Dreaming ELECTRIC DREAMS

Article first published as TV Review: ELECTRIC DREAMS on Seat42F.

Amazon has joined the sci-fi anthology trend with PHILLIP K. DICK’S ELECTRIC DREAMS, which premiered yesterday. Each installment of the ten-episode season is based on a different novel or short story by the prolific author. The writers and directors are given wide latitude to adapt the source material as they see fit. A strong roster of actors rotate through the various parts, which have different running times, but are generally between 40 and 50 minutes, so about the length of an hour-long drama sans commercials.

I viewed the first two installments in preparation for this review. “Real Life” finds a future cop named Sarah (Anna Paquin, True Blood) dealing with the aftermath of a massacre. Her wife, Katie (Rachelle Lefevre, Under the Dome), suggests a VR ‘vacation’ to live out another life that her own mind makes up. Sarah accepts, and finds herself in the past from her perspective (roughly our present) as George (Terrence Howard, Empire). George recently, tragically, lost his wife, Katie (also Lefevre), and has invented a VR headset to escape into. But what quickly becomes confusing to Sarah/George as she/he goes back and forth is, which is the real world and which is the dream?

Episode two, “Autofac,” is set in a post-apocalyptic landscape where the surviving humans are being killed off by pollution from the still-running factories. Emily (Juno Temple, Vinyl) and her friends concoct a plan to contact the artificial intelligence running the factory, which sends a customer service bot (Janelle Monae, Moonlight) to meet with them. Will Emily’s plan to shut down the machines work? Or has the Autofac out-thought her every move?

Both of these are entertaining, if dark, installments. They have high-quality concepts that mess with one’s mind and have one guessing the nature of reality. Some of the twists you may see coming, but certainly not all of them. Written by Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica) and Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim) respectively, they make these ideas understandable, couched in relatable characters who are also complex. They also look visually stunning, especially the future parts of “Real Life,” which features flying cars and giant, electronic advertisements.

And yet, ELECTRIC DREAMS is no Black Mirror. It’s hard to put my finger on why exactly it falls short by comparison to today’s defining sci-fi anthology series, which recently released a fourth season on Netflix. Both are similar in makeup and the talent behind them. But ELECTRIC DREAMS just seems a little less cohesive, a little more quickly done, and little cheaper, for lack of a better word.

Perhaps they shouldn’t be held up against one another, as similar as they may be, because there are important differences, and with short seasons, there are room for both. It’s a pleasure to get so much quality science fiction in this era, and no one need choose between the two. Though, if you had to, I think it’s a pretty clear choice in Black Mirror’s favor.

Perhaps because the writers are reigned in a bit by having to go off of Dick’s works, as brilliant as they are, it gives them a little less room be imaginative. That may not be the real issue; I’m really having trouble figuring out what the difference is. That’s just the only thing I can think of that would change the approach in how these stories are told.

Still, it’s not like ELECTRIC DREAMS is bad. I am interested enough to see what other concepts are explored. I just don’t think it will be giving its peer a run for it’s money at the top of the heap.

PHILLIP K. DICK’S ELECTRIC DREAMS is available now on Amazon, free to Prime members.

ROOM 104 Dark and Dreary

Article first published as TV Review: ROOM 104 on Seat42F.

The Duplass Brothers, the brains behind the television series Togetherness and films such as The Skeleton Twins, have another new show on HBO, premiering this week. Called ROOM 104, it’s an anthology series, with each roughly half-hour episode featuring a self-contained cast and story, all set in the same dreary motel room.

Half a dozen installments were made available for critics (not the first six, but a selection from throughout the season), and I reviewed two of them in preparation for this article. In the premiere, “Ralphie,” a babysitter watches a kid named Ralph, who has an evil side named Ralphie. Or does he? The third episode, “The Knockadoo,” finds a woman seeking spiritual guidance to transcend, a task made difficult by a memory from her past.

Going by these two installments, I’d say that ROOM 104 is going for creepy and supernatural in the makeup of the program. Both episodes have things that cannot be explained by science (or possibly reality in general), they’re both a bit scary, and they are both very dark in tone and lighting. They did kind of feel like the same episode in a lot of ways, with the narrative arc and ‘twist’ endings following a similar, broad pattern. I am slightly curious if that trend will continue, not something you necessarily want in a series like this.

They’re also both kind of ambiguous about what’s going on. While one may think they’ve surmised what they’ve seen based on what plays out on screen, there are multiple ways to interpret the endings of them. When done well, this is a great element for television shows to make use of. But when done in a mediocre or gimmicky manner, then it’s an obvious and annoying ploy. In ROOM 104, it’s sadly the latter. Or, at least, it fails to feel fresh and interesting.

I kind of found the entire thing lackluster. While I have enjoyed the Duplass Brothers’ comedy writing and acting roles, sometimes they go into weird territory that I do not want to follow them into. This series is that, seemingly weird for the sake of being weird, no clear vision or point really coming across, at least not in the two episodes that I’ve viewed.

In general, I like anthology shows. Black Mirror is a terrific example of the genre, The Twilight Zone is a classic, and I even enjoyed Metal Hurlant, which never really took off in popularity here. It’s a cool format in which to tell very different tales, explore a short-form topic, and pose questions to make one think without having to deal with continuing consequences or reset to a baseline.

But it’s tricky to do well, and I just don’t feel ROOM 104 goes deep enough. While the endings may not be completely clear, neither episode left me with anything to consider, or challenged my assumptions and views in any way. I didn’t feel any type of connection to them, can’t imagine bringing them up for discussion with anyone, and didn’t feel like the installments had anything to say.

I don’t want to trash the Duplass Brothers. As I said, they’ve made many worthwhile contributions to the media landscape, and I have been a fan of much of their past work. I just think this one falls short for them, or perhaps it just isn’t for me. The production design seems solid, I just didn’t think the stories were as innovative or engaging. Maybe some of the other episodes will prove me wrong. The nice thing about a series like this is there are new chances every single week to get it right.

ROOM 104 premieres Friday on HBO.

Take it EASY

Article first published as EASY Review on Seat42F.

NETFLIX is making your viewing decisions EASY this weekend (excuse the pun). It’s new eight-episode anthology series, EASY, which follows a diverse group of people in modern Chicago, dropped this morning. I’ve watched the first two half-hour installments, and my early impression is that it’s neat, authentic, well cast, and has something very relatable and very interesting to say.

The first episode is titled “The F**king Study,” which should tell you right away that the content is for mature audiences. Title stars aside, nudity and swearing are not bleeped in the show, though I will say the main characters are treated with dignity and realism, which means their bodies are only shown sparingly, not gratuitously. Usually, they are wearing something as they get it on.

Anyway, the plot of this first episode, to give you a taste of what EASY is, begins at a party where a study is being discussed. Apparently, it has been found that couples who stick to traditional gender norms have more and better sex. This greatly worries a husband (Michael Chernus, Orange Is the New Black) who stays home to write plays and take care of the kids. Although she plays it off, his wife (Elizabeth Reaser, Twilight), is also bothered, although she handles it differently.

What follows is a portrayal of two people who have been in a marriage a long time, do love each other, but aren’t sure what that means any more. We’ve seen couples struggle to maintain that intimacy and love before (HBO’s Togetherness springs to mind), and I won’t say EASY is entirely breaking new ground here. But what it does, it does very well. I fully believe these two actors, and can easily empathize with them, getting into their heads and understanding where they are coming from. Sure, it’s a bit depressing, especially for someone approaching who is that point in their own life (full disclosure: I am). However, as young people so often fail to understand, there’s no blueprint for any phase of life, and all we can do is figure it out as we go along, which is something that must be learned in of itself.

The second episode jumps to the very beginning of a relationship, as a woman (Kiersey Clemons, Transparent) questioning her sexuality (and everything else about herself) meets her “Vegan Cinderella” (Jacqueline Toboni, Grimm). It’s obviously quite a different take than the first episode, and yet it feels consistent in tone and style, even if the point of view shifts dramatically. Quality is maintained, and there are some fun little connections, the protagonist for installment two being the babysitter from episode one.

I’m not sure all the episodes will be so focused on love and sex, as the series description also mentions navigating technology and culture. In general, though, I think it’s safe to assume that it’s a brief circle through many perspectives, with an indie-movie feel and some genuine characters. Again, this is not a totally new concept, but it’s one that I dig when well executed, as it certainly is with EASY.

Television is entertainment, yes, but the best of it is meant to give us insight into our world and ourselves. That’s not as lofty a goal as it might sound, with the earliest examples of theatre seeking to do just that. EASY holds a mirror up, and maybe we don’t see our reflection every time, but it keeps turning that mirror until we do identify something looking back at us, or at a friend or family. It’s feel-good without being soapy, and drama without being dramatic. It’s comfortable, enjoyable, and I still come out of it feeling like I learned something about life. I can totally get behind this.

EASY is now available on Netflix streaming.