AMERICAN GOTHIC Prime Example of Summer TV in America

Article first published by AMERICAN GOTHIC Review on Seat42F.

Next up in the crappy-summer-shows roster is CBS’ AMERICAN GOTHIC. A soapy murder mystery, I understand why this series was held for burn-off during the hot months because it feels a lot like several other shows that premiered earlier in the year, were soon canceled, and I’ve mostly forgotten about (like The Family). Will this show find an audience and fare better? Probably not, so I wouldn’t blame you if you stop reading now and ignore its existence.

If you’re still reading, let’s talk a little bit about AMERICAN GOTHIC, though. It has a pleasant enough cast, which makes for many suspects, each with their own dark secrets (because no one in a world like this is ever who everyone thinks they are). By making a lot of them related, it’s supposed to be more shocking when things come to light, or harder for the characters to distrust one another, but it’s not because of the very familiar tone. There is a serial killer, but don’t even bother trying to figure out who it is at this stage because there will be a million red herrings and twists.

It’s not very satisfying to watch a show like this because it doesn’t feel like there’s a plan from the start. I could be wrong, and there’s no way to know that until the end of the season, but unlike in the best mysteries, that drop important clues early on, shows like these tend to concentrate more on doing the unexpected than crafting an intricate story. They try to go for the plot that comes out of nowhere, rather than something that naturally flows or was previously hinted at. It makes theorizing with your friends just not that great since no one really has any insight into what’s going to happen. It’s an all-too-common style that we can use less of on television, and the way the pilot plays out all but confirms that’s what AMERICAN GOTHIC is.

I realize I haven’t given you a lot of specifics about why I think the show is bad, but I really don’t want to ruin anything for those who are genuinely interested. Let’s just say there are things involving a cat, a box, and a hospital room that smack as gratuitous and have helped forge the opinion above.

As I mentioned before, the cast is good. With so many quality programs on the small screen these days, it’s not a surprise that even the lesser fare can attract talent. After all, it’s often hard to tell from just a script whether the series will be great or not. AMERICAN GOTHIC does have a solid ensemble, and they sell the material pretty much as convincingly as possible.

The central figure seems to be Alison Hawthorne-Price (Juliet Rylance, The Knick), a wife and mother running for mayor of her city. As the campaign unfolds, we meet the rest of the clan, brought in to help her win. There’s matriarch Madeline (Virginia Madsen, Sideways), former drug-using brother Cam (Justin Chatwin, Shameless), Cam’s disturbed son Jack (Gabriel Bateman, Stalker), elementary school teacher sister Tessa (Megan Ketch, Jane the Virgin), Tessa’s detective husband Brady (Elliot Knight, Once Upon a Time), and long-missing brother Garrett (Antony Starr, Banshee). There’s also a father to the group, who is not in the official cast list, so presumably not a main character, and Cam’s still-addicted ex, Sophie (Stephanie Leonidas, Defiance), soon pops back up.

It is a relatively large family, but again, that’s needed so we have a lot of suspects and a dozen episodes of secrets can come out. After all, a lot of different boxes are checked with the grouping above, no one having a boring life that won’t affect the proceedings, and no two crossing orbits too much. It’s a familiar formula that probably won’t work any better than it usually does.

AMERICAN GOTHIC premieres Wednesday, June 22 at 10/9c.

The Event - "And Then There Were More; Inostranka"

     NBC's The Event returned last night with a special-two hour episode. The hours had different titles, but it felt like they were always intended to run together. I was worried about forgetting how the series left things when it disappeared months ago, but it was pretty easy to catch up. That is a sure sign we do not have another Lost on our hands, unfortunately. While I do not have a lot to say about the show, (this will be a pretty short review for two full hours of television), as the story can easily be broken into a mere three plots, it was pretty good. Not great.

     First, let's talk about the weakest story. Leila (Sarah Roemer) and Sean (Jason Ritter) quickly discover that Leila's father Michael (Scott Patterson) is an alien. Then they rescue Leila's sister, Samantha (Anna Clark), with very little effort. Michael is with Sophia (Laura Innes), who doesn't want to help him find hisdaughters. But Michael stands up to her, much to her chagrin, and before you know it, Michael is able to get a message to Sean, and they meet up.

     It is all far too easy. Sean and Leila have almost no trouble finding both Samantha and Michael. While Sophia seems majorly perturbed that Michael stands up to her, he gets what he wants, and then she exhibits no ill-will about it. Even the major decision Leila has to make when choosing between Sean and Michael is easily solved by Sean walking away while she sleeps. And, really, who didn't see that coming? This arc was predictable, and doesn't seem very realistic if you spend much time thinking about it.

     Far better is the standoff between Blake Sterling (the brilliant Zeljko Ivanek) and Thomas (Clifton Collins Jr.). Thomas takes over Inostranka prison in Alaska relatively easily, only to discover that Sterling is within the walls. While Thomas and his men have no problems dispatching the guards in the facility, Sterling proves quite the challenge, as one expect from a Ivanek character. As the two struggle for control within Inostranka, we are treated to a supreme battle of wills between two powerful leaders. From Blake changingthe door codes to Thomas torturing poor Blake, some of the finest moments of the episode were between these two.

     Special mention also goes to Maya (Clea DuVall), the shifty alien who kills her own husband to protect Sophia's secrets, but balks at following Thomas. She goes along with him when he takes over Inostranka to bide time, but soon learns her friends who did not want to follow the new leader have been executed. Maya makes a (stupid) heroic sacrifice running for Blake after he is shot, only to be gunned down herself by Thomas, and die. It's too bad, because she is pretty interesting, and I like the idea of Sophia having a mole within Thomas's group. Instead, she exposes herself without any benefit to anyone. Blake survives, not owing to anything she does, and she breathes her last breath.

     Also neat is the new Senator for Alaska, Catherine Lewis, played by the award winning actress Virginia Madsen. Lewis goes through her dead husband's office and discovers secrets about Inostranka. She takes what she finds to President Martinez (Blair Underwood), who not only lies to her face, but has her office ransacked. Talk about underestimation. Martinez's logic may be solid, not expecting a brand new Congresswoman with no experience or credentials to challenge him, but on the flip side, she has nothing to lose by doing so. Lewis proves herself a tough cookie right away, going on Hardball to force Martinez to spill his secrets.

     My only complaint here is that not only does Lewis back off once Martinez promises to talk, but she goes back on Hardball and makes herself look like a fool, burying the major cover up she previously promised to reveal. There is no good reason for Lewis to back down. Martinez doesn't actually tell her anything yet, only says he will in the future. Sure, Hardball is live and coming back from commercial, but I expect her to stand her ground until Martinez actually tells her what is going on. Perhaps she does the politically intelligent thing, but she doesn't display that same learned intelligence earlier in the episode. Plus, she may have just hurt her credibility, and considering she is trying to expose something big, she needs her credibility right now.

     Either way, Martinez looks to be developing a worthy foe in Lewis. Since Martinez is trying to sweep state secrets under the rug, no matter how good his intentions, I am pleased by this development. Martinez is not being open as he should, and needs to be confronted. I can even see Lewis being a possible second president, should the show continue, once she disgraces Martinez by exposing his lies. Of course, that is only one possible avenue the writers may pursue. More likely, Martinez will sadly defeat her.

     The Event airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Article first published as TV Review: The Event - "And Then There Were More"/"Inostranka" on Blogcritics.

For an alphabetical list of all of Jerome Wetzel's Current Season Reviews, please click here.

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

Scoundrels is surprisingly good

     ABC has done plenty of promotion for their summer season this year, promising good television.  This past Sunday, two of those drama premiered.  Sadly, The Gates was terrible.  However, Scoundrels had quite a pilot with "And Jill Came Tumbling After".  It introduced us to the West family, a group who are involved in the same occupational field: crime.  Each character has a distinct personality, and thanks to some great casting, they all gel together in a way highly pleasing.

     The patriarch of the West family is Wolf (David James Elliott, JAG), now serving five years in prison.  This means the responsibility of taking care of the clan falls squarely on the shoulders of his wife, Cheryl (Virgina Madsen, Sideways, Monk).  Cheryl decides by the end of episode one that she can't bear to loose any more of her family to prison or worse, so they all must go straight.  Although this is late in the pilot, it seems to be the premise of the series.  Not that anyone wants to go along with this plan.  Her kids worry about her being serious, the cop constantly on their tale (Carlos Bernard, 24) scoffs, and the episode ends with Wolf laughing heartily.  Clearly, Cheryl has her work cut out for her if she wants to save her family.

     If that was the entire premise, the show would be weak.  However, the Wolfs have four children.  Son Logan (Patrick John Flueger, The 4400) has already gone straight, and has just been accepted to the bar as a lawyer.  Although he claims to have studied law so that he could get his family off the hook for their misbehavior.  Identical twin to Logan is Cal (also Flueger), the screw up whom Wolf wants to take over making money and supporting the family.  Obviously there will be some kind of swap between the two boys at some point.  It's too good a gag to pass up, and allows Flueger to likely have more fun than anyone.

     That doesn't mean that Logan and Cal overshadow the Wolf girls, though.  Young adult Heather (Leven Rambin, Grey's Anatomy, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) has beauty, but no academic brains.  The pilot finds her posing in next to nothing.  But when the photographer tried to withhold the best prints, she proves her scam skills by switching her roofied champagne for his clean glass and gains the upper hand.  In contrast, daughter Hope (Vanessa Marano, The Gilmore Girls, Dexter) has all the brains, but also the sneakiness.  She hasn't attended school for months, after blackmailing her vice principal (Jessica Collins, Tru Calling), who slept with 'good' brother Logan when the boy was only seventeen.  Instead, she's working on a screenplay.  The sisters totally have the Modern Family dynamic, but with an edge and little more affection.

     Add to the mix a senile Grandpa Wolf (John Lawlor, Phyllis) and you have a recipe that tastes delicious.  Scoundrels runs Sunday nights at 9pm on ABC.

Monk takes a bow

***THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS.  IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE FINALE EPISODE YET AND PLAN TO, PLEASE BOOKMARK IT AND COME BACK AFTER YOU HAVE.***

     USA's longest running drama, Monk, starring Tony Shalhoub (Wings) as former detective Adrian Monk, ended its eight season run last night, and not without a few tears.  As someone who only occasionally watched the show (until this final season), I still enjoyed it, and I was able to follow along with relative ease and appreciate it on many levels.  To make it easier for viewers, USA ran marathons this week or relevant past episodes, to catch you up on the plot that should be remembered.

     Twelve years ago, several years before the series began, Adrian Monk's wife, Trudy (The Office's Melora Hardin) was killed, and it is the one mystery he was never able to solve.  As the series came to a close, in the final two hours Monk inevitably found the final clues he needed to put things together.  That the show would end this way was pretty much a given long ago, but its execution was wonderful.  From a poison, to a long ago murder, new intrigue, and a video tape that Monk should have opened a dozen Christmases ago, it did not stretch believability much, as I expected to happen.  There was a reason for the new crack in the case, and it wasn't just coincidence that it all tied up now.

     Welcome was the fact that almost every main character got a satisfying ending, not just the title character.  Randy (Jason Gray-Stanford) moved to New Jersey and became a police captain.  Though I can't imagine how a viewer would find him actually capable of such a position, as Randy's cluelessness was the butt of many a joke, it was nice to see him end up with Monk's former assistant and longtime crush, Sharona (Bitty Schram).  While Sharona herself wasn't in the finale, she got to return and have her ending a few episodes early.  Likewise, Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) was married to his recent girlfriend T.K. (Virginia Madsen).  While T.K. was only a guest star in a couple of last season episodes, the Captain was remarried to a woman that appreciates him, and that was what was special about that.  Natalie (Traylor Howard, Two Guys, A Girl, & A Pizza Place) alone had nothing special in the finale, but she still played her ever helpful assistant role.  None of the major recurring characters had serious endings in the finale or the episodes leading up to it, but those people were less important to this series than many other television shows.  Monk only ever centered on four people at a time.

     Monk, himself, had a surprisingly emotional ending.  After realizing an episode early that he didn't really want to be an official detective again, the surprise twist of him finding out his late wife had a daughter, and his connection with her, gave his character growth and a bright future as the ending credits rolled.  While I find it hard to swallow that a strange would take so quickly to the neurotically screwed up character of Adrian Monk, the story wasn't about her anyway.

     While not without its faults, longtime viewers should find themselves choked up and moved by the finale, which provides a nice cap, goes somewhere, but doesn't ruin the show that came before it.  USA will have a hard time filling the hole left behind.