Archive for the ‘ Drama ’ Category

Banshee: Pilot Review

A man gets out of prison, immediately gets into a gun battle in the middle of New York, legs it to Banshee, a small town in Pennsylvania and finds himself assuming the identity of the new sheriff. All because he’s chasing a girl, oh and 10 million dollars worth of diamonds.

This show has a classic problem in that it doesn’t want to give away the central character’s intention. He’s a classic strong silent type, not giving much away about what he’s thinking or feeling. The facts about him seem pretty worrying, but without knowing the why it’s hard to know if there’s more to the story. Why does he take the sheriff’s identity? To win back the girl? To settle down and form a relationship with his daughter? Or just to hide from those chasing him? We see that he has a talent for forming quick relationships, sometimes friendly, oftentimes violent, he seems to take an immediate dislike to the local crime boss but is that moral indignation or just a natural reaction to the competition? With all that uncertainty the character is left as a bit of a bland fence sitter, never giving anything away to either the other characters or the audience. Quiet and mysterious is ok, but it’s also very difficult to form any kind of bond with him.

It also leaves the show floating a bit, because you just don’t know what direction it’s going to go. Shows like House of Lies and The Shield gave it all away in their pilots, giving us characters that are presenting different personas all the time but revealing to the audience where their true allegiances and feelings lie. That’s not to say their allegiances might not change over the course of the series, but at least you know what you’re starting with. In contrast something like Homeland manages to keep you guessing over and over again. Each choice led to an interesting and engaging enough pilot that I came back for more in each case, but somehow it just didn’t work so well for Banshee.

But for all the lack of interest the main character generated, almost all the supporting characters really sparkled – the off the wall computer expert that’s helping with the new identity, the ex girlfriend who’s also been living an assumed identity in Banshee, the amiable but slightly scary bartender and the crime lord separated from his Amish roots. Each is a bit of a trope, but the performances had a depth and charisma that was mostly lacking in the main character. There’s also some originality in the setting and the potential for interesting stories around the Amish community and how they do and do not integrate.

On a technical note the series is well enough put together but there’s nothing particularly outstanding there either. I could do without the cable level nudity and sex which I really didn’t think added anything to the plot, but hey ho, whatever gets them their ratings I guess. All in all, I was left feeling rather ambivalent about the whole thing, there’s nothing to hate but also nothing to love. Whether or not I watch any more will be based entirely on whether there’s anything else on… which isn’t exactly high praise, but it could be far worse.

Banshee has a 10 episode first season which airs on Sky Atlantic on Mondays and it’s already been picked up for a second season.

Huffington Post – It’s a taut, propulsive series with a distinctive atmosphere, and “Banshee” does a good job of letting the mood and visuals tell the story while keeping the plot moving briskly.

TV Addict – BANSHEE will seduce and entrance viewers as it peels back layer after layer of its percolating evil.

2013
05/06
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
Drama
Pilot Reviews
Leave a comment

The Politician’s Husband: Episode 1

I love David Tennant. I love love love him as Dr Who and I loved him just earlier this week in Broadchurch. My friend Sarah possibly loves him even more and even does cultured things like seeing him in the theatre. So we both eagerly tuned in to watch The Politician’s Husband. Unfortunately being located in different cities we were unable to watch together in person, so instead co-ordinated our viewing and spent the hour text messaging (god bless unlimited text plans). At the end of the hour I concluded that our conversation would probably be as good a review as I could possible manage. How much sense it makes without watching along, but given that I’ve edited out several “lols” at things that were meant to be serious, and cut down the number of “oh ffs”, you can draw your own conclusions. In the immortal words of Sarah – “utter codswallop”. And she watched the whole series of The Paradise.

Here are some edited highlights:

S: There may be a metaphorical sex scene. I mean it’s Tennant so I didn’t look away, but still.

L: I’m really struggling to get past his accent. And hair colour.
S: It’s weird actual rp. Makes me wonder if a plot point will be that it’s not his actual accent. He doesn’t do it in the home so much.

L: Hang on! There’s Peter Manyon from The Thick of It! I love Roger Allam as much as any sane person, but seems an odd casting choice

S: I could do without damp patch in ceiling allusions too.
L: I could do without having written the rest of the series after just 5 minutes.
S: So she’s leader by end of episode?
L: I’m guessing Deputy to the slime bag ex-best friend. Taken over his [husband's] cabinet seat by end of episode.
S: Oh and sex with betrayer dude and her asap
L: Oooo. I was close, she just got offered DWP. I’m laughing very hard at her expression.

S: Oh good grief this is terrible!

S: Ffs the shoe thing.
L: “A bit Theresa May” made me laugh though.

L: Also on a technicality – no minister caught dead in anything other than a Prius these days surely? Oh and I don’t think the other guy moving DWP to BIS is a promotion.
S: Tories now, they could have orphans pull them on sleds.

L: Even the geese are fleeing the scene!
S: We will not get repeat fees from this they say.

S: Show don’t tell not mean much to these guys.

L: Questionable blouse choice…
S: They couldn’t commit to that blouse being in 2 scenes. It changed colour.
L: What are they doing to her [Emily Watson]? Shapeless blouses, stretched buttons, too much lipstick
S: Think she’s meant to look like Yvette Cooper.

L: This would have been a lot better if he resigned at the end of the first episode and established the characters first. Now Tennant just looks weak and stupid.
S: Also boring

L: Wow Kirsty Wark is annoying even when scripted.

L: Do you think the ministerial drivers wait for you to get in and close the door behind you like parents do?
S: The light to go on inside no doubt.

S: Oh god this is shit. We don’t have to watch next one.
L: Deleting the series link…
S: That’s an hour I could have spent re-watching Castle.

The Politician’s Husband is on Thursdays on BBC and available on iPlayer

The Guardian – The Politician’s Husband isn’t subtle, sometimes to the point of crudeness… Oh, what the hell. It’s melodrama, and a lot of fun, a big boiling pot of hot, lusty power soup, with crunchy croutons of deceit and a generous sprinkling of revenge.
The Metro – The Politician’s Husband gave us an accurate portrayal of contemporary politics, where nobody believes in anything other than their own self-interest but it felt grubby, with all the emotional appeal of a spoiled ballot paper.

2013
04/26
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
Pilot Reviews
Leave a comment

In the Flesh

In the FleshExpectations for things about zombies are a bit higher these days. It’s no longer enough to just be “grr… brains”, screaming, shotguns and bloody messes, now to sustain a show you need to investigate bigger questions like what it means to be human and what it’s worth giving up to survive.

The concept behind In the Flesh is a fascinating one, clearly building on those questions. It is set after the apocalypse, the ‘risen’ have been defeated and once properly medicated they are being reintegrated into a society that up until recently was liberally applying shotgun pellets. Families are equal parts thrilled and hesitant about getting their previously buried loved ones back. The ‘partially dead syndrome’ sufferers meanwhile are equally conflicted with horror at what they did in their zombie states and joy at the chance of a second life.

So far, so good. Unfortunately though, that’s as good as it gets. There are two massive problems with the show. Well, really it’s only one problem, which is the writer, but his ineptitude manifests in two distinct and unforgiveable ways.

First off the tone is all over the place. Half of the series is played almost as a spoof. The government handling is laughably awful, with hideously cheesy propaganda and bumbling officials and completely unable to stand up against the local militia. The fact that I have no interest in watching a show with that kind of humour is bad enough, but it completely undermines the other half of the show which is trying to talk about exceptionally dark and complicated issues.

The second, and bigger problem though is that this show isn’t about zombies. Oh no, you see it’s about outsiders, a community who can’t understand or even conceive of the fact that some people are different, but they’re still people. But the audience might not have spotted that by themselves, so instead you must be bludgeoned over the head with it through having a separate ‘PDS sufferers’ section of the bar, a hookup between a sufferer and a ‘normal’ person which ends in self hatred and violence. Oh, and as if that weren’t clear enough, two of the characters actually ARE gay and completely avoid talking about it even between the two of them, let alone alluding to it with their families.

In the Flesh is Dominic Mitchell’s first writing credit and it really, really shows, beyond the one paragraph concept I’m not sure there’s a single thing that he managed to get right. The terrible dialogue, inconsistent characters, a too weak lead and gaping plotholes just compound the problems with tone and story. It feels like the kind of thing a student would turn in to illustrate that they’d grasped the key concepts of a lecture on symbolism without having to worry about applying any lessons on subtlety, elegance and actual competent writing. It is so incredibly unsubtle that it is actually offensive. I honestly feel bad because I didn’t switch it off and BBC Three should be ashamed for commissioning it.

In the Flesh is available on iPlayer until 7th April. Please don’t watch it!

2013
04/06
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
Science Fiction
2 comments

Mad Men: Season 5

Mad MenFirst up a disclaimer. I did not follow my own advice for how to watch Mad Men. I’ve always said that Mad Men is something that you have to just commit to, watch it through steadily (either week by week or in a box set catch up) and it will reward you with gradual and elegant developments of plot, characters and relationships. Unfortunately I watched this season in 3 chunks – 3 episodes, then a month gap, another 3 episodes, then a gap of about 6 months before a marathon of the last 7 episodes over a couple of days. And each time I came back to it I really struggled to reconnect with everything.

However even with that excuse, I do think this season lacked the arc and elegance of earlier seasons. I re-read my review of Season 4 before writing this review and it made me feel even more disappointed about Season 5. Maybe there’s a similar rule for Mad Men seasons as there is for Star Trek films, the even ones are a bit mediocre.

The key example of this from the second half of the season were Lane and Joan’s stories. I really like both these characters and have enjoyed their development over the years, and both had major events in their lives play out towards the end of season 5 (avoiding spoiling any details). However both stories were completely undermined by a lack of screen time in the middle of the season which not only meant I missed them from those episodes, but meant there were no hints at what might lead them to make the decisions they did, leaving my first instinct to question whether it was in character for them to take those paths. It made it hard to empathise and also harder to fully see the impacts of their choices on themselves and those around them. In normal series the stories would have still been considered slow probably, but I don’t watch Mad Men to be like other series.

Maybe those two storylines were just victims of where I broke the season up, other stories were given more time and unfolded in more traditional Mad Men style. I still don’t like Pete, but he’s a great character; he never seems to completely grow up, always complaining about the unfairness of life and managing to alienate absolutely everyone around him. Peggy also continues her fantastic story arc, and unlike Joan and Lane she gets enough screen time that you can see issues developing and bubbling in the background, leaving every action, every sentence entirely predictable and deeply satisfying.

And then we come to Don. One of the things that made me saddest re-reading the season 4 review was how positive I felt about Don and Megan’s relationship, the way that Don had found happiness and would let himself be happy. But as Peggy tells him, he really doesn’t see when things are good and he starts to revert to his usual boorish self. I’ve never liked him, but I hoped that there was light at the end of the tunnel for him and maybe he could become a better person. But he seemingly can’t, and he brings the worst out in those around him.

Mad Men continues to be an acquired taste and almost an exercise in how slow something can go before it stops entirely. That means that having got as far as season 5 I’m not going to let one slightly disappointing season deter me from watching more, particularly as I hold myself at least partly to blame due to the erratic viewing pattern. Given where all the characters find themselves, in fact I think I’m looking forward to season 6 more than ever.

2013
03/16
CATEGORY
11-12 Season
Drama
Leave a comment

Breaking Bad: Season 1

Breaking BadI pride myself that usually when people ask me “have you seen such-and-such?” I can smugly reply in the affirmative. Just on this website I’ve got reviews of over 200 shows; many admittedly only for the pilot, but there’s usually enough for me to make intelligent comment. Even in my impressive (pathetic?) watched list however, there are gaps, and those are sometimes very embarrassing. So I am relieved that when asked “oh my god, have you seen Breaking Bad? It’s incredible!” I no longer have to sheepishly say “um, no… I got the first season on dvd a few years back but I’ve never actually gotten round to it”. Better late than never right?

So all in all, there’s a good chance that I’m talking to the choir, and even more so one that may have seen not just the first season (which is only 7 episodes) but has made it all the way through to the fifth and final season (half of which has already premiered in the US, the 2nd half to follow this year). I know enough about the show to know that some of my comments will likely be met with “you ain’t seen nothing yet!”

The first season forms a very tightly structured story, we follow the journey of Walter White an unassuming chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Through lucky (?) coincidence he stumbles upon an opportunity to turn his chemical expertise into money for his treatment and his family by making crystal meth, partnering with a former student who is an unimpressive drug dealer. We see Walt divide his life in half – one part a pushed around husband and nice guy, one part scary bad ass who fits into the violence and intensity of the drug world surprisingly well.

The story shares some similarities with Weeds, a series that didn’t work for me because I was unsettled by the levels of violence and destructiveness that an urban housewife allowed to develop just to make more and more money. Breaking Bad however carefully skirted around that problem. Although Walter also makes bad decisions, there felt like there was more of a selflessness about it and a natural snowballing that didn’t lose me along the way as Weeds did. It also doesn’t treat Walter’s life or choices as anything other than bleak, there’s no glamour in the druf world at all, it’s not exciting or exhilarating, it’s brutal and terrifying.

The most obvious comment about the show is that the acting is absolutely superb. Bryan Cranston’s performance as Walter White is perfect as a very quiet, unremarkable man with occasional flashes of intensity as he embraces not just his criminal potential, but also his terminal diagnosis. His performance is beautifully subtle, so much more about what isn’t said than what is. In contrast Aaron Paul as his more drug savvy partner gives flamboyant performance for the most part but with brief moments of quiet, somehow making me care about a character that should be phenomenally annoying. The supporting characters don’t really do much beyond adding depth to Walter’s life. I found his wife generally pretty annoying, but she’s vital to show that Walter has pretty much given away control of his life to those around him, breaking the law is one of the few decisions he’s made for himself and although it’s a bad decision, you can see why it’s so empowering to him.

My one disappointment of the series was that the comedy elements got fewer and further between as the season went on. The comedy was always somewhat incidental, it was more about taking a moment for the audience and characters to acknowledge how ridiculous the situations were, but I felt there was less time for those moments in later episodes. Instead the comedy was more heavy handed, provided by the over the top brother and sister-in-law. I missed that lightness and hope that future seasons find it again, otherwise the show runs the risk of jut become too intense and heavy.

That is part of the reason that I’m undecided at the moment as to whether to watch season 2 or not. I did very much enjoy season 1 and was certainly impressed with it, but I can also see that life is unlikely to get better for the characters and I’m not sure that I want to see that. I’ve already got a few series on my roster (Supernatural and Sons of Anarchy for example) where I’m dragging my feat watching later seasons because the unrelenting awfulness inflicted on and by the characters that I’ve come to empathise with is just too depressing. Breaking Bad is a victim of its own success in that I may not watch anymore because it is just too good.

From the looks of it, I wouldn’t hold your breath on seeing Breaking Bad on TV (season 3 doesn’t have a planned airing date yet, let alone 4 or 5) but you can pick up some pretty good deals on boxsets at amazon

2013
03/09
CATEGORY
Drama
Leave a comment

Broadchurch and Mayday

The BBC and ITV both launched major new dramas that no one can argue are both heavily influenced by various European dramas. There’s just less Danish knitwear and more morris dancing and 99p flakes. Something is topsy-turvy in TV land though, because ITV’s offering of Broadchurch stars BBC stalwarts David Tennant and Olivia Colman and is a great piece of television while the Mayday stars… well not much of anyone really and is utterly rubbish.

Mayday started on Sunday night and playing out over the next four evenings, which means that by the time I get this review up the series is actually almost over. I probably wouldn’t have bothered reviewing it at all if not for the fact that it contrasts so nicely with Broadchurch, which I really wanted to draw peoples’ attention to.

Both series are about a crime against a child, Broadchurch starts immediately with the body of a ten year old boy, while Mayday has a missing 14 year old girl. Both are set in small towns where everyone knows each other, Mayday in an idyllic village (complete with Mayday celebrations and Morris Dancers), Broadchurch a Dorset seaside town (with ice creams and seasonal traffic jams). The biggest point of contrast is that while both series suggest that not everyone is what they seem, Broadchurch gradually works up to that with subtlety, while Mayday practically screams “this person has a secret” with every line of dialogue, close up moody look and musical cue.

That is the very reason why I loved Broadchurch and loathed Mayday, and is also the reason that I wondered if the two had somehow got channel swapped by accident. Mayday is a pantomime that sits more naturally alongside ITV’s Downton Abbey and Mr Selfridge. Characters are one sentence parodies with hammy actors combining with cheesy direction to make a horrific ploughman’s of a show. My response to it all was eye rolling and laughter at the obviousness of it all, hardly edge of the seat stuff.

Broadchurch however induced not only curiosity and genuine tension, but also full on tearing up and heart in mouth moments. The focus on the family as they went through the worst day of their lives was just devastating, and the view of the emotional impact on the team investigating the crime was equally heartbreaking. The director and writers have enough faith in their actors and audience to leave much unsaid, the subtext is clear for everyone to read and doesn’t need to be bludgeoned home.

I guess there’s a chance that Mayday settled down, and that some of you stuck with it while I deleted the series link as soon as I’d finished the first episode. It’s strange that the BBC chose to run it Sunday to Thursday evenings, it really didn’t seem anywhere near the type of event television that would make that work. The ratings don’t look to be its favour, it dropped nearly 2 million viewers (6.2 to 4.3) for its Monday showing, which went up directly against Broadchurch which mustered 6.8million. I guess the real test for Broadchurch is how many tune in next week, but I for one can’t recommend it highly enough.

Mayday finishes tonight and is available on iPlayer until and Broadchurch airs on Monday nights and is available on itvplayer.

2013
03/06
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
Leave a comment

Dancing on the Edge

I must confess that part of my motivator in publishing this review is just to make public the fact that I dutifully sat through all six parts of Stephen Poliakoff’s drama and want some sort of credit for that. After all, as it turned out I could have watched the first episode, the last episode and just been filled in on a couple of facts from the middle and I would have got just as much out of it.

The first episode showed off the beautiful locations and detailed period design. It introduces us to the charismatic and smart band leader Louis Lester, the mercurial and ambitious music journalist Stanley Mitchell (both expertly played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Matthew Goode respectively) and the group of socialites and influencers they become surrounded by. It gives an interesting insight into the world in the 1930s where things like race and class are far more important to some people than others. It’s not a civil rights piece per-se, it just sets everything within that context. Those involved seemingly more interested in taunting and poking fun at the other side than bludgeoning points home with tedious speeches.

Jumping forward a few hours, the final episode augments that design and those issues by putting an actual plot in. A murder mystery and a daring escape give the characters something to do, and keep the audience (or me at least) paying attention and trying to work out the zigs and zags. Somewhere between the first and final episodes the supporting characters develop from being indistinguishable witterers into outlandish stereotypes, overplaying every emotion and telegraphing their thoughts. After so many hours of painstaking lack of action, this sudden extremeness was actually something of a relief.

All that plot and character development could have been condensed into just a couple of episodes, but instead we got a few hours of meandering plot cul-de-sacs. The band’s manager is dispatched of so quickly that I presumed he was going to be brought back as a twist later on, as it turned out he was just utterly irrelevant. Likewise the lingering shots of creepy looking people in crowds and mystery around Jessie’s family turned out to be nothing at all either. Red herrings are one thing, but these just felt as if they’d been abandoned.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of all however was the way that the music and band weren’t a major part of the story at all. I was actually rather surprised when the murder mystery was introduced, as I’d thought the show was going to be entirely about the music and how it fitted in (or didn’t) with everything around it – the venues, the patrons, even the early days of music journalism and fans. But that got swept away, I’m not sure the final episode even had a performance in it. Beyond Louis himself and the two singers I don’t think anyone else in the band even got a name or a line of dialogue, leaving them as glorified extras awkwardly following the leads around and randomly playing in corridors.

While this could have been a really nice three part series, it was instead a shabby six part one which completely wasted some interesting ideas, beautiful designs and talented actors.

The series is available on iplayer catchup until March 11th and on dvd after that.

2013
02/28
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
5 comments

Utopia: Season 1

utopiaThe tone and style of this series is unlike pretty much anything else on television. It takes a gritty and intense storyline that in less imaginative hands would usually be paired with severe characters and dark direction. Instead the characters are just normal people who get snippy with each other and have a complete disbelief at the incredible situation they find themselves in. But it’s the style of the cinematography that really makes this series remarkable.

Every single location is full of colour, space and character. Walls are all either primary colours, wood panels, modern glass or beautifully decrepit; I doubt there’s a plain magnolia wall in the whole series. Secret meetings aren’t held in dreary alleyways, they’re in wide open fields full of colour and light. Everything is framed to show off the locations and draw the viewer’s attention into the screen. There’s a richness to the design that bursts every scene from the screen. This is a series made for HD and it’s gorgeous.

The plot manages to walk the delicate line between complex and confusing. Despite occasionally getting distracted looking at the scenery, I never struggled to follow the storyline. Even better was the fact that the conspirators turned out to actually have some very interesting motivations, giving a depth that is often lacking in this kind of thing when the bad guys are just chasing after power, revenge or cash. It’s possible to empathise with all the characters, even the most psychotic; good guys and bad guys start dancing around and who’s right and wrong is entirely debatable.

It all feels very much like a graphic novel on the screen. The details of the plot and the endless over designed locations may not entirely realistic, but it’s all got a sort of hyper-realism to it that feels like a lovingly crafted comic series. The quirkiness of the characters reminded me of Kick-Ass or something like that, both fun and creepy, extreme and understandable all at once.

I remain unsure as to whether this is a review of the whole series or just of “season 1″, the final episode certainly leaves things open enough to move the story to a new level in another season, but it could also serve as a bold piece of writing that shows that no story is ever complete. I think either way, it’s definitely a stunning six hours of television.

Utopia is available on 4OD until 21st March, on on dvd from the 11th..

2013
02/21
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
British TV
Drama
Leave a comment

Borgen: Season 2

BorgenTen episodes of Borgen fly past when they’re aired two a week, and while I do enjoy the intensity I wish they’d space them out a little more because just as I remember how superb the show is, it’s gone again.

The life of the prime minister is never gonna exactly be a walk in the past, but everything does rather seem to conspire against Birgitte, and she doesn’t make life easy for herself either. More than once I found myself shouting at the screen “No Birgitte, don’t make that ultimatum”, “No, Birgitte, don’t invite the attractive chauffeur in to fix the sink. No! Bad Birgitte, put him down!”. More so than in the first season it’s not just with hindsight that decisions are unfortunate, often you could see exactly where it was all heading and could scribble out the rest of the key events by the time the teaser had finished.

I wasn’t all that keen on several of the storylines. Too many episodes were more focussed on foreign affairs than home issues and even though the national repercussions were discussed I would prefer a more internal focus. Looking at Denmark’s presence in Afghanistan was interesting (although maybe not the best way to kick off the season), but I lost a bit of interest with the European Union stuff and was frustrated at losing two episodes to seeking peace in a made up African country in the middle of a civil war. Oh and yet again there was a Very Special episode flashbacking to Kasper’s child hood which has a very different tone to the rest of the series and just doesn’t really gel with the rest of the episodes.

I’m not even sure how I feel about the characters, they’re certainly interesting and have motivations that are understandable even if I don’t agree with them, but there aren’t many of them that I like. Kasper and Katrine circle endlessly round each other making poor decisions, the politicians are mostly selfish and petty, some of the media come across slightly better but others are truly hateful and various family members seem incapable of empathy. Even Birgitte spends much of the season as a quite unpleasant Politician, selling out people that she appeared to be friendly with, ignoring family issues and generally completely blinkered towards keeping her increasingly unstable job.

So why do I love the show so much, if I’ve got all these issues with it? Well it doesn’t really matter if you like characters if they’re believable and well written, uninteresting storylines can be overlooked if the dialogue sparkles and predictability doesn’t matter if the director finds interesting framing, lighting and beautiful sets. Even Birgitte redeemed herself in the last couple of episodes, until I was cheering her outloud at the end of the final episode. The last few scenes had the kind of eloquence, team work and elegance that is unmistakable to West Wing fans.

Borgen remains one of my favourite shows. It makes me laugh, it makes me think, it makes me care, and it makes me look things up on Wikipedia. 10 episodes is nowhere near enough, I can’t wait for the next season.

2013
02/09
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
Drama
Leave a comment

Beauty and the Beast: Pilot Review

Re-imagining the fairy tale, whereby Beauty is a New York cop investigating (amongst other things) the murder of her mother a decade ago, Beast is a doctor who enlisted after his brothers died in the World Trade Centre, and was turned into a supersoldier with anger management issues. He saved her the night of her mother’s murder, and they’re reunited a decade later.

According to the people that vote for the People’s Choice Awards in America, Beauty and the Beast is their favourite new TV drama series this year. I know it’s not been a great year for drama (Nashville is the only pilot I’ve seen so far that I think is actually good), but this does not bode well for the 2012/13 season or for the sanity of the voters for the People’s Choice Awards. I guess Beauty and the Beast is better than Arrow, but then that’s really not particularly hard. The lead actors are slightly more charismatic than the plank of wood starring in Arrow, they can’t act any better but they at least have a passing familiarity with human emotions and it’s possible there’s a sense of humour in that might manage to struggle out in a few episodes time. The director/network also somehow resisted the temptation to have their leading man take his shirt off every 5 minutes, although maybe that’s not a mark in the show’s favour.

One of the big similarities with Arrow is that while that was a low budget Batman, this is a low budget Incredible Hulk – “You wouldn’t like him if he got angry” and all that malarkey. The connection to the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast is so peripheral that it’s barely worth the effort. The beast here is ‘cursed’ by the military rather than a witch or whatever, but that’s the only real link. The Beast in the fairy tale looked like a beast all the time, not someone who changed back and forth. This beast is a model with a scar on his cheek, then he morphs into a model with some tiny prosthetic cheek bones. It’s hilariously un-beastly.

This show looks set to be a New York set police drama, with a slightly odd sidekick and a shady conspiracy theory over the top. That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, but nothing in the pilot gave me any sense that the show could do it convincingly. It seems to be trying to emulate Bones, or Castle with it’s quirky cases (next week’s is about ballerinas!), but those shows are held together by charismatic actors and well written scripts, this one doesn’t compare well. The two leads felt too young and too shallow, more drawn towards brooding and ‘love at first sight’ inevitability than any depth of character. The script meanwhile relied on chunky exposition and that most dreaded of fallbacks – a narration. The point where Beauty started talking to her dead mother via letter writing was the moment I truly gave up on the show.

The whole thing just felt flimsy, insubstantial, and cheap – a relatively unknown cast (the only name of note is Kristin Kreuk, Lana Lang from Smallville), blatantly not being filmed in New York (although it’s Toronto, not Vancouver as I guessed) and make-up effects more minimal than even Star Trek’s wrinkly foreheads. The inevitability of Beauty and Beast falling in love (despite a complete lack of real chemistry) and the way it endlessly tries to imitate other, much better shows, just makes it all rather dull. If this is the people’s choice for best new drama this year, I’m dreading watching the rest of the pilots I have waiting for me.

Beauty and the Beast airs on Watch on Tuesday nights, and has been picked up for a full season by The CW.

Other reviews
TV.com – Beauty and the Beast is such a fundamental failure that its badness isn’t even FUN to watch. It’s so bad it’s bad. It was a waste of my time and if you watched it, it was a waste of yours.

Hollywood Reporter: That is either awesome or messed up, or awesomely messed up. Because The CW doesn’t even get it. If the network got it, someone would have said, “Hey, guys, this is ridiculous even by our standards. You know that, right?”

TV Fanatic: Vincent Keller, “The Beast,” is part of an experimental military genetics program? And he’s a scientific genius? AND he’s hot 99% of the time except when his adrenaline kicks in? Yup, it’s a CW show through and through. As long as you’re aware of that tuning in, I see only good things in your future.

2013
01/17
CATEGORY
12-13 Season
Drama
Pilot Reviews
Leave a comment
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.