TV and the here and now (or not)
Mar. 29th, 2019 07:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
MotherFatherSon - episode 4
Did we wander a bit from the family psychodrama? I mean, after delivering his bombshell offscreen, Nick decided to be absent and concentrate on who’s running the UK, not Mexico. The writer clearly doesn’t care our understand much about the parliamentary democracy bit of UK politics or UK party politics, which undermined this subplot for me, even though I saw the echoes of Blair in the PM.
On the whole issue of media influence and skulduggery, I felt the show was, what, 10 years out of step. So it’s set in a parallel universe where the phone hacking etc investigations hadn’t come out? And where the influence of social media and the internet seem to be nil? The business with the copies of the newspaper looked striking but had no credibility, and the scene where demagogue-in-the-making Angela offered to get rid of all press regulation should have ended earlier, before Nick’s monologue.
Isn’t it a bit late for Lydia to be having qualms? Also, I can’t work out if the disabled girl is her daughter or sister. It has to be intentional doubling, as with the use of the prime minister’s son, with Caden.
And Caden’s guilt and Kathryn’s concerns are being lined up nicely with what the reporters need to bring down Nick’s crooked empire. Except he is, of course, spying on his own son and aware he’s becoming a threat.
Even the central throughline of Caden’s depression and what Kathryn tried to do about it didn’t quite grip. Possibly because what Kathryn did ultimately made no difference, it was Orla (she has a name!) who woke up Caden’s desire to live. I’m presuming she’s actually killed people, Caden, as opposed to what you did, so prepare to have your definition of ‘broken’ stretched.
I didn’t quite understand if it was a putative suicide pact or a joint test of their resolve. Obviously, the pool was a visually stunning way to go about it, but emotionally and dramatically, I never thought he’d let her die, however he felt about himself. And the life-affirming sex implied was ruined by all the questions raised about their clothes – shed in the pool, then presumably gathered up to be shed again in his room? Exhausting and not particularly sexy. (Whereas detailed tracking of people’s clothes can be?)
But Kathryn eventually got that conversation she’d craved in the restaurant with pre-stroke Caden. Caden is now capable of pretty complicated use of language. Caden who left us on a vague note of dread as Nick drove to meet them.
In the meantime, Kathryn’s determination to save Caden was about the only thing that made me believe she’d reach out for Mirror-Smashing Scott. With Hot Physio in tow, who must have thought ‘so my job description is….?’ Or he’s just that much of a Good Samaritan. And we found out what Scott had done via Caden. Pretty obvious contrast between Kathryn’s posh pad (courtesy of Nick?) and the streets. Kathryn was slow to put things together – she’d even worked in newspapers, hadn’t she.
But it was oddly undramatic.
Richard Gere is promoting the show in Total Film, which I just got, talking more about the way the show looks at the intersection between media and politics than anything else, and a little about his choice to work in television.
That’s this month’s Total Film, which could not get its deadlines in line with Captain Marvel’s release, to hide the fact that that film aside, it’s slim, post-awards season, pickings in cinema.
Did we wander a bit from the family psychodrama? I mean, after delivering his bombshell offscreen, Nick decided to be absent and concentrate on who’s running the UK, not Mexico. The writer clearly doesn’t care our understand much about the parliamentary democracy bit of UK politics or UK party politics, which undermined this subplot for me, even though I saw the echoes of Blair in the PM.
On the whole issue of media influence and skulduggery, I felt the show was, what, 10 years out of step. So it’s set in a parallel universe where the phone hacking etc investigations hadn’t come out? And where the influence of social media and the internet seem to be nil? The business with the copies of the newspaper looked striking but had no credibility, and the scene where demagogue-in-the-making Angela offered to get rid of all press regulation should have ended earlier, before Nick’s monologue.
Isn’t it a bit late for Lydia to be having qualms? Also, I can’t work out if the disabled girl is her daughter or sister. It has to be intentional doubling, as with the use of the prime minister’s son, with Caden.
And Caden’s guilt and Kathryn’s concerns are being lined up nicely with what the reporters need to bring down Nick’s crooked empire. Except he is, of course, spying on his own son and aware he’s becoming a threat.
Even the central throughline of Caden’s depression and what Kathryn tried to do about it didn’t quite grip. Possibly because what Kathryn did ultimately made no difference, it was Orla (she has a name!) who woke up Caden’s desire to live. I’m presuming she’s actually killed people, Caden, as opposed to what you did, so prepare to have your definition of ‘broken’ stretched.
I didn’t quite understand if it was a putative suicide pact or a joint test of their resolve. Obviously, the pool was a visually stunning way to go about it, but emotionally and dramatically, I never thought he’d let her die, however he felt about himself. And the life-affirming sex implied was ruined by all the questions raised about their clothes – shed in the pool, then presumably gathered up to be shed again in his room? Exhausting and not particularly sexy. (Whereas detailed tracking of people’s clothes can be?)
But Kathryn eventually got that conversation she’d craved in the restaurant with pre-stroke Caden. Caden is now capable of pretty complicated use of language. Caden who left us on a vague note of dread as Nick drove to meet them.
In the meantime, Kathryn’s determination to save Caden was about the only thing that made me believe she’d reach out for Mirror-Smashing Scott. With Hot Physio in tow, who must have thought ‘so my job description is….?’ Or he’s just that much of a Good Samaritan. And we found out what Scott had done via Caden. Pretty obvious contrast between Kathryn’s posh pad (courtesy of Nick?) and the streets. Kathryn was slow to put things together – she’d even worked in newspapers, hadn’t she.
But it was oddly undramatic.
Richard Gere is promoting the show in Total Film, which I just got, talking more about the way the show looks at the intersection between media and politics than anything else, and a little about his choice to work in television.
That’s this month’s Total Film, which could not get its deadlines in line with Captain Marvel’s release, to hide the fact that that film aside, it’s slim, post-awards season, pickings in cinema.