Television Show Review: Curb Your Enthusiasm

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 8 created by Larry David (HBO Films)

Starring Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, and Susie Essman.

The Arid Wasteland of Network Television 

Seinfeld is brilliant television. Now fourteen years removed from the last episode, Seinfeld receives regular air time on multiple channels. Its staying power is uncanny. Seinfeld’s jokes and awkward situations are countlessly retold in friend groups nationwide.

In all honesty, I am surprised at Seinfeld’s staying power. With quirky writing a shade toward highbrow, I find Seinfeld’s stay on network television remarkable. The 2000s, to an extent, represent a failure of mimicry. Even though the networks endlessly search for the next smart hit comedy, the drive for profits and viewership causes plugs to be pulled. Notably, Arrested Development seemed like a show closest to carrying the Seinfeld mantle, but it lasted only three seasons.

Why did Seinfeld make it? I have no clue. But the fact that the show succeeded despite its quirkiness is laudatory.

Interestingly, with the arid wasteland of network television consuming pilot after pilot, cable television has emerged as an avenue for well-crafted television. Without the burden of high viewership requirements, cable shows realize success marketing toward a smaller target audience.

Given Larry David’s history as the co-creator of Seinfeld and his successful run on HBO with Curb Your Enthusiasm, the inevitable question arises: which David-inspired show is better?

Faux Reality Television Meets a Sit-Com 

For those unaware, Curb Your Enthusiasm follows Larry David as himself, Larry David. Somewhere between a faux reality television series and a sit-com, Larry David navigates an easy post-Seinfeld life. Flush with royalties from syndication, Larry is free to pursue and invest in anything.

Spending most of his days in the company of his agent, Jeff Greene (Jeff Garlin), Larry meanders into comedic situations through his incessant need for proper behavior. If you double park, watch out because Larry David will get you. If you want Larry to serve at a benefit for Children’s Hospital, expect a lame excuse.

In fact, this very scenario in Season 8 forces Larry to a 3-month sabbatical in New York City. Instead of a Saturday hanging out with sick children, Larry David would rather rent a lavish apartment in Manhattan for 3 months.



Much like Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm possesses no major plotline. Each episode explores a humorous topic and usually features a guest star. This year’s highlight episodes include Larry and Rosie O’Donnell competing over a bi-sexual girlfriend, Bill Buckner illustrating his butterfingers, and a feud between Larry and Michael J. Fox where the two bicker regarding the merits of Parkinson’s disease fasciculation.

In Praise of Seinfeld 

Curb Your Enthusiasm is hilarious. Since Season One, Larry David has manufactured brilliance season after season. I highly recommend it. However, David’s work with Curb Your Enthusiasm impresses me less than his work with Seinfeld.

For starters, HBO allows David to shock in ways the FCC would never permit on network television. The salty language and adult topics, in all honesty, make for easier humor. When all else fails, swear and sex!

Additionally, the premium nature of HBO gives Curb Your Enthusiasm a longer leash. I didn’t start watching the show until Season Four and I assume there are many like me who jumped into the back catalog through Netflix. Had this show required a large audience quickly, I doubt it would have survived.

For this reason, I am still floored with Seinfeld. The show beat the odds and now exists as the bedrock of American culture. Is Curb Your Enthusiasm less funny than Seinfeld? I think they are equally funny, in truth. I just find Seinfeld the more impressive show given all the variables.

Having spent some time comparing these two shows, let me end by saying Curb Your Enthusiasm is worth your time. It’s a brilliant show for fans of Seinfeld or awkward humor—think The Office. If you’re looking to rent a television series over the summer, check out Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

What about you? Are you a fan of Seinfeld? How do you think it compares to Curb Your Enthusiasm?
Share your thoughts below.

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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Television Show Review: Mad Men

Mad Men: Season Five created by Matthew Weiner (Lionsgate Television, Weiner Bros., and American Movie Classics)

Starring Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, January Jones, John Slattery, Kiernan Shipka, Robert Morse, and Jared Harris.

Recommended, Highly 

In replacement of a spoiler warning, if you haven’t watched Mad Men, stop reading this review and rent Season One. Actually, before you do so. I need to make sure you'll like it. There’s nothing worse than highly recommending something that someone doesn’t like. Mad Men is a slow-boiling character-driven drama. If you need a fast-paced plot, death, mystery, and explosions. Steer clear!

If you like complex characters, though, you need to watch Mad Men. For Matthew Weiner and company, Season 5 represents their best work yet. At a time when most television shows start to fizzle as ideas wane, Mad Men gave us the most consistent season of the hit drama to date. More specifically, Mad Men continues to set the bar through its use of symbolism, accidental progressiveness, and the continued development of compelling characters.

Mad Men as Symbolic 

First, Mad Men has always been a series surrounding symbols. From both the falling advertising executive denoting the downward spiral around the pursuit of happiness to the lounging man smoking a cigarette illustrating the laissez-fare attitude of the era in the opening sequence, the 1960s on Madison Avenue acts as a placeholder for the deeper issues we face in life.

With each episode standing alone as its own short story, the narrative arcs in Mad Men proceed through short vignettes. In Season 5, we find some iconic episodes. In one instance, the employees of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce awkwardly socialize at a party we would now label the epitome of 60s swag while Don Draper’s (John Hamm) new wife, Megan (Jessica Paré), croons a sexy French pop song. In another, Joan (Christina Hendricks) prostitutes herself for the firm to gain the Jaguar account and to obtain a 5% stake in the company.



Whether depicting the power struggle between husband and wife through a French pop song, or the lengths we’ll take to gain financial security, the symbolism in these stories resonate deeply because they are human stories.

Mad Men remains at its best when it uses symbolism to comment on culture and the hollow lives of people pursuing happiness.

This second point on happiness—one to which Weiner returns time and time again—influences every character and action in the season. Don, now 40, finds himself in a funk. For the first time, he feels old. Where in the first few seasons Don keeps his finger on the trends influencing the youth of the nation, the summer of 1966 introduces a new wave of youth, a shift he no longer understands best referenced by his interactions with fans backstage at a Rolling Stones concert or his inability to enjoy Revolver by the Beatles.

Mad Men as Accidental Progressiveness 

Additionally, Mad Men tends to focus on the ways in which Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce falls into progressive stances. In previous seasons, hiring Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) as a copywriter and refusing to do business with the cigarette industry represented impressively forward thinking actions, yet the characters never represented this liberal mindset. This year, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce continues to champion progressiveness by accident.

We find the firm employing African Americans after the firm made a sarcastic jab in the papers about a rival company. Additionally, Joan, as a woman becomes a partner in a male-dominated profession. Yet, to do so she had to resort to scurrilous actions with a Jaguar executive.

Mad Men as Character Development 

Finally, Season 5 continues to add complexity to the characters we know, love, and sometimes hate. Our protagonist Don, in addition to dealing with his advancing age, interacts in a power struggle with his new and youthful wife.

While Don expects submission as his previous wife, Betty (January Jones), allowed, Megan will not tolerate his power grabs. Whether by asserting her will at work, at home, or in the bedroom, Megan considers herself an equal to Don. To a certain extent, this power struggle fuels their relationship, but it also manifests itself in physical forms as their fights often become violent wrestling matches.

Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), the ever punchable junior executive, is following the Don Draper path to a tee, just one generation behind. Now with a lovely wife, child, and home in the suburbs, Pete’s realized dreams now feel shallow and he desires the ever-present urge to find new women, new business accounts, and new thrills. Nonetheless, he never finds happiness.

Mad Men as Remarkable Television 

Mad Men Season 5 is remarkable television. It represents talented writers and actors functioning at the top of their collective game. Each episode illustrates multiple themes worth pondering, and, on the whole, the television show is profound. In particular, Season 5 offers beautiful illustrations of progressiveness, symbolism, and character development. For all that is good and holy, please watch Mad Men, it will assuredly warm your soul.

Verdict: 5 out of 5

What about you? Are you a fan of Mad Men? What are your thoughts on the current season? Do you think the characters will ever obtain happiness? What does the show tells us about our culture? Our hopes? Our pursuits?
Share your thoughts below.

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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Television Show Review: Spy

Spy: Series One created by Simeon Goulden (Hat Trick Productions, 2011.)

Starring Darren Boyd, Jude Wright, and Robert Lindsay.

Same Old Story

You’ve assuredly heard the story before. Man gets divorced, wife hates him, and son has the sarcastic and sardonic wit of a 45 year-old. He works a dead end job at a computer store, all the while unaware that he is a failure. Or, maybe you haven’t heard the story.

Created by writer Simeon Goulden, Spy is a new brand of television. It was created explicitly to be aired on the BBC digital-only channel, Sky 1. The resulting Hulu release in America is the American response to the innovation. 

Silly Spy Spoof

The basic premise of the television series is that of a silly spy spoof. Tim (Darren Boyd) is a single father that has a semi-evil and brilliant son named Marcus (Jude Wright). Tim is fairly boring, and has a penchant for Sudoku puzzles. 

Tim, an under-achieving divorcee, accidentally stumbles into a job with MI5 after going to the job center. Now with the ability to hold a gun and be a part of Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Tim is suddenly insidiously  cool. What’s more, his boss (Robert Lindsay), completely unhinged from reality, reminds the viewer of the guy from the Dos Equis commercials.

Misfortune and Absurdity

Tim’s best friend, Chris (Matthew Baynton) is the only one in the “outside world” who knows of Tim’s accidental fortune in taking a job at MI-5. So, sadly, Tim is unable to tell his son Marcus of his cool job. He has to deal with his son at home, who constantly judges Tim for his poor intellect, lack of financial fortune, and lack of quality employ.  

For further misfortune, Tim has to meet up with Marcus, his former wife Judith (Dolly Wells), and her new partner Philip (Tom Goodman-Hill), who is the headmaster of the school Marcus attends, for frequent counseling sessions. Philip, for some strange reason, absolutely loves hugging Tim in a far-too-close-for-comfort sort of a way. The therapist, Paula (Rosie Cavaliero) has also developed a major crush on Tim in stalker-like fashion.

With total absurdity, the show doesn’t disappoint. Lindsay is absolutely hilarious as the boss, and Jude Wright plays a great demonic mastermind of a son. The whole show is a delight to watch, which only shows that absurd British wit will always entertain. The good news is BCC has renewed Spy for a second series, as well as a Christmas special.  I recommend you check Spy out very soon.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5
What do you think? Do you enjoy the series? Why? Share your thoughts below.
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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Television Show Review: Whites

Whites directed by David Kerr (British Broadcasting Corporation. 2010)

Starring Alan Davies, Darren Boyd, and Katherine Parkinson.

Celebrity Chefdom

In a world where Gordon Ramsay rules, Anthony Bourdain sarcastically entertains, and celebrity chefdom somehow continues to rise, it was only a matter of time before a comedy in the culinary world would emerge to please the masses. I was thrilled to see Whites arrive. But, I was equally as disappointed to see it quickly vanish, cancelled after one season.

Based in Reality

Roland White (Alan Davies) had a seemingly promising career ahead of him. Alas, he is now a past-his-prime chef in a dead-end restaurant, at the White House Hotel. Roland is a gifted-but-lazy chef. The show’s writer, Matt King, used his experience in the kitchen to form the premise for the television series. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, King states,

“Whites is totally based on Hanbury Manor, where I worked. It’s a facsimile. Roland is a composite of several chefs I know who can’t be bothered any more. They’ve kind of missed the boat, missed out on Michelin stars and cruise along.”

Interestingly, because of Matt King’s background, the entire cast trained at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen in order to adequately play their roles in a proper culinary fashion. 

Recounting the Tale

In the first episode, we find Roland meagerly sitting in his office writing his “poignant” autobiography while watching his sous chef, Bib (Darren Boyd), flounder in his attempts to keep the busy kitchen afloat. 

Roland, finally noting Bib’s inability to survive the hectic kitchen alone, allows Bib to hire another line cook, named Skoose (Stephen Wright). The only problem is, Skoose vocally covets Bib’s job, as he intends to be a head chef of his own restaurant in only four years.

Time to Develop

What ensues is restaurant hilarity. But, the series was cancelled after only a year. It was not cancelled due to disinterest, but rather because BBC couldn’t secure the money to run the show for a second season. Unfortunately, Whites needed time to develop its characters, a notion writer Matt King laments.

“In our minds, it was a getting-to-know-our-characters series. It’s not a lot of time to explore seven characters. It was always, ‘We’ve set up this world, with series two everyone knows the characters and we’ll explore it from there’.”

Series two could have developed plot after the world was set up, an unfortunate consequence of really taking time to introduce the characters. Series one is a bit slow, but it’s just as funny. With equal parts sarcasm, wit, and slapstick comedy, I found Whites to be hilarious and entertaining. Though the show is cancelled, I think it still entertains. The world needs a chef comedy to interact with the Anthony Bourdains and Gordon Ramsays of the world, it’s sad that this one found its end.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

Have you seen Whites? Did you enjoy it? Are you sad it's been cancelled? Share your thoughts below.
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson


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Television Show Review: The Pitch

The Pitch directed by Philip Lott (Studio Lambert. Premiers Monday, April 30 on AMC.)

Mad Men as Reality TV

Even though I savor the subtle intricacies of character development in AMC’s Mad Men, I can understand how one could be drawn to the business of advertising depicted in the show. With storyboards and persuasive language, the employees of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce seek to persuade by creativity.

With this aspect acting as the foundation of AMC’s most famous show, there is no wonder AMC developed The Pitch, a documentary-style reality television series highlighting two rival ad agencies competing for a client.

Competition: The Core of Capitalism 

In the sneak peak episode, ad agencies McKinney and WDCW fight over the next big SUBWAY® ad campaign. The episode commences with both agencies meeting at SUBWAY® headquarters learning the preliminary guidelines and target audiences of the advertising campaign.

Upon receiving the assignment, both agencies have one week to create an ad campaign before returning to  SUBWAY® headquarters with a pitch. One agency wins; the other returns empty-handed.

On one side, I believe The Pitch carries promise, perhaps becoming the next big reality show highlighting corporate America. On the other side, the series format might become its biggest downfall.

The Pros 

Much like the depiction of the day-to-day at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in Mad Men, The Pitch flourishes during the scenes in the proverbial kitchen—the work spaces where ideas come to life. With tense brainstorming sessions and gorgeous cinematography of respective workplaces, The Pitch imports the viewer into the agencies.

As a fly on the wall, the viewer gains understanding of the process as the agencies develop a pitch for the client.

The Cons 

However, The Pitch flounders in the character-development department. For starters, those giving the pitch are not those developing the pitch—the high level employees meeting with SUBWAY® entrust pitch development to copywriters.

For this reason, the people we meet at the beginning of the episode step aside during the middle portions while the ideas mature. In fact, the times when the pitch people interact with the copywriters, the senior executives hover over the ideas with insensate opinions.

This schism, coupled with covering two separate agencies, creates surface level characters. The viewer never understands how these ad agencies function. We get a glimpse of the process, mostly from the copywriters as they explain the fear behind proposing an idea, exposing their creativity to criticism.

Lastly, The Pitch covers new ad agencies every week. As such, any traction in character development one week disappears with a new cast of characters the next. Such a position leaves The Pitch prone to inconsistent television with each episode surviving or dying on the strength of that week’s cast of characters.

The Verdict 

Will The Pitch make compelling television? I’m not sure. Certainly, there is a blueprint for success—most viewers find glimpses into alternative careers to be fascinating. Yet, new ad agencies every week create difficulty for overarching stories. Weekly meeting a new ensemble of characters means no connections.

Does a series need connections? Not necessarily. Look at Undercover Boss, a highly successful series where presidents and CEOs go undercover to learn more about their companies. But each episode of Undercover Boss features one person in one company, while The Pitch highlights two ad agencies competing for the business of a third party.

The Pitch has promise, on the whole. If you are curious about marketing, design, and the advertising industry, you might enjoy this show.

Verdict: 3 out of 5

Are you interested in watching the series premier? Does the creative side of capitalism interest you? Is it possible to create art for a client? How about those in the design world. Does this series intrigue you? Share your thoughts below.

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

Television Show Review: Awake

Awake created by Kyle Killen (Letter Eleven, Teakwood Lane Productions, 20th Century Fox Television. Airs Thursday night on NBC.)

Starring Jason Isaacs, Laura Allen, and Dylan Minnette.

Cogito Ergo Sum 

René Descartes seemingly graces the annals of history exclusively for the quote, “I think; therefore I am.” The sentence is an answer on a high school history quiz; it is chiseled in the foundations of university philosophy departments. Unhooked from its preceding line of reasoning on the pursuit of epistemological truth, the sentence sounds painfully obvious.

By positing that thinking is his conclusive proof of his existence, Descartes asserts that all other sensory experience might be false. As such, the all-too-familiar notion of a realistic dream offers questions.

If a dream feels real, how can we ever be conclusively certain if we are not dreaming? Resoundingly, Descartes asserts that we will never know and therefore we can’t hold sensory experience on epistemological grounds.

To Sleep Perchance to Dream 

In this notion, we find the intriguing premise for Awake, NBC’s latest attempt at earning market share. After a car accident ends the life of a family member, Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs) finds himself caught in two realities. In one, Michael and his wife mourn the loss of their teenage son; in the other, Michael and his son cope with the death of a wife and mother. As Michael tumbles into sleep each night, he immediately awakes in an alternate reality.

A police detective, Michael effectively lives twice each day, solving different cases, seeking council with different psychiatrists and dealing with the emotional instability attached to burying a wife and/or son.

Beauty in the Green and Red 

In addition to this intriguing premise, the pilot episode of Awake offers beautiful visuals and exceptional acting. First, the alternate realities hold different aesthetics. The Michael/son reality carries a dark palette with grays and greens; conversely, the Michael/wife reality is bright with a kaleidoscope of yellows and reds.



Second, Jason Isaacs remains in control of his character acting with a subtlety open to the deep emotion of grief and loss but not oblivious to the unbelievable dichotomy of reality. The story exclusively follows Michael Britten. Therefore, the viewer can never tell what’s true. As each psychiatrist tries to prove their reality conclusively, a cat-and-mouse game ensues with Michael acting as the messenger. In all, Awake offers much to intrigue.

Too Good to Be True? 

I, however, am concerned.

First, Awake acts as a case-of-the-week procedural at its core. Of course, the otherworldly premise will keep this show from suffering the verdict of a CSI knock-off. While the case-of-the-week shtick provides the show with long-running possibilities, I find such quick action deleterious to character and setting development. If you have one hour to catch a killer, you have less time to marinate on the intricacies of Michael Britten and his dual reality.

Even more worrisome, the preview for this season hints at a third-party conspiracy. Part of the brilliance in the pilot surrounds the sole focus on Michael Britten. A third-party view would be exceedingly detrimental to the plot. We see Michael in sorrow and confusion as he carefully attempts to piece life back together. Awake is a powerful show if the dual reality is a product of Michael Britten’s fragile psyche. If this carefully executed premise is a staged third-party operation, Awake is another mindless network drone.

I hope and pray Awake makes the right moves. With the continuous pressure facing NBC to make a hit television show, I worry that network executives will seek lowest common denominator entertainment over excellent art. Chances are Awake will be cancelled before it ruins itself. No matter the outcome, nobody can take away this powerful pilot. At the very worst, it functions well as a well-executed short film. Awake is worth watching, for now.

Pilot Verdict: 5 out of 5 stars

Series Verdict: TBD

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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Television Show Review: Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire: Season One created by Terence Winter (Home Box Office, Leverage Management, Closest to the Hole Productions)

Starring Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, and Kelly Macdonald.

In Praise of the Anti-Hero 

Not to say that the anti-hero is a recent development in storytelling, but it seems like the last ten years have seen a rise in the flawed protagonist. Whether Dexter Morgan in Dexter, Walter White in Breaking Bad, or Don Draper in Mad Men, many current shows extol depravity and require the viewer to root for the “bad guy”. Boardwalk Empire’s Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi) is another character to add to this list. Boardwalk Empire: Season One tells the tale of prohibition-era Atlantic City and the politician who rules the city with equal parts virtue and vice.

A Portrait of an Anti-Hero 

Nucky Thompson, the principle character in Boardwalk Empire, is a corrupt and powerful treasurer that controls Atlantic City. With prohibition cutting off the alcohol that fuels the New Jersey city, Nucky establishes a bootlegging ring to quench the thirst of his constituents. In one of his first liquor deals, Nucky partners with Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), a New York kingpin and leader of the Jewish mafia. However, Nucky’s driver, Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt), and Chicago gangster, Al Capone (Stephen Graham), foil the deal, murdering the rum runners and commandeering the liquor to the city of Chicago.

With this act of betrayal, Season One tells the story of the brewing tensions between Atlantic City and New York as Nucky Thompson and Arnold Rothstein seek to control the bootlegging market.

While Nucky fights gangsters in the alley and engages in political discourse on Main Street, he takes a liking to Margaret Schroeder (Kelly Macdonald), a woman widowed as a direct result of the corrupt acts of Nucky. This romantic sub-thread runs alongside the gangsterism the series offering the soft side of a tough character.

How Much Sin Can You Live With? 

The construction of the character, both through excellent writing and impeccable acting by Steve Buscemi, provides a portrait of a person who recognizes the difficulties of life. A product of a difficult home and well-versed in the moral ambiguity of political office, Nucky walks the tightrope between brash immorality and his strict Catholic upbringing. Strikingly, he mentions in a conversation on his actions,

“We all have to decide for ourselves how much sin we can live with” (Episode 12).

No matter our personal convictions on the definition of sin, Nucky’s proclamation rings true to a certain level. Many of us have betrayed a friend; many of us have cheated, lied, and stolen. For every one of us, our moral compass is skewed by these gray areas. To give a modern parallel, the pirating of movies is ok for one and an immoral evil for another. In the 1920s and today, ingesting alcohol offers no significance for some and perilous significance for others. The question then becomes how much sin can you live with?

It seems like the rise of the anti-hero in popular narratives suggests that we deal with moral gray areas in life. We have to fire people and we feel bad about it. We drive past the beggar asking for a dollar. We make promises; we break them. Perhaps we are drawn to characters like Nucky Thompson because, in the real world, our actions to a certain extent reflect his.

Boardwalk Empire: Season One is a fantastic beginning to a hopefully long-running and stunning series. If you love the anti-hero, HBO shows, or prohibition-era dramas, I highly recommend Boardwalk Empire.

Verdict: 5 out of 5

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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Television Show Review: Dexter

Dexter: Season 6 developed by James Manos, Jr. (Showtime Networks, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company)

Starring Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, James Remar, and C.S. Lee.

I Might Be an Anglophile

Without intentionally positioning myself as an anglophile, I appreciate the reserve under which English television operates. No matter how massive the hit, English writers and producers understand that quality trumps quantity. As such, these television professionals would rather sacrifice paychecks than integrity. Not so in the good ol’ U.S. of A.

Case in point, the best episodes of Showtime’s hit series, Dexter, exist in its rear-view mirror. With Season 6, the viewer continues on a plot development holding pattern. The setting remains the same—a vividly colored Miami where sins are flaunted for all to see; the characters stunted—a continued exploration of dark passengers among the levity of Miami P.D.’s homicide unit.

Bad Faith, Good Faith

In Season 6, the crew encounters another serial killer. As a brief aside, at what point must we conclude that something is wrong with Miami? Realistically, serial killers are a rare breed in the sea of homicides. For Miami to continually function as the hot bed for killing sprees seems extremely unrealistic.  At any rate, the murderers (Edward James Olmos and Colin Hanks) are labeled the Doomsday Killers (or DDK) because they stage the apocalyptic imagery of Revelation in their gory murders.

The allusions to religion are not limited to evil representations. While Dexter competes with Miami P.D. in the chase for the Doomsday Killers, he meets Brother Sam (Mos Def), a reformed felon deeply committed to Jesus Christ, who uses his business—a car repair shop—to provide meaningful work for recently released convicts. Brother Sam’s faith compels Dexter to attempt to see the good in people.

Befriending Brother Sam, Dexter questions the maxims by which he governs his life. Is it possible to banish his dark passenger? Does faith in a higher power really work? I must give credit to the writers for exploring these themes.

A Stagnant Series

But, such thoughts don’t alter the laziness surrounding the rest of the season. First, Season 6 reveals the killers in the first episode. As such, the mystery of a cat-and-mouse game between police and murderer is non-existent.

Second, Season 6 portrays excellent plot twists but I feel like these moves are seasons late. There has been no character growth in the past couple seasons and Miami no longer intrigues as a setting. As a result, the plot twists feel forced, disingenuous, and tardy.

Dexter continues to entertain but I miss the unadulterated, concentrated awesomeness of the show’s first seasons. Had this show been developed in England, I can guarantee that it would have never made it to Season 6. With stale plots and settings, Dexter’s best episodes are long gone.

Verdict: 2 out of 5

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Posted by: Donovan Richards

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Television Show Review: Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time: Season 1 created by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis (Kitsis/Horowitz, and ABC Studios, airs Saturday nights at 8/7c on ABC Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, and Lana Parrilla

Why Fairy Tales All of a Sudden? 

Last week I reviewed the television program Grimm. Naturally, I thought it appropriate to review its ABC rival, Once Upon a Time. Both shows are incredibly alike in that they use common fairy tales as a point of reference. However, the two could not be any more different.

The creation of both seems to coincide with fantasy, a niche market, achieving widespread popularity. Since an adaptation of Harry Potter and Twilight means paying lots of money for the rights to broadcasting an author’s work, major networks utilize fairy tales which are one hundred percent free, exist in the public domain, and still make a ton of money.

Once Upon a Time transforms the fairy tale into the modern area with the premise that there is a town called Storybrooke where fairy tale characters are trapped by an evil spell – much like the movie Enchanted. Most of the characters don’t know they are trapped in this world with no memory of their past lives because they are enchanted by the malevolent spell cast by the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) who is encouraged by the malicious Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) to cast said spell.

Hope 

Photo by Onion

Unlike Grimm, there is an incredible amount of hope in Once Upon a Time. The ABC series uses hope as a mechanism for escape, providing the viewer with the ability to hold on to hope in their own lives. Edward Katsis, co-creator and executive producer of the series, states,

"For us, that’s what a fairytale is. It’s that ability to think your life will get better. It’s why you buy a lottery ticket—because if you win you get to tell your boss that you’re quitting and you get to move to Paris or wherever and be who you always wanted to be. And that’s Cinderella, right? One day she’s sweeping up and the next she’s going to the ball. Adam and I just wanted to write about something hopeful that for one hour a week allows one to put everything aside and have that feeling that your dreams just may come true"

Hope in Once Upon a Time isn’t only that these characters stuck in our world will return to their normal lives; it is also that a mother, and our protagonist, Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) can rekindle her relationship with her son whom she gave up for adoption 10 years ago. Her son, Henry (Jared Gilmore), believes that Emma is the long lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. But, she is under the Queen’s spell and can’t remember anything of the sort. Emma somewhat believes her son, but is faced with a huge obstacle to full-scale trust: his adopted mother is the mayor of Storybrooke, and also the Evil Queen.

Noble Goals, Bad Heart

What makes this storytelling adventure work well is the fact that the casting is well done. Every character plays their part incredibly well as the actor blends into the character on the screen, and the evil characters are perhaps the best to watch because their characters are the most believable. There is an amount of believability, as no person is completely good or completely evil.

The evil queen/mayor selfishly desires a happy ending for herself. Happiness as her goal is one that we all share in life. But, she doesn’t want anyone else to be happy. The Evil Queen isn’t evil just because she naturally is that way, “She was made evil,” co-creator and executive producer Edward Kitsis states, “In fact, she's more tortured and sad than she is just evil."

She only turns evil because she denies others that same happiness she pursues, and creates an unpleasant town completely devoid of hope except for her own. However, her adopted son brings life back into the town through his uncanny sense of hope.

Photo by Alexander Boden

Similarly, Mr. Gold (or Rumpelstiltskin in the other realm), seeks to gain personal wealth, which carries, in and of itself, no moral weight; but he hoards wealth, taking it too far as his only aim in life. His involvement in the little town of Storybrooke is unending, and he seems to know much more than even the evil queen mayor about the character’s lives. Mr. Gold has a je ne sais quoi about him that makes him incredibly curious to watch. He’s evil, but his cunning and trickster ways provide interest, much different from the selfishness portrayed by the queen.

All in all, I like this show. It has characters you want to watch, with personalities that are intriguing. You root for the good guys, and simply hope the bad guys get caught. However, for me, I enjoy the television show Grimm more. Due to the way Grimm tells the story (in the Germanic style of fairy tale story telling), there is a darkness and realness written into the script and production that makes hope something of a rarity that one wishes to keep whenever it appears. In Once Upon a Time, the viewer is so flooded with hope that it seems less important because it is so ever-present, much like a Disney film. However, I still very much enjoy this series, and I suggest that you tune in to ABC on Sundays at 8.

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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Television Show Review: Grimm

Grimm: Season 1 created by Stephen Carpenter, David Greenwalt, and Jim Kouf  (Universal Television, GK Productions, Hazy Mills Productions, and Open 4 Bisiness Productions, LLC,  airs Friday nights at 9/8c on NBC)

Starring David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Bitsie Tulloch, Silas Weir Mitchell, Sasha Roiz, and Reggie Lee

The Grimm of Old

Historically, the Brothers Grimm collected folklore and published these stories in Grimm's Fairy Tales. With fairy tales acting as an oral tradition, the Grimm brothers met with people to write down their stories.

Being an oral tradition, fairy tales obviously varied from town to town, and the stories from the Germanic origin were much darker. For instance, in the Grimm version of Cinderella, the evil step sisters chop off their toes in order to try to fit into the glass slipper. Furthermore, pigeons pecked out their eyes and they were punished with blindness for the rest of their lives.

"When the wedding with the prince was to be held, the two false sisters came, wanting to gain favor with Cinderella and to share her good fortune. When the bridal couple walked into the church, the older sister walked on their right side and the younger on their left side, and the pigeons pecked out one eye from each of them. Afterwards, as they came out of the church, the older one was on the left side, and the younger one on the right side, and then the pigeons pecked out the other eye from each of them. And thus, for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness as long as they lived."

However, in versions of The Little Glass Slipper, specifically the version by Charles Perrault,  Cinderella forgives her wicked step sisters and allows them to live with her in the palace.

"And now her two sisters found her to be that fine, beautiful lady whom they had seen at the ball.  They threw themselves at her feet to beg pardon for all the ill treatment they had made her undergo. Cinderella took them up, and, as she embraced them, said that she forgave them with all her heart, and wanted them always to love her."

The Grimm of New

Similar to the Germanic sources, the television series Grimm brings this dark perspective onto the screen.  A homicide detective named Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) in the city of Portland, Oregon learns of his descendancy from the Brothers Grimm. Due to his origins, he can see what some people really are – creatures that are not fully human. One such creature (a big not-so-bad wolf named Monroe, played by Silas Weir Mitchell) reluctantly helps Burkhardt and his human police partner, Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby) to solve crimes.

Mystical Detectives

Surprisingly and with some accidental good fortune, all of Detective Burkhardt’s casework happens to coincide with the mystical realm. Despite these coincidences, the show is still very compelling.

Escape

The emergence of Harry Potter and Twilight brought the fairy tale back into the public eye. Perhaps unjustifiably, fairy tales get a bad rap. Although they are what we read to children, G.K. Chesterton says,

 “Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” 

Furthermore, Chesterton also states that fairy tales are a way to escape from this world much in the same way that a prisoner seeks to escape his prison cell. Such imagination is a noble pursuit – to escape to a place where good always does triumph over evil.

Grimm provides this escape. Wonderfully and with great suspense, it paints the picture of a detective trying to rid the world of evil. If you have nothing else happening on Friday nights, I recommend that you check out Grimm.

Verdict: 4 out of 5
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Andrew Jacobson is the director of Choral Studies at Bellevue Christian School in Bellevue, WA. He holds an M.M. in Music Education from Boston University, as well as a B.M. in Music Education from the University of Washington. He loves wine, food, reading, music, and movies. You can reach him via email at arjacobson@gmail.com.


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Television Show Review: Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad: Seasons 1-3 created by Vince Gilligan (High Bridge Productions, Gran Via Productions, and Sony Pictures Television)

Starring Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, and Aaron Paul.

Dexter Morgan vs. Walter White

As I watched the first three seasons of Breaking Bad on Netflix, I couldn’t help but compare the series to Dexter, television’s other critically acclaimed series featuring a protagonist with dark secrets. Where Dexter Morgan is a serial killer vigilante, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is a down-on-his-luck chemistry teacher who utilizes his scientific expertise to cook methamphetamines.

Although it may sound astonishing, I argue that Dexter functions as a more likeable character than Walt. In spite of its dark content, Dexter carries an air of levity. In between murders, the viewer sees the lighter side of Dexter’s relationships with his peers. Murder, of course, is awful. But the vigilante nature of Dexter’s killing coupled with his quirky mannerism renders a likeable character.

In contrast, Walt is a difficult character to root for. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Walt faces the unenviable situation of laying plans for his family once he passes. With a dead-end job for which he has always been overqualified, Walt realizes that he will never leave a monetary legacy for his expecting wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn), and teenage son, Walter Jr. (RJ Mitte).

When One Breaks Bad

Riding along with his brother-in-law and DEA agent, Hank Schrader (Dean Norris), Walt observes first-hand the rewards and penalties of cooking meth. Operating under the assumption that he has, at best, a couple of years left in his life, Walt “breaks bad”. He teams up with high school dropout and former student, Jessie Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to cook meth.

On the surface, Walt’s decision to become a criminal possesses a certain sense of honor. Walt cooks meth not to selfishly reap high profits, but to maximize the amount of money he can make for his family with the time he has left.

The “Ethics” of Drug Dealing

Yet, Walt’s gruff demeanor, his isolated suffering, and his ruthless anger make him a difficult character to like. Moreover, Walt’s dark side supplies grim consequences for innocent people around him. While Dexter makes Miami a better place by executing the murderers of the city, Walt sources high quantities of an addictive drug that diminishes the quality of life in New Mexico.

The Little Things that Make Brilliant Television

Despite the fact that Walt’s character is in many ways irredeemable, I believe Breaking Bad is a better show than Dexter. First and foremost, the meticulous and artful writing and production of Breaking Bad is brilliant. From excellent foreshadowing, beautiful opening scenes, unique camera angles, and time-lapse cinematography, every detail of Breaking Bad offers high quality for the viewing public.

Additionally, Breaking Bad’s character feel realistic, with flaws and all. Haven’t we all at least considered some of the actions Walt completes? As a member of the 99%, Walt takes fate into his own hands repercussions be damned. With excellent and creative writing anchoring the show, I look forward to continuing this story.

Verdict: 5 out of 5

Television Show Review: The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead: Season Two created by Frank Darabont; produced by Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Robert Kirkman, and Charles H. Eglee (Circle of Confusion and Valhalla Motion Pictures)

Starring Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Steven Yeun, and Chandler Riggs.

A Premature Review

Partly because I’m currently engaged in some lengthy books and need to post some content, I am reviewing the current season of The Walking Dead despite the fact that it is early in its second season.

As I mentioned in my review of the show last year, I am not a fan of the zombie genre. Yet, the more I consider the subtext beneath these post-apocalyptic narratives, the more the genre fascinates me.

Zombie as Metaphor

At its core, a zombie story explores human frailty. The zombie functions as a metaphor for the inevitability of death. Like a contagion, the threat gradually rises until no hope remains for escape. In other words, the zombie genre requires the viewer to encounter his or her own death.

In movie form, zombie stories move quickly with boatloads of action before the narrative resolves in the finality of death. The Walking Dead, however, must unfold slowly due to its serialized nature. As such, a sensory assault seen in most zombie movies would drain the viewer.  With a show format, The Walking Dead needs drama in order to break up the intense zombie scenes.

I Want to Like the Characters before They Die!

And, honestly, this drama is the Achilles’ heel of the show so far. Of course, in light of a dying world, it is nearly impossible to imagine the ways in which humans would cope. But, the attempts to humanize the characters in this show sound hollow. In truth, I am not drawn to any of the characters on this show.  As these people die (and we know they will, let us not deceive ourselves), I want to like them. Stated differently, it is not dramatic if unlikable characters die.

So, despite high ratings and much promise, I find it difficult to give The Walking Dead, a perfect score. The show has promise. In the third episode, we find the kind of cliffhanger that creates real characters. If you love zombies, you need to watch The Walking Dead. As for me, I continue to watch hoping that the writers put everything together.

Verdict: 3 of 5

Television Show Review: Doctor Who

Doctor Who created by Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber, and Donald Wilson (British Broadcasting Corporation)

Currently starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, and Alex Kingston.

His Name Is the Doctor

Currently listed as the longest-running science fiction television show by the Guinness World Records, Doctor Who follows the adventures of a time-traveling alien named The Doctor. Traversing the universe with a time machine called the TARDIS which possesses an outward appearance of a blue police box, the Doctor typically travels with a female human companion and, together, they encounter numerous villains and work toward saving people groups, worlds, and righting injustices in the universe.

Although the series began in 1963, the current version of Doctor Who premiered in 2005. With a sharp and dry wit, the actors playing The Doctor carry the show through brilliant dialogue and colorful acting.

Connecting with the Innate Desire to Get Away

The TARDIS

While I enjoy the humorous dialogue, what intrigues me about this series is the companion figure. Each character who travels with the Doctor finds the banal reality of everyday life in London to pale in comparison with traveling with this humanoid alien. For these people, escape leads to real life.

I don’t claim to know the underlying themes that define humanity, but it certainly seems like we all share an innate sense of discovery. When my wife and I travel, we find joy in wandering the streets of a new city exploring nooks and crannies.

In Doctor Who, the viewer lives vicariously through the companion. If you were offered free travel anywhere in time and space, wouldn’t you say yes with no questions asked?

As an example, with the obviously caveat that it could be pre-ordained, I think of the times that Conan O’Brien grabs a random fan during a show and tells him or her that the show is paying him or her to travel for a week. Each time, the audience member jumps on the airplane with no questions asked.

Of course, Doctor Who is an entertaining show that combines action adventure, science fiction, and humor. Yet, I am drawn to these deeper themes beneath the surface plot. If you realize the human condition for discovery and you like science fiction with a good dose of British humor, I recommend watching Doctor Who from its current inception in 2005.

Television Show Review: The Killing

The Killing: Season 1 developed by Veena Sud (Fox Television Studios, KMF Films, and Fuse Entertainment)

Starring Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, Billy Campbell, Michelle Forbes, and Brent Sexton.

To Speak Frankly

Veena Sud, developer of The Killing, a U.S.-based version of the Danish series Forbrydelsen, needs to go away. In an article penned by Tim Appelo for the Hollywood Reporter, Sud responded to the significant critical and popular backlash to her show with the notion that the public does not understand her greatness.

Relating her show to The Sopranos, Sud proclaimed, “The fact that people love us or hate us is a beautiful thing. I don’t want to be kinda liked.” What is this backlash? Well, for most viewers, it began when an exceptional pilot devolved into a meandering mess of a first season. The only thing keeping the audience tuning in on Sunday nights was the understanding communicated from Sud herself that, at the end of the season, we would know who killed Rosie Larsen.

The House of Cards

Sadly and with a spoiler alert in full effect, the cliffhanger at the end of the season ensured that the one promise the viewers thought they had came crashing down like a house of cards.

The season depicts the murder investigation of Rosie Larsen. With each episode portraying one day’s time, The Killing resides in the procedural drama genre. Where CSI focuses on one investigation per episode, The Killing engages in one investigation over the entire season. Both in its season-long narrative framework and its setting in the Pacific Northwest, The Killing draws easy comparisons with Twin Peaks.

Writers: Killing Potential

Photo by Frank Ockenfels

Despite the near unanimous backlash against the show, it contained promise. First, the pilot episode really drew me to the series. With a dark sense of foreboding, dreary shots of the Seattle skyline, and space for character development, I thought The Killing showed the promise of a modern classic.

Yet, as the show unveiled, it became clear that the writers spent ages perfecting the pilot and had little sense of direction and character development for the rest of the season.

With continual red herrings and a refusal to dive into the back stories of central characters, the season plodded with no clear purpose and no characters worth following.

Where True Emotion Dies

Second, the show provided space to clearly depict a family suffering through the loss of the child. Too often in procedurals, the victim’s family plays a vindictive counterbalance. The murderer did something awful and the family depicts the rage of eye-for-an-eye justice.

The Killing, however, portrays the Larsen family on the cusp of comprehensive breakdown. For the mother, simple day-to-day tasks become unbearable; the father, a stoic external façade silences the inner despair of losing a child.

Yet, I can’t help but think that the Twin Peaks parallels provide a sense of guilt for the Larsen family. Despite the depiction of suffering, we know very little about the family. Given the cliffhanger at the end of the season, it is not out of the question to hear that Season 2 will exhibit the family as the mastermind behind the murder.

Two Thumbs Down

In the end, The Killing was incredibly disappointing. Part of me hopes that Veena Sud is the genius she thinks she is because the show still has the potential to weave a Lost-like story of character connection around a murdered teenager.

But the on-screen evidence suggests that Sud is self-deceived. Her writing staff is horrid and the deception around the season finale left her viewers somewhere between annoyed and angry. For these reasons, I probably won’t watch Season 2. If I hear some positive, critical reviews, I’ll contemplate watching. But for now, consider me burned by The Killing.