Beans (2020, Tracey Deer)

Beans is an almost outstanding, always pretty good coming-of-age story with a historical event weaving its way through the narrative. The film tracks Indigenous Canadian tweenager Kiawentiio over summer 1990. The film starts with her interviewing to go into a prestigious (and very white) high school, setting up a contrast between her actual name (Tekehentahkhwa) and her nickname (Beans). It’s essential, but it quickly gets back-burnered for the historical events.

So, in addition to Kiawentiio dealing with wanting to go to this high school, which also pleases mom Rainbow Dickerson but causes tension with dad Joel Montgrand, she’s also got to deal with the exceptional trauma of a summer-long stand-off between her tribe and the white Quebecois government. A neighboring town wants to tear out an Indigenous graveyard to extend their golf course. Kiawentiio watches the situation rapidly escalate in person; the film has a gentle start, then an absolutely harrowing sequence where Kiawentiio and adorable little sister Violah Beauvais have to navigate armed police tear gassing and raiding an Indigenous protest camp.

The film uses mostly news footage from the time, which reveals many white Canadians to be racist pieces of shit (though it’s incredible to see so many guns around and no Brown people murdered). Though the whites also attack the Indigenous people with tacit police consent, it’s not so different from the United States.

Director Deer leans heavily on the period news footage, letting the clips edify the viewer on the situation. Unfortunately, the footage doesn’t necessarily correspond to Kiawentiio’s experiences over the summer. And the news footage isn’t a great way of telling the history. The third act is full of deus ex machinas (deuses ex machina?), including the stand-off resolving in the news clips without sufficient transition information. Deer takes the story from A to B to C to E. D seems very important.

Or, if it’s not important for Kiawentiio, why was it so important for the film? Beans only runs ninety-two minutes, and ten of it has to be the news clips. While Kiawentiio narrating through essay or journal or something would’ve leaned on tropes, they’re tropes for a good reason.

But until the third act, Beans is smooth sailing. The standoff aggravates Kiawentiio’s cultural crisis even before she discovers how racist white people get. Following dad Montgrand telling her to toughen up, Kiawentiio befriends local delinquent and bully Paulina Alexis so Alexis can give her toughness lessons. After some false starts, physical assault, and bribery, Alexis agrees and mentors Kiawentiio in breaking bad.

Some of the deus ex machina involves Alexis, who gets a last-minute character reveal to explain her behavior. The friendship’s a reasonably strong character relationship throughout (Kiawentiio and little sister Beauvais is better but gets less attention), so the ending resolutions come off incredibly rushed. Even amid “Beans”’s rushes, Alexis gets the briefest conclusion. It’s too bad.

Deer’s a fine director. Sometimes, cinematographer Marie Davignon can’t keep up, which is too bad. The film always looks okay, but sometimes that okay comes with asterisks. Good music from Mario Sévigny and editing by Sophie Farkas Bolla. If only for a more balanced third act, “Beans” would be a big success.

As is, it’s an almost great historical character study. Kiawentiio’s excellent; there aren’t any slouches, with mom Dickerson quite good despite an eventually underwritten part.

Just wish that third act worked.

Spiritwalker (2020, Yoon Jae-geun)

I was expecting Spiritwalker’s MacGuffin to disappoint, but I wasn’t expecting it to completely derail the film. Spiritwalker is a high-concept action thriller about an amnesiac, Yoon Kye-sang, who discovers he is quantum leaping from person-to-person every twelve hours. He also has a very particular set of skills. Those skills come in handy because everyone he jumps into is some kind of underworld figure. Yoon’s got vague memories of his life before—something about a woman, Lim Ji-Yeon, of course—and his only friend is Park Ji-hwan.

Park’s character is an unhoused person who happens upon Yoon in a car accident and calls it in (while searching the car for loose items). He’s also the most uncomplicated fun Spiritwalker ever gets to have, with lots of comic reactions to discovering Yoon in a new body. Yoon mostly plays the part every time, with reflections and camera footage showing the actual person he’s possessed. After the MacGuffin reveal, Spiritwalker makes several bad moves, but the worst is Park mostly disappearing from the movie, followed by director Yoon Jae-geun not using Yoon enough. It wouldn’t end up mattering—the third act is a CGI composited action ballet bloodbath–but after a whole movie creating his character, director Yoon shafts actor Yoon.

There are some other big problems in the post-MacGuffin film, as well, like Spiritwalker deciding the criminal underworld also needs a covert espionage agency subplot tacked on and then final boss Park Yong-woo having a pointless drug addiction bit. The movie runs an hour and fifty-ish minutes and could easily lose ten from the third act. There’s lots of needless activity just to drag it out, which makes sense since the MacGuffin’s so bad.

Approximately the first half of Spiritwalker is a sort of neo-noir. Yoon is working his way through this criminal organization, jumping from crook to crook and trying to remember what’s going on. Sidekick Park can only help so much, and since all of the people Yoon’s inhabiting are dangerous criminals, no one really wants to exposition dump with him. Especially not Lim, who thinks he’s a bad guy (obviously).

The amnesia and identity crisis mix works, especially since director Yoon never tries too hard with the action. All of actor Yoon’s “particular skill” scenes surprise him, which makes the scenes more entertaining and sympathetic. The reveal on the quantum leaping will be both bad and insipid, but—again—what happens after is even worse. As a thriller director, Yoon’s solid. As an action director? Not so much. His composition for the third act is always off and always predictable. He goes through the same setups over and over. All of Spiritwalker’s technical pay-off comes in the early second act; the rest is a visual bore.

Until the script literally abandons him, actor Yoon’s a good lead. He does the confused quantum leaper thing well, though it might not be a compliment. He’s best at being bewildered without character development. Lim’s fine as the not femme fatale who inexplicably has a similar particular set of skills. That late second act reveal of the espionage agency’s involvement pays zero dividends and trades ostensible coherence for personality. Suddenly, director Yoon wants to be making a John Wick or something, complete with level bosses; Lim gets lost in it all.

Park Ji-hwan is good and fun as the sidekick. Park Yong-woo is fantastic as the big boss; it’s an exceptionally thin part, but Park devours enough scenery to plump it up.

The rest of the supporting cast is solid without being distinct.

Spiritwalker’s only ever going to be able to go so far on its concept, but it should’ve been able to go farther than it gets. It’s never bad and is rather compelling until the loud, yawner of a third act, but it’s a definite bummer.

All Creatures Great and Small (2020) s01e07 – The Night Before Christmas

“All Creatures” goes into its Christmas special with it being, well, a special Christmas even before the events of the episode. It’s going to be the (presumably) first time lead Nicholas Ralph goes home to Scotland to see his folks since he left in the first episode. Veterinary practice favorite patient’s owner Rachel Shenton is marrying her longtime beau, Matthew Lewis, on Christmas Day. Callum Woodhouse is expecting the results of his latest attempt at his exams. Anna Madeley has invited her estranged son to their Christmas party, and he seems like he’s going to make the trip. And finally, Samuel West is excited to see Madeley’s friend, Maimie McCoy, at the party and continue his romantic pursuit.

There are two veterinary cases in the episode. First, Ralph’s got a pregnant dog whose having some troubles, and then Woodhouse tends to a donkey with (life-threatening) indigestion. West briefly consults on Woodhouse’s case, but he’s so preoccupied with McCoy (and Woodhouse’s unknown exam results), he exits early. Also, West is just too much of an ass to the donkey’s owner, Jake Hayes. No pun intended.

Well, not initially.

Hayes is hesitant to trust Woodhouse because Hayes is Mollie Winnard’s little brother. She and Woodhouse had a summer fling, followed by her dumping him but mostly—apparently—because she thought he was going to dump her. All three men have a romantic arc in this episode, and all three of those arcs adjust where the series had left things. At the end of the season proper, McCoy did not share West’s level of romantic enthusiasm. Woodhouse had seemingly given up rekindling with Winnard. Only Ralph—who was very mopey about Shenton’s engagement and is still just as mopey—has a congruent arc.

I’m also curious how long it had been between shooting the regular season and this Christmas special. Presumably long enough for someone to decide they needed a more diverse quaint British village, even if it is 1937. Ralph’s mother-to-be dog’s owners are an adorable old interracial couple, Cleo Sylvestre and Dave Hill, whose backstory eventually becomes a plot point. Ralph’s got to go back out and check on the dog, with nervous bride-to-be Shenton tagging along to take her mind off the wedding. Sylvestre sees Ralph’s crush and shares her own story; if she and Hill could get over rural Yorkshire racism in the 1920s, surely Ralph can handle the social awkwardness of stealing Shenton away from Lewis.

The episode doesn’t get too saccharine or dramatic about the potential for scandalous behavior. Other than it being a short arc for Madeley, who apparently didn’t notice Ralph was mad-crushing on Shenton either, not until Woodhouse tells her, and it’s then entirely inappropriate Shenton accompanied him on a call. Woodhouse alternates between gossiping and teasing on the subject, depending on who’s in the scene with him.

The special runs about ten minutes longer than a regular episode, which is fine since the finale has a couple endings. There’s the initial resolution (and set up for next season), then there’s a Christmas Day finish, complete with the king’s speech on the radio. It’s like a regular episode, but they kept going for a couple more dramatic beats.

In addition to the more diverse village—West holds the big Christmas party partially as advertising for the veterinary practice, and there’s a Black guest—the special also makes Woodhouse and West a lot cuter. West’s whole nervous thing with courting McCoy, Woodhouse bonding with Hayes, they’re both more generally agreeable than ever before.

Maybe it’s the Christmas spirit.

Madeley, unfortunately, gets the worst arc. She ends up supporting everyone else’s arc at one point or another, including McCoy, before doing a backstory reveal close to the end of the episode. Unfortunately, there’s not time to do anything more with it because it’s Christmas Day, and almost none of the episode’s initial problems have been solved. The show handles the dramatics beautifully, though director Andy Hay gives it away when there’s a country driving sequence without the “toot toot” enthusiasm the show’s always had before.

It’s a lovely Christmas special. I’m very curious how far away from these events—most will have significant repercussions—next season will pick up.

All Creatures Great and Small (2020) s01e06 – A Cure for All Ills

“All Creatures” has a very nice close for season one proper, which isn’t really a surprise; the show’s always nice. What’s so impressive about that quality is the show never gets saccharine about it. It’s full of British derring-do, just in a setting where that derring-do doesn’t, you know, go a-colonizing. Also, Samuel West. This episode, in particular, shows how important West is to maintaining the tone. He’s a sympathetic, good-hearted ass; West does a phenomenal job with that part. He spends most of the episode with a man cold, only refusing to acknowledge it until he can’t stay upright.

The episode begins following up the previous, with Nicholas Ralph heading out to less and less likely love interest Rachel Shenton’s farm as they send off their once prize bull for the slaughterhouse. Last episode, Ralph had to go back on vouching for the animal; he failed Shenton for principled reasons. The visit—and the vouching—will play into the main plot later on as Ralph finds himself in a not dissimilar predicament.

The visit also forces Ralph to see Shenton’s more enthusiastic romance with Matthew Lewis. It upsets Ralph so much he’s willing to let Callum Woodhouse set up a double date with some nurses (Harriet Slater and Charlie May-Clark). The setup’s actually a welcome development; at the beginning of the episode, it seems like Ralph’s just going to mope over Shenton the whole time.

Unfortunately, some of the reason he’s not moping over a broken heart is because of the main plot. Another animal he inspected at the fair last episode—a cow—has developed a breathing problem, and there might not be anything to be done about it. It’s the only significant medical case this episode and the most involved one on the show so far, eventually involving the entire regular cast. Anna Madeley steps in with a very simple gesture at one point, and it’s incredibly affecting. There are no stakes to the case but empathetic ones, to the suffering cow, to the potentially suffering owner (widower Alexis Platt, who spent his entire savings on the animal).

But Ralph’s veterinary procedural plot is somewhat secondary to the house-based stuff. The show’s balance between Ralph, the undeniable protagonist, and the rest of the cast is sublime. Though this episode’s a little different because the house-based story is often focused on him, even when he’s not there. Especially when he’s not there. Madeley and Woodhouse find out it’s Ralph’s birthday coming up and plan a celebration. Unfortunately, Woodhouse is ignoring his exams, which sends sick West on numerous tirades.

While the episode’s set up for Ralph to have the big arc, Woodhouse’s plot is the more effective. Ralph’s contending with reality, Woodhouse acknowledges and overcomes his own failings. And doing so under fire—West’s incredibly nasty when sick. It’s also the least showy part in the episode. Woodhouse does very well here.

There’s a little more with Shenton in the second half of the episode. While the episode doesn’t try to wrap up too much in the season finale, it’s definitely aware some elements need to get settled. Thanks to the plotting, the episode gets to do a couple resolution scenes, with the second one putting the cast and show nicely (of course) to bed for the season.

All Creatures Great and Small (2020) s01e05 – All’s Fair

This episode takes place over a single day—it’s town fair day—and has a whole bunch of plots. I’m not sure if it’s the best episode of the show so far, but All’s Fair is certainly the most logistically ambitious and successful.

The day starts with Nicholas Ralph on his way to play “Attending Vet” at the fair; he’s going to inspect ponies, judge a pet show, and just be around for whatever veterinary question an attendee might have. Steven Blakeley plays the annoying event coordinator, who hounds Ralph throughout the day, occasionally resorting to calling for him through a megaphone. It’s not an enviable position (before you even get to the shitty people who want Ralph to help their animals cheat to win), and everyone at the veterinary practice except Ralph knows it.

In fact, they bet on it. As Ralph heads out, Callum Woodhouse and Samuel West gleefully wager on when Ralph will break down. Even Anna Madeley, who tells them she disapproves of gambling, places a bet.

But Ralph’s arc isn’t just going to be contending with angry pony and dog owners; he’s also going to get himself into a moral quandary regarding potential love interest Rachel Shenton’s prize bull. Specifically, whether or not the bull’s much of a prize anymore, Shenton and her family are trying to sell it, needing the money. So, in addition to staying ahead of Blakely and not trying to offend Shenton, Ralph’s scurrying around the fair trying to track down Jon Furlong, another farmer who should know whether or not the bull’s got what it takes.

Studding wise.

It’s a direct follow-up to last episode, including Tony Pitts as Shenton’s dad. Her actual beau, Matthew Lewis, is also around, putting his fingers on the scale as needed. While not a high-stakes arc, it’s a good one for Ralph in terms of character development and performance. He gets to do a varied lot amid the rest of his busy episode.

Meanwhile, both Woodhouse and West have romantic arcs. Woodhouse is trying to figure out the next steps in his relationship with bartender Mollie Winnard and doing what he can to avoid talking with her about it. West tries to provide brotherly counsel but soon needs some of his own when Madeley’s friend, Maimie McCoy, pops in for a visit. McCoy’s from a few episodes back, where she and West’s genial flirtations quickly gave way to automotive discussions. Here, they stick to the genial flirtation.

Madeley’s arc proper kicks off thanks to McCoy’s visit and some discussions of the past, which affect Madeley in the present. Also, correction from earlier because I looked it up finally—Madeley was not in a nursing corps in the First World War; she was in the Women’s Royal Naval Service. They do not appear to have done any nursing. My bad.

Her arc eventually involves Imogen Clawson, calling back to their bond from a few episodes ago.

The episode doesn’t culminate any outstanding story threads; it just brings some background elements in those threads to the fore, getting “All Creatures” ready to move forward.

It’s a packed episode—script credited to Debbie O’Malley—and director Metin Hüseyin does a great job keeping everything coherent.

Ralph’s got the best arc, probably followed by Madeley, who’s got the least of the three supporting arcs, but definitely the most intense. Though this episode does reveal some critical backstory on West, who it reveals to be a widower. That history also informs on Woodhouse. So, again, not a big wrap-up, rather a big unwrapping.

It’s impressive.

All Creatures Great and Small (2020) s01e04 – A Tricki Case

No causes for concern or alarm this episode, and not just because Diana Rigg’s back. Even with the village still talking about how Nicholas Ralph handled the sick horse last episode, he seems cemented in the community. Though there is one significant eyebrow raise with Callum Woodhouse. Turns out he might not be a regular cast member after all; his arc in this episode is all about getting money for university out of big brother Samuel West. West’s determined to make Woodhouse prove he’s worth the investment this time, which leads to Woodhouse volunteering to monitor Rigg’s adorable Pekingese.

Once again, everyone in the veterinary practice gets an arc, though Ralph and Woodhouse get the big ones. For instance, pretty much everything West does this episode is support on someone else’s arc. There’s a major subplot about Rigg sending over a box of (human food) treats for her dog when Ralph takes the dog back for observation. And to keep Rigg from overfeeding, obviously. Both West and Woodhouse find it difficult not to help themselves to the treats, which messes up housekeeper Anna Madeley’s plans for an elaborate dinner. At the start of the episode, she gets some concerning personal news and keeps it to herself (from both the boys and the audience). West figures out something’s going on and offers to help.

Woodhouse also has a little arc with bartender girlfriend, Mollie Winnard, who accidentally sleeps over, and there’s an elaborate comedy sequence getting her out of the house.

Speaking of romance, Ralph’s main medical case involves Rachel Shenton’s bull, who’s supposed to be studding at farmer Jon Furlong’s. Only the bull’s disinterested in the lovely cow lasses, so Ralph’s got to get him functional again, or Shenton’s family won’t get the payday. Shenton’s relationship with local landed gentry Matthew Lewis comes back into play, as it turns out they’re a lot more involved than she made Ralph think last episode. Not giving a timeline for Woodhouse’s immediate future last episode is one thing, but Shenton letting Ralph think she and Lewis weren’t quite romantic is another. Lewis’s stopped on the bridge with a flat and is too rich to have ever learned to change a tire; when Ralph and Shenton happen across him, Lewis’s first or second move is to caress Shenton’s posterior as Ralph’s heart breaks a little.

It’s a surprise but shouldn’t be.

Anyway.

We finally get to meet Shenton’s dad later on, played by Tony Pitts. Shenton finds out some of the patients’ owners cook meals and treats for the vets and wants to try her hand at it for Ralph. It’s a funny sequence, starting with Pitts not knowing why Ralph’s loitering around his farm.

However, the main plot—outside Ralph being the show’s protagonist—is Woodhouse dog-sitting the Pekingese. It’s hilarious. Rigg’s got a handful of scenes, which start comedic and then get a little more dramatic as the episode carries on. Even though she absurdly pampers this absurdly adorable dog, the show goes out of its way to acknowledge she’s going through a lack of companionship arc. It’s a really good episode for Rigg.

Also, for Woodhouse, who’s got to stay active even though it’s all about his lack of agency.

The finale’s particularly affecting; West’s only medical case this episode is Sean Carlsen’s giant, ferocious dog (contrasting Rigg’s adorable little one). It eventually ties in with Woodhouse’s arc and echoes the companionship theme.

While there are some intense emotions throughout, the episode works its way to a very nice resolution. The amount of positive sentiment the show gets from everyone being empathetic to animals is immeasurable.

All Creatures Great and Small (2020) s01e03 – Andante

This episode very nicely alleviates most of my (limited) concerns about “All Creatures,” even without bringing back Diana Ring for another guest spot.

As with the previous two episodes (so, all the previous episodes), new veterinary assistant Nicholas Ralph again has an arc where he needs to be worried about losing his position. However, it’s the plot here, not just a quick resolution or foil to move things along. The episode’s third act is just Ralph—and new pal Callum Woodhouse (they need to team up to cope with the boss, Samuel West) and housekeeper slash den mother Anna Madeley—freaking out about him losing his job. It’s even worse this time because everyone in town knows about it, so they’re either congratulating Ralph (because his latest potential mistake affected a bet) or mocking him.

It could all go wrong, and every episode going forward could have this same beat, but they finally seem to have it addressed here. West’s got a whole lot more agency this time around; he’s not just the overbearing boss, he’s the sympathetic colleague.

The other outstanding concerns—can Woodhouse be a non-competitive, not twerp effectively, and can Madeley get a real arc–also get answered. Both in the affirmative. Woodhouse gets a very amusing turn about trying to collect payment from the local farmers, and discovering the best way to do it involves getting them drunk before hitting them up. He even makes a new friend: bartender Mollie Winnard, who seems like his imminent love interest.

Meanwhile, Madeley’s arc involves babysitting Imogen Clawson so older sister Rachel Shenton can… do things. Clawson’s nearing her terrible teens and no longer minding Shenton, who’s had to play mom in addition to sister, and Madeley brings a new perspective to the entire situation. It also gives Madeley and West’s relationship some depth because they can bond over parenting, though West’s just older brother parenting Woodhouse. It’s an amusing arc, too; Clawson’s impetuous and overconfident, so Madeley’s got to contend with attitude.

Then West’s got an arc where he’s interviewing to be the vet at the local racetrack. Initially, he’s only able to get his foot in the door because of local rich guy Matthew Lewis (who we met last episode as Ralph’s rival for Shenton’s affections), but then he and stuck-up track owner Nigel Havers have a great bonding scene. It’s West’s best-acted episode of the series so far; it’s also the most significant real arc he’s gotten.

Ralph gets the veterinary procedural cases—a horse with colic and then a cow showing signs of heat exhaustion. Lots of terrific acting from Ralph on both cases, where his expertise is questioned repeatedly. Susan Jameson’s great as the nasty cow owner, who delights in mocking Ralph.

After the taut third act, there’s a nice resolution with West and Madeley. They’re quickly becoming the show’s most tangible, developed, and rewarding relationship. It’s particularly nice since they both have a strong episode apart, then bring it together throughout and at the end.

Hopefully, this episode will be the last time Ralph has an “am I fired” arc for a while. It certainly seems like they’re comfortable being done with it. Fingers crossed.

All Creatures Great and Small (2020) s01e02 – Another Farnon?

This episode’s got a couple concerning elements. Slightly concerning. It’s also got Diana Rigg in a fantastic guest spot as the BBC period piece equivalent of a “Best in Show” dog mom, which could probably let the show get away with anything.

The first concerning bit is the episode using the same dramatic beat as the last episode. New rural veterinary assistant Nicholas Ralph has screwed something up, and he’s worried boss Samuel West is going to fire him. The big difference between the two incidents (besides the animals involved and the setting) is new seeming regular Callum Woodhouse. Woodhouse is West’s younger brother, who arrives at the beginning of the episode like they forgot to introduce him in the pilot. West apparently not telling anyone is even a plot point.

Woodhouse arrives by train—meaning there’s a closer station than wherever Ralph went last episode (because Ralph then had to take what appeared to be a long bus ride to town)—in his evening wear. This episode establishes the landed gentry around town, something the previous episode wholly ignored. Again, Rigg’s one of the landed gentry, so it’s all fine. But still.

Woodhouse quickly becomes Ralph’s rival after a reckless ride back to the village (with some car damage, no less). Woodhouse has just finished his examinations at veterinary school, and older brother West is as prideful as he seems capable of expressing. For instance, he brags to rival vet Kriss Dosanjh about having two assistants now, and Woodhouse keeps trying to one-up Ralph without actually being particularly helpful.

Especially not once Ralph and Woodhouse start going on calls together.

In addition to Rigg’s adorable Pekingese, this episode also has a cow patient. It’s actually a jam-packed human episode: in addition to introducing Woodhouse, Ralph’s got a developing filtration with farmer’s daughter, Rachel Shenton, and then housekeeper and sage Anna Madeley gets her backstory developed. She was in the war (First World War) and ran a nurses unit; one of her friends from there, Maimie McCoy, visits. At first, it seems like McCoy’s going to flirt with West, but they’re just going to talk cars.

Again, toot toot.

West will turn out to be a very eligible bachelor—at least in Rigg’s eyes—while Ralph will discover he’s got competition for Shenton’s attention. And not Woodhouse, apparently, though the episode constantly establishes Woodhouse’s existing relationships in the village give him a leg up on Ralph.

An indeterminate time has passed since the first episode, but apparently, long enough Ralph’s not immediately worried about losing his job just for annoying West… though maybe he ought to be.

The second concerning bit is Madeley as sage. The show gets away with it. It’s able to launder Woodhouse through Madeley’s sympathetic gaze to make him into far less of a twerp by the end of the episode, which is good if he’s sticking around.

All the performances are fine or better, even Woodhouse at his twerpiest, with Ralph managing to stay in focus even as the frame’s more crowded. Madeley doesn’t end up with as much to do as the episode initially suggests she will; her character development’s like a second C-plot here. West’s better this episode than last; his character’s got a little more depth now, especially with the Woodhouse subplot.

The ending’s a little light, too, given the various plot reveals and West’s explosions, but it’s still rather charming.

All Creatures Great and Small (2020) s01e01 – You’ve Got to Dream

“All Creatures Great and Small” is pastoral to the point of pastures. The show—based on a show, based on a movie, based on a series of memoirs—tells the story of young veterinarian Nicholas Ralph. He moves from urban Glasgow to rural Darrowby, Yorkshire, for an assistant job to country vet Samuel West.

Except Ralph thinks he’s just going for an interview. And he doesn’t know West didn’t actually want to interview him or hire him at all. West’s stubborn, mercurial, and big-hearted, trying to manage the expectations of his patients’ owners. The practice is mostly farm animals, though they see house pets.

Anna Madeley plays Ralph’s housekeeper, and since the house is also the practice, she is his de facto office manager. Sending for Ralph was her doing.

After a quick but thorough setup, West takes Ralph out on rounds. At this point, “Creatures” becomes a veterinary procedural and doesn’t look back. The show’s set in 1937, so there’s still a lot of excitement about various technologies, whether automobiles or medical discoveries. There’s quite a bit of driving, actually, because the scenery’s so pretty and Ralph and West both enjoy motoring around it so much, one of them yelling out “toot toot” wouldn’t be inappropriate.

The episode’s got a fairly standard structure. After initially proving himself, Ralph then runs afoul of West through questionable fault of his own. The show’s too genial to dwell on whether or not West’s trying to set Ralph up for failure. Will Ralph be able to prove himself in time or have to go back home to Glasgow, where the show’s already established he’s no veterinary prospects. All he’s got in his future there is working on the docks, like dad Drew Cain had to do (before giving up his dreams, like Ralph will have to abandon his own).

It’s a little different—Ralph’s a trained veterinarian, whereas Cain was a musician. Also, mom Gabriel Quigley being gleeful at Ralph’s imminent failure’s an odd way to start. While it may be based on fact, the episode rushes through it way too quickly. Luckily, Madeley quickly offsets everything; while she’s arguably got the least to do in this episode—fetching farmer’s daughter Rachel Shenton is the one who gives Ralph the necessary insight to breakthrough to West—Madeley makes the whole thing seem reasonable. Only through her capableness can West function at such a high level.

The show is Ralph’s first work as an actor (complete with an “introducing” credit, I think), and he’s got great timing for the fish out of water humor. In addition to being a city boy, he’s never professionally worked with farm animals, which leads to some funny moments.

And also the serious ones. While Ralph’s got the book-learning, he doesn’t have the practical experience with the animals or the professional experience with their owners. Professionalism is a very big deal to West, which the episode contextualizes beautifully. Ralph does a fine job toggling between comedy and drama.

The resolution’s appropriately suspenseful. It balances the inherently sympathetic animals in distress with Ralph’s experiences trying to relieve that distress.

It’s a really good first episode. Toot toot indeed.

One Night in Miami… (2020, Regina King)

I fully expected One Night in Miami to end with a real-life picture of the film’s historical subjects. The film recounts—with fictional flourish—the night of February 25, 1964, when Muhammad Ali (then still Cassius Clay) defeated Sonny Liston to become the world heavyweight champion. He celebrated his win with Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke. One of Miami’s subplots (or, at least, frequently referenced details) is Malcolm X being a camera geek. But director King never goes to the “real,” instead letting her cast carry the film to its devastating finish.

Kingsley Ben-Adir plays Malcolm X, Eli Goree plays Cassius Clay, Aldis Hodge plays Jim Brown, and Leslie Odom Jr. plays Sam Cooke. There’s a small supporting cast, basically Joaquina Kalukango as Betty X, and then Lance Reddick and Christian Magby as Ben-Adair’s Nation of Islam bodyguards; they’re kind of buzzkills for the evening.

The film’s based on screenwriter Kemp Powers’s stage play, though the film never feels stagy. King keeps it very open until the four men get into the room together, starting with prologues for each. The film opens with Goree winning a bout in England, which allows for Michael Imperioli and Lawrence Gilliard Jr. cameos in his corner. Goree’s Miami’s most singularly dynamic performance. It’s not his movie overall, but he’s always in the spotlight. He’s the champ, after all.

Odom’s prologue involves him modifying his show to play for the shitty white people at the Copacabana. Odom gets to do three “live” performances in the film, though he’s constantly teasing a jam session. His role is the film’s toughest.

Hodge’s prologue has him visiting a white family in his hometown, thinking things have changed since he’s now the star of the NFL. Not so much. Unlike Goree or Odom’s prologues, the film doesn’t give Hodge the opportunity for honest reaction, which sets him up for the film’s most important part. Hodge works his ass off in the part, and it seems like overkill at the beginning, but then it becomes clearer why he’s doing it as the film progresses.

Those prologues are all set at some time before the One Night, with the fight taking place eight months before; the Ben-Adir prologue leads right into the main action. He and Kalukango are (justifiably) freaking out about Ben-Adir’s plan to leave the Nation and start his own organization. He hopes he’ll be able to convince Goree to come along with him on this Miami trip.

One Night in Miami is finite historical fiction, but King and Powers entwine it with actual history’s expanse. Even if the audience may not, the filmmakers know what happens to the subjects and how their stories end. They’re focusing on a point before tragedy, but also one where Ben-Adir can see that tragedy in the distance well enough to describe it.

After a brief, fantastic Liston match—where King is able to give Goree an even better spotlight than before—the action moves to the motel room, where the film will spend the majority of the remaining runtime. King and Powers open it up a little, with a liquor store run, a parking lot conversation, a rooftop dialogue exchange, but really it’s about this room.

Only Ben-Adir knows the plan. Both Hodge and Odom expect more people, some booze, and a better setting. Goree’s got a basic idea of Ben-Adir’s constraints for the festivities, but not his intentions for the evening; (hopefully) no one who knows about Ben-Adir’s plans to leave the Nation is talking about it.

Ben-Adir’s plan quickly derails as he and Odom’s mutual needling turns serious. Ben-Adir doesn’t think Odom is taking his position as a Black singer seriously; Odom thinks Ben-Adir’s a killjoy. It gets more and more serious, with Goree trying to play peacemaker while Hodge waits until the fists fly to get involved.

The film’s great success with these scenes is getting the exposition in; Ben-Adir’s Malcolm X is a natural lecturer, giving Miami a lot of exposition dump leeway, but having Odom’s Cooke default to personal attacks brings in a lot of character and relationship backstory. All four men have existing history with one another, but it’s all implied, even when they talk about it. King and Powers only have one flashback, and they save it for something everyone needs to see, not hear about.

As the night goes on, people will pair off for private conversations. Hodge provides counsel to everyone at one point or another, with his conversation with Ben-Adir the most affecting. It’s when all Hodge’s character work pays off. Meanwhile, Odom and Goree have a different conversation—in many ways, Goree can synthesize Ben-Adir and Odom’s hopes and dreams, with Hodge being the experienced elder statesman.

So while Goree starts Miami and the whole film’s “about” him because he’s the champ, the conflict between Ben-Adir and Odom is the centerpiece, and then Hodge actually holds them all together.

The best acting overall is Ben-Adir or Hodge, though Goree’s the most impressive. Odom’s excellent, too; it’s just less his film than Ben-Adir or Goree’s. Hodge’s the fourth wheel, so when he proves himself so essential—Hodge’s performance as Brown, not just Brown’s part in the narrative—he’s spectacularly impressive.

King’s direction is phenomenal. Early in the film, she gets to show off the grandiosity of the era, especially with Goree’s boxing matches. But those scenes are still all very focused. When she scales down for the conversations, she widens the narrative distance to make room for all the actors. The Night is about Ben-Adir because he’s the only one who sees destiny waiting for him, but King makes sure the other actors still get to build their characters when Ben-Adir’s running the conversation. Thanks to King, Miami doesn’t just not feel stagy or like a stage adaptation; that origin is actually a surprise. The direction is so focused on the minutiae of the performances, not the dialogue deliveries. It’s not about who says what next; it’s about how hearing something or thinking something affects how someone reacts. It’s about the performances, specifically Ben-Adir and Hodge’s performances.

All the technicals are outstanding—Tami Reiker’s photography, Tariq Anwar’s editing, Barry Robison’s production design, Francine Jamison-Tanchuck’s costumes. And Powers’s script’s superlative.

One Night in Miami is a singular film about singular subjects. It’s an exceptional, profound motion picture.