My Father Was Right, But Don't Tell Him

My father insisted I check out Mad Men as the second season started this summer. Now, I need to state for the record that I had every intention of watching it the first season, but in the midst of growing another human being I somehow missed the premiere and the next 5 shows before realizing I had indeed missed them. I set my DVR to record them as they marathoned, as cable tv loves to do, but somehow always missed the first one. I decided to skip season one all together and jump in feet first to season two, and.... my father was right. You won't catch me uttering those words often, and even less often putting them in print for the world and (gulp) my father to see, but here they are posted in cyberspace. My father was right.

If you have yet to fall into the world of Mad Men do yourself a favor and tune in. Even if you haven't caught the previous season and a half you can catch up. My husband claims there is more sex on Mad Men than Swingtown. Did that catch your attention? I have blogged many times before about consistency and Mad Men goes well beyond the typical marks of consistency and takes you back in time without bringing you to the cliché 50's we are taught to revere. The only way this world would be more consistent would be to film in black and white, but it isn't needed. In fact, the color is used so well that it almost seems like it is intentionally NOT whitewashing by going back to the B/W we expect. Mad Men is refreshing in its honesty and open approach to looking at a time most look back on with rose colored glasses.

So, follow my father's advice and check it out. You might just feel urged to exclaim that my father was right too. Just please whisper it because I don't want his head to explode.

The Importance of Consistency

It isn't enough to have a great idea or a new take on an old idea to make a good show. Coming up with a tone, establishing the tone, and following it through from casting to script to even wardrobe is essential. To demonstrate my point I have two new series that tried to take on an old idea with a new tone- one didn't have consistency and one did.

Moonlight- new take on an old idea, have a vampire run a p.i. business, or at least solve mysteries whether or not he is getting paid. The premise isn't all that different from Angel, however the cast doesn't have a hit like Buffy to spin from. The main difference in this new take is the tone is a bit film noir. The narration starts, and if it were shot in b/w it would have all the underpinnings of a Maltese Falcon television show. That's the first flaw, if it is film noir- or let's say tv noir not to discredit the great film noir genre, the tone set by the narration needs to carry through to each of the characters, the clothing, and especially the cinematography. Casting I can't complain about too much with the lead male and lead female- Alex O'Loughlin has a perfect tv noir narration voice and Sophia Miles could easily be cast into a tv noir based on her hair alone. However, the cinematography and script killed the tone. Why not at least shoot some of the scenes in b/w (besides flashbacks) and then transition into color to continue the tone, yet connect with a 21st century viewer? If a tv noir tone is what the aim is, then follow through to the hilt, otherwise ditch the tone and make another cliche vampire show. Lack of consistency will keep me from becoming a regular viewer.

Pushing Daisies- falls at the opposite end of the consistency spectrum. Another new take on an old story- a person can bring people back to life with an amazing gift. Where this show takes off from the old story is completely in the telling of the story. The show is like walking into a fairytale, possibly even a skewed Pleasantville. This show would not work if even one component was not inline with this surreal, off-kilter, fairytale tone. The setting, casting, script, wardrobe, narration, cinematography, every nuance of this show were perfectly aligned in the pilot episode. As long as the show is able to maintain this consistency this will definitely be a must-watch for me. In a time where many shows are trying to pull us into the real world through the horrific crimes and greed of humanity, Pushing Daisies seems to offer an entrance into a different time and place. The odd part is that horrific crimes and greed of humanity both played a role in the pilot. It just didn't seem as awful when it wasn't part of a real world and there was a delicious looking pie in the background.