The Unusuals
Aug. 27th, 2012 11:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
charloweenI watched one episode of The Unusuals (the first one). And, uh, meh.
Mostly, I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. There were a few Unusuals vids at VVC this year - neither of which I remember as explaining the show - which gave me a little more to go on than ensemble cast with people I recognize.
I'm not going to judge the show too much after one episode. (You see where this is going.) If I was going to judge the show after one episode, I'd say its uneven tone and lacklustre plot were enough to explain why it didn't get more than ten episodes.
The Unusuals is about a group of New York homicide detectives, all of whom are Wacky People. These Wacky People have Quirks and Secrets and a fairly casual relationship with police procedure. It's an uncomfortable mix of sitcom-like characters in a series nominally about rooting out police corruption. Characters act out Wacky Quirks and then turn around for what I assume is supposed to be more sincere emotion.
The Wacky comes on fairly strong. One of the cops has his desk corners covered in foam - like extreme child-proofing - and a reasonably intelligent viewer would pick up on that set/prop decision, put it together with the costume decision (wearing a kevlar vest), and put together some character information. But later in the episode the character monologues how he's concerned for his safety. Yeah, thanks. Got that.
IDK. The show seems to be missing a normal (or thinks-s/he's-normal) character against whom we can measure the other characters' excesses. Maybe it's supposed to be Amber Tamblyn's character? She's the outsider but also kind of blank.
Just thinking aloud. Will probably watch another episode later today. So far I've got one eyebrow mostly raised, but I'm willing to give it one more episode.
Mostly, I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. There were a few Unusuals vids at VVC this year - neither of which I remember as explaining the show - which gave me a little more to go on than ensemble cast with people I recognize.
I'm not going to judge the show too much after one episode. (You see where this is going.) If I was going to judge the show after one episode, I'd say its uneven tone and lacklustre plot were enough to explain why it didn't get more than ten episodes.
The Unusuals is about a group of New York homicide detectives, all of whom are Wacky People. These Wacky People have Quirks and Secrets and a fairly casual relationship with police procedure. It's an uncomfortable mix of sitcom-like characters in a series nominally about rooting out police corruption. Characters act out Wacky Quirks and then turn around for what I assume is supposed to be more sincere emotion.
The Wacky comes on fairly strong. One of the cops has his desk corners covered in foam - like extreme child-proofing - and a reasonably intelligent viewer would pick up on that set/prop decision, put it together with the costume decision (wearing a kevlar vest), and put together some character information. But later in the episode the character monologues how he's concerned for his safety. Yeah, thanks. Got that.
IDK. The show seems to be missing a normal (or thinks-s/he's-normal) character against whom we can measure the other characters' excesses. Maybe it's supposed to be Amber Tamblyn's character? She's the outsider but also kind of blank.
Just thinking aloud. Will probably watch another episode later today. So far I've got one eyebrow mostly raised, but I'm willing to give it one more episode.
