Once Upon a Time, there was a mildly interesting Sheriff...

... he did not live Happily Ever After.

 *This entire article is spoilers. Be forwarned if you haven't yet seen Once Upon a Time, Buffy, Angel, Lost, The Sopranos or MASH*

It's an unpopular move to kill off a character the audience likes. Or to kill anyone, really. Fans of serialized dramas get all up in arms over the effort it will take for them to invest in someone new after years (or months, in this case) of caring about the newly-deceased character. But I think it's brave. When the Lost writers dared to kill off the popular (and very pretty) Boone after only 20 episodes and Whedon sent Doyle out only 9 episodes in, they risked losing their audience. But nothing raises the stakes like an important death, and shows like Alias (which kept reviving its characters after conveniently dramatic "deaths") lose their credibility quickly when the only people who don't make it out of the life-or-death situations are extras named Goon #4. The death of Tara brought Buffy's Scooby Gang back to earth, knowing they weren't invincible; the hit on Adriana woke the audience up to the unforgivable evils of the Soprano family; the death of Col. Henry Blake on MASH remains one of the most poignant moments in sitcom history (TV history as a whole, really). It takes guts to risk your audience leaving you, but the best writers know that if the death serves the story, they'll quickly be forgiven.

I'm hoping that's the case with Once Upon a Time's recent death. I'm not loving the show (Jennifer Morrison is nowhere near likable enough to anchor her own series) and I mostly blame it for being the "success" that will mostly take the far-superior Pan Am down. But Sunday's episode raised the stakes on the unforgivably silly, unbalanced, mythological messy action. And while that act did mark the end of one of the only characters who at all had me engaged, he went out in a world-strengthening way; strengthening that was wholly overdue.

The episode explored the mythology behind Jamie Dornan's Sheriff Graham, who I'd always assumed was The Big Bad Wolf but turned out to be the wolf-raised Huntsman from Snow White's backstory. One of the only characters with any sort of complex moral struggle happening (I'm sorry Lana Parrilla, but your evil queen just isn't nearly as complicated as she should be), Graham was a small light in an otherwise muddied landscape of characters either over-idealized, under-written or just plain blegh (here's lookin' at you, detestable Emma).

His interesting backstory should easily have warranted 3 or 4 episodes of exploration, but since showrunners Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz seem intent on following the Lost model of one-character-story-per-week and this ain't no 2004, time was not a luxury Graham was allowed to enjoy. But he went out with a bang, the Evil Queen/Town Mayor squeezing his heart-in-a-box until it ceased to exist and his elsewhere body ceased to function. It was the first time the fairytale world had physiological ramifications in Storybrook, an interesting place for the story to go, even if it did signal the too-early end for Graham (coincidentally, the show's best eye candy, joining Boone in the "you're pretty, you should DIE" category).

I'm choosing to believe that Graham's kinda cool death is a good thing for the series. Maybe it means that Kitsis and Horowitz have a stronger handle on the rules of their mythology than they seem to. Maybe it's supposed to be a message, that they're not playing around with the stakes here- this is a show where beloved hobbit rockstars can drown while trying to save the people they love! No, wait, that's that other show we seem to be desperately trying to relive here. Even though I'll miss him, the death of Graham could be  exactly what Once Upon a Time needs to be taken seriously, but I need to know that the writers had a reason, and not just a precedent.

The Terrible Person Brigade

Cable TV is the home of terrible people. That's not to say that some of the people on network aren't horrible too (Addison Montgomery is a hypocritically terrible person, whereas Prison Break's TBag is flat out evil). But on cable, more and more, the heroes, protagonists, the centres of the shows, are truly terrible people.

There's the lesser evil, like the title character in United States of Tara. The charming cast of engagingly fun if troubled characters is led by the dissociative personalitied Tara. Some of her alters are understandably antagonistic (Buck is a bully, T is a brat, Alice is flat-out terrifying) but Tara herself presents as the well-intentioned and thoughtful reason to put up with the others. But by the end of season 2, when Tara's self-centered crap had ruined her sister's wedding even before she transitioned, it's pretty clear that Tara is concerned with no one but Tara. But with her it's a flaw thing, not a simply terrible thing. She may not be as worthy of the patience her family shows as she maybe should be, but Tara's not an irredeemable character.

The there's the tricky reality of The Sopranos. I hated everyone in The Sopranos (except, sometimes, Melfi, and sometimes Christopher). The heavy 6 seasons were an unpleasant trek of struggling with my inability to relate to or care about the characters I was watching. Yes yes, Tony can be very charming. He cared about the ducks, and that damn horse, and yes apparently you're supposed to sympathize with people who had bad mothers. But he's just not a good guy, it baffled me how audiences were so willing to overlook that. He's a murderer, an exploiter, a cheater, a misogynist, a slob, a stubborn, uncompromising, bigoted MOB BOSS. Carmela is even worse for knowing all those things and doing nothing about them. His kids are selfish brats. His friends are gross shadows of himself. There are few redeemable people in The Sopranos. But when I got to the end I read a NY Times article wherein auteur David Chase told me I was supposed to feel like that. Apparently, it was supposed to be a portrait of corruption and selfishness, and when America loved the characters anyway, Chase threw more and more evil at them, seeing how far he could push it. That blackout at the end was a sort of punishment, an act of finally closing the window to the corruption that the audience had been inexplicably enjoying. In The Sopranos, that terrible person factor is the point. You're not supposed to relate to them, you're supposed to worry if you do.

The worst example is the horrifying creature that is Nancy Botwin. Her final act of heroism at the end of season 6 is mildly redeeming but that might be my problem. Tara isn't that offensive in her terrible-ness, The Sopranos accepts Tony's terrible-ness as a reality in the show, but Weeds seems to operate under some strange delusion that "she may be flawed but is really a very good person deep down, she's just in over her head". No. In season one you could make the argument that MAYBE that was it. But No. She's a lunatic. Even going into the backstory, her life in high school, she was clearly always a selfish bitch who made terrible life choices. The journalist in season 6 was the first person to ever fully express who Nancy is, it was a breath of fresh air. I simply cannot deal with Nancy Botwin.

But the terrible-ness is the point I guess, on cable at least. It's about the gritty underbelly of who we really are or some crap like that. But I don't buy it. Reality is full of heroes. It's got a lot more heroes than it has villains. And every one of those heroes has intriguing and complex darkness to them. That's where the stories are. I'm all for antagonists, all for darkly flawed protagonists, but the selfish, remorse-less villains have got to go. They're not teaching us anything. Give me Albie Grant, who works in opposition to our heroes but honestly is trying to do the right thing. Give me Claire Fisher, an angsty, troubled, morbid young woman who's misery isn't endearing but also isn't ill-intentioned. Hell, give me Dexter, he kills by a code and would give away his darkness if he could (or, honourably, he might keep it in order to save the person who might get stuck with it).

My Week in TV

• I was bored, so I made my own version of TV University (a format I blatantly stole from something I saw on www.thetvaddict.com- please, no one sue me).

• This week I got the opportunity to participate in a conference call with Secret Life of the American Teenager actress India Eisley. Not being very familiar with the show, I thought the most interesting thing about this would be that her mother was Zeffirelli's iconic Juliet. But when I caught up with some episodes online to prepare for the call I quickly discovered that I would be speaking to the most interesting aspect of the show. Eisley's character Ashley is the beating heart and smart mouth of an otherwise lobotomized teen condescension fest. And when I heard what Eisley had to say on the call I quickly realized that it's her that gives Ashley the awesome factor. Smart, articulate, humble, sweet and honest, Eisley was thoroughly charming. And when asked what shows she watches and movies she likes I couldn't help but think about the Teen Choice Awards (currently accepting voting online). The nominees are all fluff, the sort of belittling stuff that tells teenagers that because of their age they are expected to actually consider Tristan Wilds (90210) the best actor in a drama on TV (not that I don't really enjoymany a CW show and think that the Emmys should get off their high horse and consider Ed Westwick next season, but still- Tristan Wilds?!). But when 16-year-old Eisley watches TV she chooses Weeds, True Blood and Nurse Jackie (much to the audible surprise of the reporters on the call); and her favourite movie? It's not Twilight, it's Bridge on the River Kwai. I was so impressed with the mature teen star that I may even begin to watch her show. (I'll post more from the interview in the coming days).

• After an uphill battle that's been raging since Christmas, I'm closing in on finishing The Sopranos as I finally embark on season 6. It's been somewhat unpleasant (least sexy show EVER, though I suppose that's the point) and I don't care much for any of the characters but I can see why it is considered so artistically meritorious. For every cartoon of a mobster that fills out the background there's a fascinatingly drawn character to counteract them. The whole affair reeks of filmmakers gone rogue on television: the blatant narcissistic rule-breaking works against the series more than one might expect but does lead to the occasionally inspired moment (like heads in bowling bags- for example!) That doesn't make it pleasant to watch, but it does make it interesting.

• This week I watched all of CBC's newest hit 18 to Life in one sitting. It was cute, it was sweet and I'll be back next season for more.

• When I finally watched CTV's weeks old TV movie Turn the Beat Around (starring forgettable So You Think You Can Dance Canada contestant Romina Something-or-other and awesome SYTYCDCcontestants Miles and Natalie in sadly smaller roles), it proved so unlikeable that I ended up fast forwarding to the dancing parts. Whose idea was it to make a Flashdance remake using disco?!

• Monday night trash TV continues to make me incredibly happy. I love to hate the horrible people on True Beauty (though I kinda actually like Taylor, go Taylor!) and am loving The Bachelorette (as shameful usual). Kirk is progressively becoming my new favourite, I still love Frank even if he is going crazy with jealousy, am counting the days until Craig and Chris N finally leave, still think it might be Roberto who breaks her heart and could not care less if people think Justin is evil, she's clearly not going to pick him anyway.

• So You Think You Can Dance kicked off the voting this week with a strong episode. The All-Stars create a mixed bag or results. Some, like Allison, Mark, Pasha and Anya, raised their competitor partner's game. Others, like Kathryn and Twitch, accidentally detracted by being so awesome themselves. One (namely Courtney) is a mediocre all-star who kinda got outdanced by her partner. Some showed off their partner nicely by supporting them and doing their intended job of just being a partner that won't leave the contestant undeservingly in the bottom 3 (Lauren, Neil, Ade and Comfort did exactly that). I'm not sure how this whole thing will play out but I do know that every new thing I learn about Alex Wong makes me love him even more.

• Drop Dead Diva continues to be amazing this season with an excellent second episode. Chad Lowe made a spectacular guest appearance, Tony and Jane each tore my heart out, Fred proved awesomeness once more, Kim is starting to bounce back as a non-villain and Jeff Rose started his arc as a lawyer in opposition to Jane's firm.

• My daily summer staples Jeopardy and The Daily Show continue to go strong (though I am tired of oil spill coverage- is that terrible?).

and

• I almost missed the Top Chef premiere until I noticed something on the ever-helpful (and sometimes sorrowfully spoiler-full) Facebook newsfeed. It's awesome to have that show back for the summer!

Obsessions of March 23, 2010

My Theatre: My TV's new sister site, My Theatre premiered recently with reviews of Toronto's new hit My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding, a Conneticut Repertory Theatre Comedy of Errors and the national touring production of The Lion King. You'll also find a link to Jude Law's wonderful Hamlet-themed SNL monologue and a first-hand account of life as an actor charged with villainy from contributing author Jim Melo. Check in regularly for more from the world of theatre as the "My Entertainment World" family grows. www.mytheatreblog.ca


The return of United States of Tara: my second favourite Showtime show is back on the air (second only to the incomparable Dexter). Emmy winner Toni Collette returns in her powerhouse title role with all the wonderful supporting cast that made season one of Diablo Cody's heartfelt dramedy so memorable. This week's premiere episode has already started the season off in a promising direction.

Boston Rob: he was my favourite going in and has only risen in my estimation since the premiere of Heroes vs. Villains. Clearly the leader of his tribe, this Survivor veteran is too in control too early in the game to likely make it to the end but every week that he stays will be another week I love this season of Survivor (a show I have not watched faithfully since Rob's last appearance in the original All-Stars season).

Rowley: I'm not saying you should actually go see Diary of a Wimpy Kid, it's really just an ok movie at best. But if you do and come out of it not loving a kid named Rowley, something's wrong with you. Also, it needs to be said, Greg Heffley might be the worst role model I have ever seen on screen (then again, I've never seen a Miley Cyrus movie). 

The Amazing Race Cowboys: these charismatic sweethearts have proven themselves to be front-runners in an excellent season of the race. Surprisingly smart, daring as hell, cooperative, competitive and determined, Jet and Cord have everything they need to win the race (including the always helpful sibling relationship, a common race-winner).

Drop Dead Diva season one: I've been re-watching the show on my wonderful screener DVDs from Lifetime and am loving it now as much as (if not more than) I did the first time around.  It's even greater when you know the story of the show's creation. Read my interview with creator Josh Berman for the full scoop on the size 16 who carries herself like a supermodel. Season two premieres in June on Lifetime.

The Liam Triangle: Naomi is hands down the most interesting character on the new 90210 (though both Adrianna and Silver are plenty entertaining) and I'm usually rooting for her, but I think I may be on team Ivy in this one. Sure before the whole Jen thing Naomi and the incredibly hot Liam were perfect for one another but lately I really think that what the broody boy needs is a nice low-key surfer chick who just gets him.

The Actor's Shakespeare Project's Othello: Boston's premiere Shakespeare troupe conquered one of the bard's toughest tragedies with ease and artistry. Though Othello was outmatched by his cast mates (though cursed with an unsympathetically stupid character from the get go), Desdemona was breathtaking, Emilia heartrending and Iago thrilling.

Michael Imperioli: as I make my way through my Sopranos box set I find myself liking his character of Christopher more every episode. He quickly became the highlight of the series for me.


Bradley Whitford on The Sarah Silverman Program: I love to see my beloved Josh Lyman anywhere but the absurdity of him as a guest star on one of TV's oddest programs made me giggle delightedly.


Season 4 of Big Love: I know I never actually wrote about it (the fact that I missed the finale playing a definite part there) but I just want you to know that I loved this season every bit as much as its predecessors. Amy Acker is right, Big Love is the best thing out there.