HOMECOMING Dance

Article first published as TV Review: HOMECOMING on Seat42F.

One might think it would take a unique series to lure Julia Roberts to the small screen. While crossing over from film to television is anything but uncommon these days, there are still some stars that seem too big to make the move. Well, Amazon’s HOMECOMING is definitely unique. And if you’ve forgotten just how good Roberts is, this series will remind you of that.

Roberts stars as Heidi Bergman, an administrator and counselor at Homecoming, a facility to help soldiers reintegrate into society after traumatic active duty. Heidi truly seems to want to help, though she has to balance that desire with the strict, demanding instructions of her boss, Colin Belfast (Bobby Cannavale, Ant-Man). We learn early on that whatever she intends doesn’t pan out, and four years later, she’s working as a waitress. But why? What happened?

HOMECOMING is a twisty, suspenseful tale. Most of the plot is set at the facility in 2018, with the 2022 flashforwards making up only a few minutes of each episode. The tone is that of an old Kubrick or Hitchcock drama, with bizarre directing shots to match. It feels out of time in sort of a semi-reality where you can’t trust anything you see. The paranoia is purposeful and not unique to the viewer, as at least a couple of characters share it, too. The closest thing I can compare it to on the modern landscape is Mr. Robot, which makes sense because it has the same creator, Sam Esmail. The mystery plays out slowly in a way that begs to be binged. Thankfully, Amazon dropped all ten episodes of season one at once (though I’ve only had time to view three so far).

The cast around Roberts is every bit as good as she is, pulling together a remarkable ensemble. Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire) is Thomas Carrasco, the man following up on a complaint about the facility in 2022, and gently nudging the spilling of secrets. Sissy Spacek (Bloodline) is Heidi’s mother, Ellen, who tells her daughter she’s lying to herself. Alex Karpovsky (Girls) is an employee at Homecoming. Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding) is Heidi’s boyfriend in 2018, pushed aside in favor of her work.

Then there are the patients themselves. Stephan James (Selma) plays Walter Cruz, the main patient we see and the subject of Carrasco’s inquiry. Walter seems well-adjusted, like he doesn’t belong in the program, but is happy to go along with things. He gets along well with Heidi, developing a camaraderie that is more intimate than I imagine most doctors and patients share (though completely chaste, at least three installments in).  Their bond is immediate and interesting.

The thing that interrupts Cruz’s peaceful stint is his loyalty to fellow soldier Joseph Shrier (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless). Shrier is suspect of everything Cruz takes for granted, insisting that they aren’t even in Florida. Shrier is painted as the crazy man who is probably right, though only time will tell if he’s close to the truth. More importantly, he complicates Cruz’s tenure and treatment, keeping the story quite colorful.

HOMECOMING is based off of a scripted podcast by Gimlet Media starring Catherine Keener as Heidi. Which may explain why the episodes are less than half an hour each, despite being far more drama than comedy. And it’s probably the best adaptation of a podcast I’ve seen. It takes the best elements of that format, and even without having listened (yet, though I definitely will), I can see what parts have been carried over. However, it isn’t distracting as the show also makes full use of the visual medium, seamlessly blending the two in a beautiful, near-perfect marriage.

(Disclosure: I am the creator / head writer of a long-running, scripted, serialized comedy podcast called It’s All Been Done Radio Hour, so I might be a bit more enamored with the medium than most.)

I love HOMECOMING. I think it’s a stellar effort, well done on every level, and the perfect vehicle for Roberts and the rest of the cast. Check out the whole first season on Amazon Prime streaming video.

CASTLE ROCK Is Off the Map

Article first published as TV Review: CASTLE ROCK on Seat42F.

CASTLE ROCK is a new mystery series on Hulu. Set in the titular town, a small place in Maine that is literally not on the map (after unincorporating), there are is much dark and unexplained that happens here. The latest (first for the series) begins with the suicide of Warden Dale Lacy of Shawshank Prison, an event few believed likely to happen, and it only gets more twisted when it’s discovered that Lancy has kept a malnourished man prisoner in the burnt out section of the facility.

You probably recognize the name Shawshank. After all, there was a very popular film called The Shawshank Redemption set there, and that’s no coincidence. CASTLE ROCK is a Stephen King program that is not based on a specific King novel or short story. Instead, the oft-mentioned locale becomes the setting of this new television series that is very much in the spirit of King’s other works. And while there are numerous references to his writing, no prior knowledge is needed to follow this tale, as much as it can be followed at this time. (That being said, there are Easter eggs galore for hardcore fans.)

A lot about CASTLE ROCK is unknown at the start and likely to be for a while. It’s chilling tonally, similar to the best of King’s adaptations. The colors and lighting are dreary, and every character is hiding at least one big secret. It’s highly serialized, of course, and much better than recent King series like Under the Dome. Instead, I would liken it more to an elongated version of the best of King TV movies or similar genre works like American Horror Story. Though, the show does feel distinctly King-like.

At first, the cast seems sprawling, odd for a show with so few series leads. However, it soon becomes clear that there are a small number of important people that will drive the storu forward, while most play a supporting role, helping the plot along as needed. It seems likely that some of the recurring players will be in most or all of the season.

There are a lot of familiar faces. Terry O’Quinn (Lost) plays Warden Lacy, with Frances Conroy (American Horror Story) along as his wife. Bill Skarsgård (It) is “The Kid,” a.k.a. the man found in the cell that Lacy kept hidden. Noel Fisher (Shameless) is the prison guard who finds The Kid, while Ann Cusack (Mr. Mercedes) is the new warden who has to deal with the discovery and potential fallout. Sissy Spacek (Carrie) is Ruth Deaver, mother to the show’s real lead, Henry (Andre Holland, The Knick). Scott Glenn (The Defenders) is the former sheriff who found Henry when he was lost as a child and is currently shacking up with his mother. Melanie Lynskey (Togetherness) is the creepy girl next door, while Allison Tolman (Fargo) plays her sister. And Jane Levy (Suburbia) is… well, I’m just not sure who she is, but her name is Jackie Torrance, indicating she may be a descendent of Jack Torrance, famously played by Jack Nicholson in The Shining. This isn’t a complete cast list, which should tell you a lot of talented people were all too happy to sign on.

I’m inclined to agree with them all that CASTLE ROCK is worth your time. It’s complex, well-made, visually interesting, and an overall quality production. It’s creepy to the point where I couldn’t watch it right before going to sleep, a distinction I haven’t given a show in awhile. It’s also filled with promise of payoff, as the creators, Sam Shaw (Manhattan) and Dustin Thomason (The Evidence), clearly know their King and having a blast playing in his world.

The first three episodes of CASTLE ROCK are available now on Hulu, with new installments every Wednesday.

BLOODLINE Runs Dark

Article first published as BLOODLINE Review on Seat42F.




The best way I can think of to describer Netflix’s newest drama, BLOODLINE, is a “dark Parenthood with less focus on being parents.” It resolves around four adult siblings who interact amongst each other and their parents, though at least one of them has children, too, and two others are in serious relationships. But it’s much, much less soapy than the beloved NBC drama, with a depressingly dark plot teased in flash-forwards throughout the pilot, on the level of an HBO or AMC series. Going into the episode with almost no prior knowledge, this review judges the pilot on its merits alone, avoiding any big spoilers.

The main character seems to be John Rayburn (Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights), who is not the oldest, but definitely has a position of authority in both the family and the town in the Florida Keys in which they’re all from. He’s the most grown up, with a wife, Diana (Jacinda Barrett, Zero Hour), and two not-so-little kids. Chandler does seem to be channeling Coach Taylor, his previous character, at times, especially when talking about poaching players. But who can complain when he chews up the scenes so well?

He is joined by sister Meg, (Linda Cardellini, Mad Men, ER), who has just gotten engaged, and brother Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz, Dan in Real Life), whose blood runs a little hotter than his siblings. Together, the three are entrusted by their parents, Sally (Sissy Spacek, Big Love, Carrie) and Robert (Sam Shepard, Klondike, The Right Stuff), to make decisions for the clan and the family business, a resort that Sally runs.

The fly in the ointment, if you will is, eldest brother Danny (Ben Mendelsohn, The Dark Knight Rises). Danny is the loser that never matured and always wants a handout, usually money. He is egged on by a pal, and generally gets in the way. Sally still loves Danny, as does John, but that’s doesn’t mean Danny could easily come home, even if he wants to, which he may not.

This is the premise, a relatively simple, familiar one that BLOODLINE begins with. The first hour isn’t exactly action-packed, dealing with dynamics at a family reunion that includes many unimportant relations, just extras really. The vast majority of the running time is given over to dwelling on individual personalities of the core group, not just introducing them, but immediately deepening their motivations and desires. It’s a character-heavy piece of television, and one will leave the pilot knowing the most central players pretty well.

There is a sense of momentum, though, with the flash forwards. In general, I’m really getting sick of television shows showing us the end of the story early on, an overused trope. In BLOODLINE, though, it doesn’t feel that way, perhaps because the series needs them to keep its pacing up. The flashes definitely seem more like the middle of a tale than the ending, even with what is revealed at the end. In this, and because of how short they are, it’s more of a tantalizing tease than the big fat spoiler a lot of shows do.

It’s about time we got a family drama that isn’t soapy or sappy. There is an authenticity to the chemistry, the people in it feeling like they’re going about their daily lives. I compared BLOODLINE to Parenthood before, and I absolutely adore that series, but this is far more grounded and gritty, at least initially. Events teased may take the direction into noir film-esque territory, but even so, this sets BLOODLINE apart from other currently available offerings on the small screen.

In the end, I’m left interested in continuing. I’m not in love with the characters or setting, but I don’t think one could be right away in a show with a somber tone like this one. Instead, I’m intrigued by the mystery and the ensemble’s make up, and I think that’s a good sign.

All 13 episodes of BLOODLINE’s first season are available on Netflix.