Williams) also falls right back into old habits, reconnecting with Charlie (Christopher Abbott) in "Together." Marnie has been directionless ever since their breakup, while Charlie has sold an app and gotten filthy rich. Yet, they both go right back to their old dynamic when given the chance. They like to think they have changed and are now ready for each other, but are they? Does Marnie drag Charlie down, and that's why he struggled while with her previously? Maybe the benefits of this relationship are one-sided, though I guess season three will tell us for sure.

Ray (Alex Karpovsky) actually seems to be doing the best at the end of the half hour. He may have lost Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), but that's OK, because she is just a little bit too controlling for him. He is better when he pursues things on his own. Shoshanna is wrong that he is without purpose; Ray just has his own way of doing things. It sucks a bit he gets into his thirties without committing to a passion or career yet. However, many do, and I think Ray has a good head on his shoulders, a way to pay the bills for now, and still has time to figure himself out, which isn't helped by being around Shoshanna, who tries to do the figuring for him.

That isn't a slam on Shoshanna. There are plenty of men who would benefit from having a girl like her in their lives, and of the girls on Girls, she is the one who is soaring. She makes the smart decision, knowing Ray is just not the one for her, and also realizing that this isn't the time in her life to be tied down to someone like him. Shoshanna, surprisingly, who may seem the youngest at the series start, is the one who is also becoming older and wiser at a quicker pace than the others.

Girls sadly has been slipping in the ratings. Luckily, a third season has already been ordered. But unless people tune back in, year three could be its last. Considering the perspective it takes, which no one else does, that would be a shame.

Girls will return next year to HBO.

Unleash the Franklin & Bash!

TNT's Franklin & Bash completed their sophomore run this week with "6:50 to SLC." Bash's (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) law license is suspended because he misses a payment, which makes representing his buddy, Tommy Dale (Chris Klein, Wilfred), who is having problems with his campaign for governor, difficult. Meanwhile, Leonard Franklin (Beau Bridges) of Franklin & Franklin would like to purchase Infeld Daniels, whether Stanton (Malcolm McDowell) likes it or not.

It's a shame that Franklin & Bash has become such a procedural. Even in this episode, which spends at least half of its time focusing on firm politics, there is a case of the week that must be dealt with. In the beginning, that was OK because Franklin and Bash often made these cases fun and exciting with their big stunts. In this one, not so much.

Yes, there were great guest stars in "6:50 to SLC," like Klein and Paul Schulze (Nurse Jackie), who played Dale's campaign manager. And the story of two wives cheating on their husbands with each other is pretty scandalous. But they somehow made this boring, probably because of how toned down the two lead characters have become in court. In a story about Bash's old friend, this should never have been allowed to happen. It may be more realistic, but it's not as much fun to watch.

The other story, where Franklin's (Breckin Meyer) father tries to steal the firm right out from under their boss, is much more compelling. Stanton is a larger than life character, played a by a brilliant acting veteran who bites into the role with gusto. So when he is threatened and his vulnerabilities are laid bare, it makes for very engrossing television. Stanton shows his age a bit here, but he also shows his scrappiness and shrewdness, which got him to where he is today. The resolution is shocking and smart.

Stanton must reveal the real reason he hired Franklin and Bash and made them partners. They are a poison pill, a tool he can use to self-destruct the firm. They are not happy at all to learn this, two years (or only one year?) after they began working for him. But they do what must be done because they are stand up guys, making a huge fuss on an airplane. Stanton's later apology, and the boys' forgiveness, shows that there is a deeper bond here than a cynical arrangement. But their relationship with their awesome boss is rocked a bit, in a good way.

The other moments of greatness in "6:50 to SLC" come from Carmen (Dana Davis) and Pindar (Kumail Nanjiani). These are entertaining, quirky characters, who do not get nearly enough plot. Sure, it's nice to see Franklin and Bash make peace with Karp (Reed Diamond) and Hanna (Garcelle Beauvais), but I would trade an emotional Hannah scene for a funny Pindar bit any day. Again, going back to the complaint that Franklin & Bash has mostly become a rote procedural, more of these two characters would punch up the episodes.

Some hopes for season three, besides more outrageous antics and screen time for the boys' employees? Bring back their flying ban as a plot point, and make sure that Shiri Appleby returns for a sizable arc. It might be nice to see how Franklin handles a real relationship, and what she can do to the dynamic of the group.

This law show may have lost its way in the second season, becoming more predictable and monotonous. Hopefully, there will be a season three, which gives them time to make up for it.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com! Originally posted on TheTVKing

Life Unexpected Ends Unexpectedly

     It seems like not that long ago (last April 13th, actually) when I wrote a fond farewell to what I was sure would be Life Unexpected's series finale. Thrilled that the CW gave the little show a second season this year, though it was renewed well after last spring's finale, so we were left hanging for quite awhile, I find myself with mixed feelings that the show is gone for good. Ok, it's not officially canceled, but it might as well be. Kudos to the network for allowing a second chance, but the ending, while plenty tear inducing, also left me frustrated, more for what it didn't show than what it did. As such, I will be focusing this review on the final moments of the show, rather than the whole series, whole season, or even the whole episode.

     The big news, of course: Baze (Kristoffer Polaha) ended up with Cate (Shiri Appleby). How could you not cry when Lux (Brittany Robertson) interrupted their make-out session to call them (for the first time seen on screen) Mom and Dad? Of course it was the dream of every child who grew up without parents, or parents being together. This was also the dream of many fans of the show, not counting myself among them. Yes, I longed for that in season one. But Baze was moving on in season two, and Ryan (Kerr Smith) was so well fleshed out as a likable character... It seemed more realistic that Cate would stay with Ryan.

     I praised the show the first time around for doing the unexpected, ending with Cate marrying Ryan. Cate and Ryan were just so invested in each other, that even after their marital problems this year, I was not happy to see them broken up. It seriously tainted the moment. Had the show been given another two seasons, as the final few moments were set two years in the future, I could easily see Ryan having left Cate to raise his baby with Julia (Jamie Ray Newman, Drop Dead Diva, Eureka) in a more natural way. Plus, it would have helped their radio careers to have them fight a lot and eventually divorce, but stay on the show. Or even not fight too much, as they seemed to still care for each other, and Ryan stayed in Lux's life, as he should have. But as Julia had barely been seen up to this point, it bothered me immensely. It was just too abrupt.

     Baze, like Cate, also had another love interest, in the form of Emma (Emma Caulfield, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gigantic). It broke my heart when he ended things with her. I totally understand. I knew finding out that she had had a four year affair with Baze's father, Jack (Robin Thomas), would end things between them. How could it not? As such, I blame the writers for ruining such a perfect pairing with that twist. On the other hand, the couple got really serious, really quickly, and had the show continued, I guess it would have been a bit boring for Baze to settle down with a woman so quickly. Not for me, but for most viewers, who like the on again-off again stories. Still, I missed Emma in that ending.

     Another option for Baze, and the one I thought was happening at first, was having him end up with Alice (Erin Karpluk), who was almost absent from this season entirely, but managed to be in the end. When I saw a pregnant Alice sitting next to Baze, I assumed she was his happy ending. It made sense. She was sweet, pretty, and recently divorced before the jump forward. Sure, since she wasn't with Baze, I am glad she was with Math (Austin Basis). Math is the epitome of a nice guy, and his unluckiness in love has been disheartening. I don't wish to take away from his happy ending by complaining. I'm just very unsettled by the whole last minute Cate - Ryan split, and that has influenced my whole opinion of the end.
 
     The other thing I had hoped for was the return of Eric (Shaun Sipos). As someone in the teaching world, I was disgusted by the Lux dating a teacher arc. But I also saw how they came together, completely unaware that they were doing anything wrong, and it hurt my heart a bit, too. Eric was good for Lux, and I had hoped he might return after she became legal age. Unlike the other relationship jumps, I'm fine with Lux ending up with Jones (Austin Butler), even though he had been dating Tasha (Ksenia Solo). Jones was the ultimate symbol of how Lux had been healed emotionally.

     I also wish for another season so I could see Lux fall in and out of love with Sam (Landon Liboiron) before she settled on Jones, as that was clearly being set up before the finale. She had some more healing to do, and Sam would have helped that process along, being a good choice for the damaged Lux, but on the road to healing himself from his parents' broken home, he could have taken her with him. Sam's continued presence would have kept Emma around long enough for Baze to try to get past her past, if he ever could, which is doubtful, but how I hoped it would go.

     Happy endings were also given to Jack, who was at the graduation sitting behind Baze, presumably with their relationship once again on the mend, and Jamie (Reggie Austin), who had almost disappeared from the show in season two. I felt like Kelly (Amy Price-Francis), similar to Sam, lost a good ending because of the pressures of wrapping up the show. Paige (Arielle Kebbel) was even more cheated, as she had been worked fairly prominently into this second season, just to go missing in the final couple of episodes.

     Life Unexpected wasn't always consistently top notch, often (especially in its sophomore year) falling to cheese or what seemed like too much drama. However, it was also often heart warming, and I will miss it.

Article first published as TV Review: Life Unexpected Ended Unexpectedly on Blogcritics.

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

Life Unexpected tries too hard to be unexpected

Before you begin reading this review, you may want to re-read my season finale review from last April.

     Last year, the CW presented a little-watched show that was a surprise pick-up for a second season this year. Life Unexpected was incredibly charming, and I was thrilled when it got renewed, well after I thought it dead. I was even more surprised, and disappointed, to watch the season premiere, "Ocean Uncharted." It wasn't that it was a terrible hour of television; it's just that I know from past efforts that LU can do so much better than this. My biggest complaint is that the show just feels like it's trying too hard. It's stunt storytelling to bring in ratings. The show needs more viewers, but it won't get them if it replaces good writing with shock factors.

     The three most important characters all face earth-shattering events in the premiere. Baze (Kristoffer Polaha) is wondering what would have happened if he had only shown up at the church earlier. Would Cate (Shiri Appleby) have left Ryan (Kerr Smith) at the alter if Baze had arrived before their vows were exchanged? The self-reflection isn't bad, and actually shows Baze's maturation. Nor do I fault him for looking twice at the hot new waitress at his bar, Paige (Arielle Kebbel, Gilmore Girls). It's what happens because of Paige and why Paige will be sticking around for a while that I have a problem with. Don't worry. I won't spoil the surprises.

     Cate and Ryan have just returned from their honeymoon when the premiere episode begins. They took Lux (Brittany Robertson), so that she could have a vacation. Obviously, this did not allow them a traditional post-wedding trip, and we'll see if that has any consequences. Back at work, they learn that a new co-host will be joining them in the mornings, author Kelly Campbell (Amy Price-Francis, 24). She gives marriage advice, without being married herself. And Kelly is there to do more than just join the pair. Not only that, but Ryan seems to be hiding something significant from Cate. I know there needs to be suspense, hooks, and shakeups to get people to watch, but look how many things I mention in that short paragraph for just one episode. Trying way too hard.

     Lux doesn't have it any better than her parents. As soon as she arrives back in town, her boyfriend Bug (Rafi Gavron) wants something very big from her. As Lux has done before, she starts to fall for another boy (Shaun Sipos, Melrose Place) while pulling away from Bug. Even though the guy was new, the plot felt stale. And his twist has been done on many television shows before.

     There is a bright spot on the horizon, though. Emma Caulfield (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Beverly Hills 90210) will soon be joining the cast as the new boss of one of our main characters. Emma sure brought a breath of fresh air to Buffy when she joined the show mid-run. Let's hope she can deliver the same for Life Unexpected.

     Life Unexpected premieres this Tuesday at 9pm on the CW

Article first published as Life Unexpected Tries Too Hard to Be Unexpected on Blogcritics.

   

Life Unexpected ends season (series?) in an unexpected way

     One of the charming new treasures of this television season has been the CW's Life Unexpected.  With a mere thirteen episode run, it came to an end last night.  Sadly, it has not yet been picked up for a second season, so what we watched may have been the end of the story.  Gladly, it that is it, there was closure for most of the major story lines.

     Central to this final episode, titled "Love Unexpected", was the love triangle between Baze (Kristoffer Polaha), Cate (Shiri Appleby), and Ryan (Kerr Smith).  It's been brewing for awhile, as in the pilot, though Ryan proposed to his co-anchor and girlfriend Cate, the child she gave birth to a a teenager resurfaced and she fell into bed with the kid's father, Baze.  Had this been a two hour romantic comedy, Baze would have broke in and stopped Ryan and Cate's wedding, leaving the family intact, and the third party to sadly go away.

     But this is television, and after thirteen episodes of getting to know Ryan, it would have been hard to see him rejected and sent packing.  So though Baze did rush into the chapel, he was too late.  And besides that, Cate seems happy to be married to Ryan.  The unexpected ending fit the show perfectly.

     The child in the middle of all this drama, Lux (Brittany Robertson) realized something, too.  Ryan made her understand how any child of a broken family feels, and her friendship with him has been one of the high points of the series, and the reason it would have been tragic for the series to follow the conventional formula.  Sure, she wanted to get her mom and dad together, and he understood that.  But eventually she seemed to realize that matters of the heart aren't so simple, and that there is more to it than a child's longing.  Beautifully handled.

     Lastly, the writers made time to Baze to reconnect with his own father (Robin Thomas).  It was a plot that simmered for a little while, and erupted in this final episode.  It helped the viewer understand Baze, and gave him some sort of triumph, even if he didn't get the girl.  The slow and seemingly natural relationship, with plenty of setbacks, has been one of the most moving stories in the show.

     Hopefully the CW will grant this show another season.  It deserves it.  But if not, it certainly brought some unexpected joy into my life.

Life Unexpected delivers better than expected

     Although Life Unexpected was expected to do all right for the CW, no one could have predicted it would do as well as it did.  It matched first season Gossip Girl ratings, actually improved significantly on the 8pm audience of long time drama, One Tree Hill.  Though it is merely a mid-season replacement, and hasn't surpassed The Vampire Diaries as CW's best new show of the year, it is well on its way to becoming a staple on the teen-focused network.

     The pilot deserves the numbers it pulled in.  The story was sweet, original, not too campy, and set up an interesting premise while introducing complex characters.  The series stars Brittany Robertson (Swingtown) as Lux, a girl given up for adoption fifteen years ago, but because of a series of surgeries to correct a hole in her heart, was instead bounced around the foster care system.  It seems no one wants to adopt a damaged three year old, or older.  Lux goes from one bad family to the next, and as she approaches her sixteenth birthday, she decides to seek emancipation so she can begin to live on her own.  There's just one small problem: apparently there was a paperwork snafu, and her parents never officially gave up all custody to her.  So she sets off to find them and get them to sign her paper.

     The said parents, who had a one night stand in high school, are bar owner Baze (Kristoffer Polaha) and the host of Lux's favorite morning radio show, Cate (Shiri Appleby, Roswell).  Baze has not really grown up, living with a couple of roommates above the bar, but immediately connects with Lux and wants to help her any way he can.  Cate, similarly is drawn to Lux, though she has her own issues, including a major fear of commitment and lack of communication skills.  This is best illustrated by her dysfunctional relationship with her co-host slash fiance, Ryan (Kerr Smith, Dawson's Creek).  The judge is reluctant to grant Lux her independence without a source of income or residence, so the two biological parents are awarded joint custody.

     All three of the main characters are well defined, and have their own interesting sets of issues.  Each parent steps up when asked, and Lux, though a bit bitter from her life thus far, wants what any child really wants - a loving family.  It is not too late for her, and obviously, through her, both of her parents will be learning life lessons as well.  As the series start, Lux is turning sixteen, and only two years away from being on her own anyway.  It will be interesting to see what turns the series takes to get her to adulthood, and how the relationships will change if the show continues past that point.  An intriguing, well written concept with a lot of heart.  Add it to your television lineup.

     Life Unexpected airs on Monday nights at 9pm on the CW.