May 2020 – TV Quick Hits & Misses

I Am Not Okay with This (NETFLIX) – Relating in part to the mutations that are apparent during puberty, this seven-episode high-school fantasy explores the traumas of a teenage girl who begins experiencing what may be newly budding superpowers. Don’t get this one wrong though, as it’s a far more “angsty” teen series with plenty of school/life related drama that works in tandem with the abnormal talents to compound and strengthen the threat of feeling further outcast. It doesn’t ever reach the level of body horror or anything, but the reality of puberty, the threat and absence of paternity, navigating sexuality, and the fear of becoming something abject are all apparent.

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (NETFLIX) – An in-depth and lightly-graphic look at the criminal abuse history of the disgraced magnate. The limited four-episode series delivers a respectful place for individuals who were in some way “close” to Epstein to tell their stories while also allowing viewers to get a glimpse into the lives he brushed past or outright devastated.

In a positive move, the series largely avoids conspiracy theories and glamorizing sordid details. The move works to provide the interviewees an appropriate level of credibility while giving the audience an opportunity to equate that level with concern; really this story doesn’t need conspiracies, it’s fucked up enough already. Interviews include a host of survivors as well as those who attempted to prosecute, defend, and/or even protect him throughout the tenure of his tangled web of abuse.

Note: Produced in part by Alex Cross author, and former Epstein neighbor, James Patterson.

Run (HBO) – From Vicky Jones (long-time friend and collaborator of Phoebe Waller-Bridge) comes this seven-episode series that sees a pair of disaffected adults attempt to run away from the doldrum and issues of their current lives and rekindle their college romance.

Merritt Wever and Domhnall Gleeson are great together, while most assuredly being completely wrong for each other. Yet, it’s the finding this out, along with just how quickly and willingly even, one can blow up their own life, that makes the series fun-ish.

Full of tensions, questions, unsureness and consequences, the show is frustratingly semi-entertaining in a Moonlighting-esque “will-they/won’t-they/holy crap did they just…” kind of way.

Note: Golden Globe nominee Archi Pamjabi (“The Good Wife”, “I Know This Much Is True”), Golden Globe Winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge (”Fleabag”), and Rich Sommer (“Mad Men”, “GLOW”) all have supporting roles.

Wanderlust (2018 / NETFLIX) – Toni Collette (“The Sixth Sense”, “Unbelievable”) and Steven Mackintosh (“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”) star in this dramedy concerning a long-time married couple who find a new openness, connection, and semblance of marital bliss in polyamory. They are not alone however as the series sees a host of characters experiencing varying degrees of the titular, wanderlust.

I wouldn’t necessarily call the series a love story, nor would I call it a comedy, as it’s details a deeper dive into the actions we sometimes take when we refuse, subconsciously or not, to face problems in our lives. Additionally, I won’t call the series slow, but rather it feels full and every bit its hour-long episodic runtime.

The series has a few noteworthy bits that deserve recognition. Firstly, the music for “Wanderlust” is exceptional and perfectly attuned to the moods of the series. Secondly, many, if not all, of the characters seem to have a hard time finishing sentences. That’s not so surprising when you take an overview of the series subject matter and our seemingly hereditary inability to speak about some topics comfortably and/or openly. Finally, the series delivers an excruciatingly powerful fifth episode that details a full-length therapy session that gets to the root of one character’s issues, it’s both devastating and awakening.

Note: Anya Chalotra, Royce Pierreson (both from “The Witcher”) and Paul Kaye (“Game of Thornes” / “After Life”) have supporting roles.

After Life: Season 2 (NETFLIX) – Reopening in a “happy place”, underneath the effective stylings of The Carpenter’s “Top of the World”, the series immediately settles back into its occasionally vulgar but coping-ly comedic representations of the many forms of grief and moving on; all while utilizing a slew of great tracks, including Jackson Browne and David Bowie, to effectively sell many of its more emotional moments.

And although it’s an enjoyable show, I’m not so sure about the length and breadth of the series overall. Gervais historically delivers notably short series content before moving on to new ideas, and “After Life” has some moments of repetition that make you wonder just how long you’re willing to sit with these people before you decide that you want to get to the moving on yourself.

Dead to Me: Season 2 (NETFLIX) – For as dark as the series is, subject wise, it remains a good amount of fun. This season sees Jen (Christina Applegate) and Judy (Linda Cardellini) do a lot of crying, a lot of swearing, and a lot of drinking as they attempt to cope with their current circumstances and shared experiences, all the while fending off the prying and investigative eyes of family, friends, and the law.

Westworld: Season 3 (HBO) – A truncated season, lasting only eight-episodes, sees a tighter grip on storytelling as this series picks up pace, hurtling itself towards an inevitable collision between man and machine. Moving the heavily-action oriented happenings to the real world does nothing to diminish the series’ ability to confuse and reveal itself convincingly to its audience.

-m-