......and I apologize this is the first TV show I've blogged about. Anyone who knows me is thinking, "Robbin....you watch / have watched hundreds of TV shows in your life and this is the one you want to write about?" And my answer is yes, but only because I 1) have to start somewhere and 2) found this show's premise more compelling than most ....weeks before the episode first aired I knew I had to watch. Please note that this isn't intended to be multiple blogs about the same show, meaning that I won't be reviewing it each week unless something earth-shattering drives me to do so. Rather, this is intended to give a snapshot into what I'm watching..TV shows that grab my attention. Maybe if you're reading this, you'll be interested enough to watch what I'm watching or maybe not.
Moving on.....As with many, many of our TV shows in the U.S., this one is based on a foreign series of the same name - one from Australia (2011). I am always telling my SBJ that most of our really good shows come from either the UK, Holland, Brussels or Australia and this is just the newest example. Though the series was originally Australian, it is based on a 2008 book by Christos Tsiolkas. Before you ask....yes, I have ordered the book as it is now "must read." Normally I like to read the book first, but I just found out there was a book so I'm playing catch-up!
Until I watched this past week's episode (#2), I hadn't even done any online searches into the series. I had no idea about the show's format, but realized that each is being told from the viewpoint of one of the main characters. Today I found out that they are focused on the 8 main characters and hence, only 8 episodes comprise the series. Sad but true. After giving this some thought, of course it makes sense. I'm not sure how they could draw this out into a normal 20+ episode season. It is a story with a definite conclusion that makes for a natural mini-series rather than a recurring drama.
Episode 1 ended with (of course), the slap felt 'round the world. But the build up to the slap and the introduction of the characters - told from Hector's point of view - was solid. I love that Victor Garber is doing the narration for each episode - Hector, then Harry (ep2). It somehow elevates the action and ensures the viewer stays focused on the character for that episode. Even as other scenes and characters play on during each episode, the narrative ties it back to the thoughts and feelings of the key subject. I can tell you from before the actual slap, I thought Rosie was a psycho, Gary was a wimp and Hugo the biggest brat I've ever seen. Yep, safe to say I'm on Harry's side all the way....but that could change. I am definitely staying tuned to this series.
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