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June 17, 2008

High on "Weeds"

Sometimes, it takes me a long time to get on board with a show. Take the Showtime sitcom "Weeds," about a drug-dealing widow (Mary-Louise Parker) and her struggle to balance her family life and her life of crime. For a long time, I didn't watch the series, mainly because I didn't subscribe to Showtime.
But a series of events led me to realize that I could no longer avoid this series. For one thing, I interviewed series co-star Elizabeth Perkins last year for a story on film actress who moved to television. For another, I became an ardent fan of AMC's new series "Breaking Bad," about a dying chemistry teacher who becomes a meth dealer. The show was compared to "Weeds" but, having never seen the Showtime series, I had no grounds for comparison.
Also, another co-star is Bridgeport native Kevin Nealon.
Clearly, this was a show I needed to watch.

Thus, with the help of a generous co-worker, I sped through the first three seasons of "Weeds," and got hooked on its great performances, scathing wit and wacky plotlines. The fourth season started Monday at 10 p.m. If you missed it, don't worry -- Showtime will air it again, like, a zillion times in the next week.
This season Nancy (Parker) has fled her suburb of Agrestic, which burned down in a series of wild fires (which were spurred by a fire set by Nancy's new drug contact). She, her two sons and her irresponsible brother-in-law Andy have settled in the beach community of Ren Mar. Nancy was looking to hide out with Andy's and her late husband Judah's grandmother. But, when the fam shows up, Bubbie is on a respirator. Surprise! She's being cared for by Judah's and Andy's surly, gambling-addicted dad, Len (Albert Brooks, pitch perfect). Len is a bitter sort, and is so resentful of Nancy that he refuses to call her by her real name. Instead, he's dubbed her 'Not-Francie,' in honor of the lovely Jewish Lasik surgeon Judah SHOULD have married. He's no fan of Andy, either, and calls him 'Not Judah.'
But Nancy doesn't mind. She's not there for a family reunion, but embarking on a new career, moving up from a pot saleswoman to drug trafficker.
Meanwhile, her former neighbor and friend Celia (Perkins) has ratted Nancy out to the police. However, Celia's ex-husband and some of Nancy's salespeople, pin the rap on Celia instead. She lands in jail. In the short-term, that's unfortunate, as Celia is such a fierce, over-the-top character -- I hate seeing her humbled and pushed to the sidelines. But I have a feeling that, in the long-term, her misfortune will just make her angrier and more of a force to be reckoned with.
The show can be difficult at times. A lot of the characters behave unsympathetically, and Nancy just gets more manipulative with each season. Also, I miss Nancy's former drug cohorts, Heylia and Conrad, who fled during the wildfires. A lot of the other regular characters, including hilarious stoner accountant Doug (Nealon) are seen only briefly (though I have a feeling that Doug will soon be joining Nancy and co. in Ren Mar).
Still, this show is, at times, hilarious, and Parker is flawless as a woman who's both lovable and despicable. Justin Kirk also is consistently good as the damaged, troubled Andy. But the real coup here is the casting of Brooks (alas, on hand for only four episodes). He keeps Len from becoming grating and unlikable, and shows real warmth in the season's third episode.
Even with its flaws, "Weeds" is daring, smart and funny, and definitely worth adding to your viewing scedule.

Posted by amanda on 12:15 PM | Comments (0)

June 3, 2008

Little zing in "Swing"

A young stewardess stands in the back of a plane, clearly upset, and trying futilely to scrub a coffee stain out of a uniform shirt. Pilot Tom Decker, the shirt's owner, saunters over to the young woman. She regards him with sadness and embarassment. "Your wife is going to kill me," she whines.
He suavely responds: "My wife is going to LOVE you."
So begins "Swingtown," CBS's new drama about the 1970s, which premieres 10 p.m. Thursday. The show features drugs, tastefully rendered group sex and mate-swapping. Edgy stuff for a network once dubbed the Codger Broadcasting System.
But despite a valiant attempt at spiciness, something is missing from "Swingtown," at least in the pilot episode I saw.

The show centers on a handful of couples, all of whom are thrown into the whirlwind of the changing times. It's July of 1976. Bruce and Susan Miller (Jack Davenport and Molly Parker) are a happily married couple with two kids. They've all just moved to a lakeside mansion, leaving behind friends and old neighbors Janet and Roger Thompson (Miriam Shor and Josh Hopkins). Roger is a laid-back sort, but Janet is wound tighter than a ball of twine. She's panicked that Susan will forget all about her once she's moved away.
That's not an unreasonable concern, considering that the Millers' new neighbors include the aforementioned sleazy pilot Tom (Grant Show, sporting a full-on porn star mustache) and his wife Trina (Lana Parrilla). Tom and Trina have an open marriage. But they're also selective about whom they invite into their lair. Despite Tom's assertion that his wife will love his twinkie stewardess, she's not thrilled with sharing her husband with such a tender young thing and advises him to pick someone in their own age group next time.
Thus, Trina is thrilled when she sees the Millers arrive. "They look happy," she says, with a dangerous glint in her eye. The rest of the episode sees the Deckers trying to gently lure the Millers out of their straight-arrow ways, with methods that include quaaludes and a backyard barbecue that gives new meaning to the phrase "bicentennial celebration." That party is also attended by Roger and Janet -- the former might have feelings for Susan and the latter is simply appalled that her friend has thrown in with such a wild element.
Indeed, the Deckers seem like dangerous folks, and this is where I have a problem with "Swingtown." Instead of giving these characters shading, "Swingtown" (at least in that first episode), paints the Deckers as sleazy predators. Tom is such an obvious lothario sleazoid, I'm surprised that he's never once seen massaging his mustaches and purring "Exxxcelllent!"
Trina, meanwhile, reminded me of the adult version of Georgina on "Gossip Girl." She seems like the kind of woman who seeks to reel you in, only to destroy you.
Meanwhile, the Millers seem pretty flat and one-sided. We never figure out just why they're so eager to make friends with the Deckers. They had their children young and missed out on the 60s Woodstock scene, so it's understandable that their neighbors' freewheeling lifestyle would have an allure. But would they be drawn to it so quickly? I doubt it.
I'm hoping that, in subsequent episodes, these characters will develop new levels. Certainly, the show has a fine bunch of actors. Parker, best known as the embattled Alma on "Deadwood," has a tender vulnerability that makes you believe in her, despite the patchy writing. And Shor is excellent as the buttoned-up Janet, creating one of the show's few three-dimensional characters. Yes, she's a priss, but Shor shows us that fear, not mere morality, is the root of her prudishness. When Trina plays a nasty trick on her, Shor makes you bristle at the betrayal.
Some have taken issue with the fact that "Swingtown" is a show about sex, shown on broadcast television, making graphic sex scenes impossible. That's a valid concern, but the lack of nudity and explicit content isn't what bothers me about "Swingtown." If the characters were interesting, we'd be more willing to suspend disbelief when the camera pans away right before a clinch.
Even so, it's still better than CBS's previous attempt to spruce up its image, the God-awful musical-mystery-drama "Viva Laughlin." Let's hope that "Swing" adds some spring to its step in future episodes.

Posted by amanda on 2:19 PM | Comments (0)