Wednesday, June 09, 2010

1354 - The United States of Tara: season two


I know, I know. I've been lazy about watching stuff. The evenings are filled with mostly T.V. (which I only review season by season) and so them reviews are slower to come in. I need to go through another film watching burst - lord knows that my stack of stuff to watch isn't getting any shorter. I blame productivity. I've been writing a lot. I'm about to go to draft on a new feature, and when that's done and out for feedback I think I'll reward myself with a few days of movie watchin'!
Which brings me to this. I LOVE this series. In fact, part of what I'm working on these days is bumping up my writing portfolio, and so this would probably be a good series for me to do a spec of. Got some ideas floating around in my head already.
I know that it's not hip to like Diablo Cody. I don't care. And I'm not sure how much say she has in this series - I'm sure she's got a strong voice - but looking at the opening credits there are a LOT of cooks in this kitchen. But the meals they make... delicious!
This season saw us doubling the number of alters that Tara has - but in a really subtle way. I love that they don't feel locked into the ones we few met last season. It feels... real. They come and go as they're needed. New ones surface as they're needed. There were a few plot threads this year that either disappeared or got finished up a little too easily for my liking, but I'll let it slide for the most part.
The entire cast here is phenomenal. We expect Toni Collette to be amazing - the role is written for her to be so - she shines. No doubt. But the rest of the cast gets the same treatment. I love that the writers don't short change the rest of the cast, and there is some really wonderful stuff going on in their storylines. I could go on and on, but I'd just be naming pretty much everyone in the opening and closing credits. I will, however, single out Brie Larson. I know she's playing the most typical of the Diablo Cody type characters, but I don't care. I adore her. I want to work with her. She seems like she's got a brilliant energy about her. She chomps on good dialogue like it's bubble-gum.
So it's no surprise, based on the above, that I'm strongly STRONGLY recommending this series. If you've never seen it, remedy that, if you've never heard of it I feel bad for you. Now get on board. It's a wonderful little ride.

No comments: