Staged (2020) s01e06 – The Cookie Jar, the extended version

“Staged” brings out its biggest gun this episode—bigger than Sam Jackson—but I can’t spoil because it’s way too perfect. There are some great jokes going back to the first episode as we find out how David Tennant and Michael Sheen are going to be able to get over themselves and work on this play together.

Well. Not exactly because the episode starts with Tennant ready to quit the play and not just because Sheen has discovered another thing Tennant doesn’t know but really should know so gets to mock him for it. There’s a little comeuppance for Sheen later one—in the big gun segment, which is perfect—but then the ending sequence kind of makes it all about Tennant being inept again.

It’s funny stuff. And eventually as close to wholesome as “Staged” has ever gotten. But it does lead to the most affecting character development on the show being Lucy Eaton and Simon Davis, as adult siblings who manage to reconnect during lockdown in no small part due to Davis being a bit of a dip, and then Sheen’s concern for his elderly and always offscreen neighbor. The Sheen subplot means more for Anne Lundberg.

Meanwhile, all the Tennant household gets a screenwriting subplot so David doesn’t feel too inferior to novelist wife Georgia. Again… making David Tennant the dopey dad is a waste of talent and way too easy. Though given the lockdown constraint, I guess it should get a pass. Right?

Anyway.

There’s another great scene from Nina Sosanya as the play producer who manages to know more about what’s going on without talking to the stars than Davis who is talking to the stars.

It’s a very nice finish to the series; makes you wonder if they had the special guest star in mind all the time. Because sometimes deus ex machina stunt casts are the right choice.

Staged (2020) s01e05 – Ulysses, the extended version

Two observations after this episode. “Staged” does really well with guest stars—Adrian Lester shows up, more on him in a bit—and it’s relying a little too much on the too easy “David Tennant is the earnestly obtuse one” bit. This episode has Tennant surprised no one else dreams about him, which is really funny but also incredibly… easy. Like, “Staged” has its easy already—Michael Sheen ranting and raving is easy, but glorious. It just seems like giving Tennant the Mutt part is too easy.

Especially since the show’s decidedly not a family sitcom about David and Georgia Tennant’s life during Covid lockdown because their kids aren’t in the show. There are kids, they’re just always offscreen.

Anyway.

Lester. So good. He has this whole arc where he gets, well, emotionally damaged—just a bit—from interacting too much with Sheen and Tennant and it’s really good. The laugh is never about Lester having a rough time during lockdown but it’s still an integral detail of the joke. Really impressively done.

Then the cliffhanger is quite good too. They switch over to drama—“Staged” is able to scale from the gimmicky comedy aspect to the dramatics quite well (not so much with the Tennant household) but otherwise. Like with Simon Evans and Lucy Eaton. Their character development over the season has been great.

Oh, and Amy Lundberg’s really good this episode. Her character is basically delicate artist Sheen’s keeper or tender or whatever, but when it hits the dramatics she moves over to them quite nimbly.

“Staged” works well. Even with the asterisks, it definitely works.

Staged (2020) s01e04 – Bara Brith, the extended version

Staged never lets us in enough on the joke to know if David Tennant or Michael Sheen is doing the bigger stretch. This episode has Sheen not just making fun of Tennant’s “heightened” read of the play—they finally get around to rehearsing—but even opens on Sheen making fun of how Tennant poses for pictures. He’s always got his mouth closed, no teeth, looks like a Muppet.

Two things. We get to see Michael Sheen do a Muppet impression and it’s wonderful. And David Tennant really does do the tight-lipped thing in still photos; lots of Tennant header images on <ul>The Stop Button</ul> and they are (mostly) tight-lipped.

The big scene this episode—well, in addition to all the bickering set pieces—is play producer Nina Sosanya trying to sort out the problems without director Simon Evans screwing things up. Sosanya’s great and able to remain sympathetic without having to be saccharine, much like Lucy Eaton (Evans’s suffering sister). The two wives, however, are de facto saccharine.

For instance, this episode has Georgia Tennant still not having told David she’s finished her novel because he’s going to mope out about it. Instead she’s encouraging him to work on his own writing so he doesn’t feel bad about himself. The way “Staged” positions its stars is very weird; Tennant and Sheen will self-depreciate in certain ways, but there’s a hard limit.

Meanwhile, everyone gets to berate Evans and it sometimes leads to fantastic real scenes, like Evans and Eaton talking about grocery shopping.

Those qualifications aside… it’s an absolutely hilarious episode. Tennant and Sheen yell bickering continues to be superb entertainment.

Staged (2020) s01e03 – Who The F#!k Is Michael Sheen?, the extended version

Last episode they talked about the big name movie star who wanted to be in the adaptation of Six Characters in Search of an Author with David Tennant before dropping out to do a movie but they never identified him. This episode has him guest starring.

And it’s Sam Jackson.

As Samuel L. Jackson. Who talks just like it’s still Pulp Fiction. Jackson does enough with the expressions even if the dialogue’s not good. Also the “bitches” use comes off weird in 2020. Tennant has to call up Jackson to tell him he’s out on the play because Michael Sheen’s going to do it now. See, Jackson had the exact same idea as Simon Evans—Simon Evans the “Staged” character not Simon Evans the “Staged” creator (presumably)—do Zoom rehearsals and be ready to open when the lockdown’s over.

Tennant’s going to take care of it for Evans, who’s scared of Jackson, while Michael Sheen is being kept as oblivious as possible.

This episode gives us a scene between Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg where they get to talk about their husbands being kind of silly, pandemic lockdown life, and Georgia’s novel. She’s writing a novel during lockdown. It’s a fun scene, even if it doesn’t pass Bechdel (I don’t remember it passing Bechdel anyway), and the wives look almost identical.

We also get some developments on Sheen’s relationship with his neighbor—he’s now her errand boy due to his attempts to dump recycling in her bins.

There’s a great scene between Evans and Lucy Eaton where they just find a human moment in the lockdown.

And the finale to the episode is absolutely fantastic stuff. Everything from maybe fifteen minutes in to the end is just hilarious.

Staged (2020) s01e02 – Up To No Good, the extended version

So this episode doesn’t resolve the previous episode’s sort of cliffhanger, which had play director Simon Evans—played by show creator, writer, and director Simon Evans—apparently hanging up on his call with Michael Sheen and David Tennant when Sheen pressed him too hard on something.

Apparently Sheen got over it because they went from it not being a guaranteed thing to it being a guaranteed thing. It’s the first day of rehearsals and things do not go well. Evans has got a silly icebreaker, which predictably and quite amusingly pisses off Sheen, leaving Tennant to try to play peacekeeper. But then Evans’s sister, Lucy (played by sister Lucy Eaton)—who didn’t invite him to lockdown at her house and is going through a breakup with a distant boyfriend—gets Simon for the phone….

See, Staged is kind of a show about nothing. Only with David Tennant and Michael Sheen pretending to be doing something when they’re really doing nothing. The show gets plenty of material out of little things, like Evans hiding from his agent—Eaton has to confront him about it, with Evans doing a way too good of job of being, well, smarmy—and then there’s a sequence with Tennant trying to cook while Sheen offers advice through the computer.

The episode ends with a great cliffhanger involving Sheen’s neighbor; see, Sheen’s dumping his empty booze bottles in her recycling so his neighbor’s don’t think he’s a lush and then she’s at the door.

“Staged” is really funny, fairly well acted, and perfectly timed. Twenty-two minutes is just right.

There’s a great end tag where the stars bicker about their credits on the play poster.

Staged (2020) s01e01 – Cachu Hwch, the extended version

“Staged” isn’t so much a great concept as it’s a great concept for the constraints it’s under. “Staged” is a Covid lockdown project, with most of the “action” two people talking on video conferencing (they say Zoom but it doesn’t matter) and then some static shots where everyone’s locked down.

Also very important is who’s locked down. The stars are David Tennant and Michael Sheen, playing themselves, with their significant others, Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg, respectively, locked down in the same location. So built-in cast.

The story’s pretty simple; Tennant and Sheen were going to do a play–Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello—for a newbie director, Simon Evans (also “Staged”’s writer, director, and creator—only the pandemic happened so play’s off. Until Evans has the idea they can just rehearse it (it’s mainly a two character play) over Zoom and then they’ll be all set to go when things open back up.

This episode aired in June 2020 so it’s interesting to see where they thought Britain was going pandemic-wise. Though the toilet paper jokes date quite well since we’ve got toilet paper again.

So Evans is scared of Sheen and he gets Tennant to try to sell him on the idea, which goes pretty well (for a while), leading up to a funny sort of cliffhanger. Sort of not cliffhanger.

It’s all about the banter between Tennant and Sheen, who have various “set piece” conversations. Here they talk about amusing the kids and wives with new hobbies only to learn Tennant draws shite pineapples and Sheen paints lovely landscapes.

It’s a fun show. The static camera angles are occasionally a little bland, but the actors make up for them.

Doom Patrol (2019) s02e09 – Wax Patrol

So “Doom Patrol” didn’t just have to cut an episode off season two because of the Covid-19 and wrap it up here, they also don’t have their season three renewal in yet… so essentially Wax Patrol is playing chicken with the network.

Going to be a bummer if they don’t get renewed.

The episode, which has the gang teaming up like superheroes for once to go and save Abi Monterey and Timothy Dalton—without understanding what they’re getting into—and having to work through some of their personal issues from the season. For Joivan Wade, the personal issue comes in the form of Phil Morris, who both is and isn’t playing his regular role as Wade’s dad. Morris hasn’t been around much this season but he’s real good here. Real good.

Meanwhile, April Bowlby works through her stuff with a personification of her childhood ideals, which doesn’t work out. Donna Jay Fulks’s voice work is fine as the CGI friend, but it means Bowlby doesn’t get to act opposite anyone, just do effects sequences with—presumably—a tennis ball placeholder or whatever they use now.

Robotman (Brendan Fraser and Riley Shanahan) gets the funniest nemesis—Jesus (Joshua Mikel)—and if the characterization is from the Grant Morrison Doom Patrol comic it means DC let him do a foulmouthed bro thug Jesus while not letting do Rick Veitch do a wholesome magician Jesus. Which gets the eyebrows twitching until the funny starts. It’s still bullshit if they let Morrison do it, but whatever; DC Comics and Warner Bros. are long past the saturation point of bullshit.

Except this show, obviously. They should definitely renew this show.

Diane Guerrero gets a big arc with a flashback reveal to what Samantha Marie Ware was up to in the seventies before the Guerrero persona started playing the Guerrero part. They really should go back to last season’s handling of Guerrero’s “parts” but anyway, lots of reveals, lots of really unfortunate acting, particularly from Carter Jenkins as her beau. I mean, I get they didn’t want to get anyone who would so obviously outact Guerrero, but they should’ve gotten someone who could keep up.

Or maybe it’s Chris Manley’s directing.

But the whole Guerrero and Jenkins is really manipulatively done and kind of the ickiest the show’s gotten with Guerrero this season. Not sure why they thought it was a “save of the best for last” thing.

Matt Bomer gets moved aside fast to make room for Monterey, who’s got a pretty darn cool arc for barely being in the episode.

“Doom Patrol”’s second season has been outstanding—this artificially truncated episode is probably the weakest of the season and for obvious, external reasons—but playing chicken with a renewal (on two giant cliffhangers) isn’t cool in 2020. It hasn’t been cool since like 1994 and even then only because the shows came back.

Doom Patrol (2019) s02e08 – Dad Patrol

It’s another packed, season-relevant big plots (though even the season’s B plots have big moments too) episode, with unlikely pairings—Matt Bomer and Diane Guerrero go on a mission together for maybe the first time ever solo while Robotman (Brendan Fraser voicing a truly magnificent physical performance from Riley Shanahan) shows daughter Bethany Anne Lind around the mansion. Fraser’s performance is good too but the stuff Shanahan comes up with is truly astounding. It’s a “getting to know you” arc, with Lind proving far more entertaining than her previous appearances suggested.

Guerrero and Bomer are off trying to get Guerrero’s childhood stuffed animal out of a torture well on the torture farm where she grew up. All of the other personas (all of them portrayed by different actors now, which is also weird because since Guerrero’s outward appearance doesn’t change when her personality does, she’s clearly the one who’s the little kid grown up… it doesn’t matter; it’s just annoying, sorry). All the other personas are scared to get the bear, including newly returned popular wholesome girl Samantha Marie Ware. Guerrero’s got to prove herself to core little girl persona Skye Roberts. Bomer’s helping. He’s got some flashbacks involving his family but it’s a stop-start C plot here.

Meanwhile, Joivan Wade and April Bowlby are investigating a very hurriedly established—too hurriedly established—murder. It appears they both know the culprit and it’s going to lead to some hard decisions for both, though there are also psychological things at play. Decent character development stuff, not an A plot.

Though the other A plot—Timothy Dalton taking Abi Monterey out for one last hurrah before he’s finally got to stop avoiding her whole imaginary prehistoric world-killing fire-monster friend. Guest star Mark Sheppard is around to try to get Dalton to hurry up with accountability thing while Monterey’s having a big day of her own.

Great small part from Lynne Ashe.

The Fraser stuff with Lind is probably the most amusing stuff in the episode, while Monterey’s arc the best executed overall. Monterey’s always been good, but I don’t think it was until this episode—when she’s finally got time alone—I realized how good. Especially given she’s acting in so much makeup. She does really well with it.

Doom Patrol (2019) s02e07 – Dumb Patrol

And now here’s where “Doom Patrol” asks for permission to be silly. It’s kind of been goofy before, but this episode—where the heroes find themselves trying to give in to their worst ideas at all times—gets silly. Even stranger is how effectively the “new” Diane Guerrero works as straight woman to the crew. Last episode surprise reveal Samantha Marie Ware took over the “driver’s seat” as far as Guerrero’s characterization and the new persona is this serious, thoughtful hippie-type. Sure, Guerrero’s regular persona is in the Underworld (her mind where all the personas live) and there’s something really ominous going on, but on the surface… new Guerrero’s a good foil.

Not quite a great performance or anything, which puts her behind everyone else at this point in the show, but a good foil. I don’t use positive adjectives for Guerrero often, not even describing her place in the plot. It’s a nice break and exactly the right kind of foil for the silly.

The silly has Joivan Wade, Karen Obilom (he brought her to Doom Manor, which is absolutely adorable), and Matt Bomer trying to fight their bad idea impulses while trying to save the day. See, guest star Mark Sheppard (who’s so good at this point it’s amazing how ineffectual he was at the start) sent a box to Timothy Dalton and the gang opened it instead. Because Dalton and Robotman (Brendan Fraser and Riley Shanahan) are both on their own side adventures, separate from the main plot.

The Sheppard-related A plot (seemingly) doesn’t figure into the bigger season stuff going on but it gives the show a bit of a breather, to drag things out in C plots (for Dalton and maybe Guerrero) while still amusing and getting in some character development.

The funniest stuff—not silliest—is April Bowlby, who goes to study local beekeeper Avis-Marie Barnes for her part in the community theatre and discovers a kindred spirit. Of sorts. And gets in some rather good character development.

There’s almost a full “Doom Patrol” music montage—I guess I hadn’t noticed Season Two doesn’t do them, which is too bad; this one seems truncated but it’s still good. Nice work from composer Kevin Kiner.

Doom Patrol (2019) s02e06 – Space Patrol

I thought last episode was good, this episode’s even better. In fact, it might fully realize translating comics to film, with Dorothy (Abi Monterey) running as far away from dad Timothy Dalton as she can. Keep in mind dad Dalton has various space ships sitting around the property, which surprises the other characters a little too much. Dalton and Robotman (Brendan Fraser, who gets to do the hard scenes this episode and make them work, and Riley Shanahan has some giant steps to take) have to track her down, leaving Matt Bomer in charge at the mansion.

Now, Bomer’s bent out of shape because of the recent family troubles and he doesn’t really want to entertain returning astronauts Mariana Klaveno, Derek Evans, and Jason Burkey—they want to see Dalton–but then it turns out Bomer and Klaveno have a whole bunch in common. So Bomer gets a great character arc here. Klaveno’s great too. Kristin Windell’s going to do some strong direction throughout, between the big effects location and the various performances—we’ll get to Diane Guerrero in a second here—there’s something really nice about the Bomer and Klaveno arc, giving him someone not on the team to interact with is good.

Same thing goes for Joivan Wade and Karen Obilom, who spend the day swapping stories about cybernetic enhancements.

April Bowlby’s got an arc with the community theatre, which gives Bowlby some good material while still just being the C plot.

So then the other big plot is Guerrero. Things are in trouble down in the Underground, which is the place where Guerrero’s personalities hang out and stuff—now, this season they’ve got Guerrero playing even less of the personalities, which is whatever—and there’s a big political thing going on. The most interesting part—besides it being directed for horror but not played for it (it’s not bad, just like, why does it look like Rob Zombie’s Halloween)—is finally realizing Jackie Goldston is playing “Secretary,” not Miss Harrison, the only persona where Guerrero does a good job.

There’s great final twist and cliffhanger. “Doom Patrol”’s got some fantastic momentum this season.