Tag: Ken Stott

Takin’ Over the Asylum (1994) s01e06 – Let It Be

The last episode takes place over at most a week, but it feels like much longer. There’s this “show don’t tell” backfire where Ken Stott has hit bottom and he’s laying about in a destroyed apartment, on a bender, and then we find out it’s like three hours after the last scene. And we’ve missed the most important character development he could’ve had in the skipped time.

Everything gets a resolution this episode, which is again very impressive plotting from Donna Franceschild. Thanks to her and director David Blair, “Takin’ Over the Asylum” has a lot of impact in its six hours. Though… I guess it might play different if you’re watching it weekly and not binging over a few days.

Anyway.

While Stott’s got his home with grandma Elizabeth Spriggs moving back to Lithuania (to die, like short long-term plan, which is actually the grimmest “Asylum” gets and it’s real grim), his work with boss Roy Hanlon (who’s got some amazing monologues this episode), the radio show drama with David Tennant at Radio Scotland (they’re waiting to hear back on the response to their pilot), and then Katy Murphy being near catatonic after the events of the previous episode… the show still finds time to give Ruth McCabe a full arc, for episode and show.

Jon Morrison is back as McCabe’s husband, checking in on her at the residential apartments or whatever the euphemism (bed and breakfast, I think), when she finds out she’s got her placement in the nice place. Now, originally the show said that placement would take months, though… in some ways, McCabe’s arc this episode is so entirely disconnected from the rest of it maybe its got a different present action. Certainly feels like it.

It’s also great. McCabe and Morrison get this fantastic spotlight as they try to make sense of their lives after the various tragedies. It balances out Murphy not being too active in her own arc with Stott.

When the episode—and show—ends the Stott arc, the McCabe and Morrison one has done some heavy lifting through juxtaposition, if not directly saying things relevant to Stott and Murphy’s not dissimilar situation, then making a lot of implications about it. I just thought of another one, in fact.

It’s deft writing from Franceschild, well-directed by Blair, but a little too clean. “Asylum” could’ve ended stronger. Though… it’s hard to say what impact the original recording of Let It Be would’ve had. The show does adequate cover versions but they’re always clearly cover versions.

The narrative balance would’ve still been off.

“Asylum”’s actors could’ve used another episode—Tennant especially, he’s been a great, but glorified sidekick since episode two—and it certainly seems like Franceschild and Blair could’ve delivered it, but there might just be too much sadness to it at episode seven.

“Takin’ Over the Asylum”’s an exceptional show. It’s ambitious, it’s assured, great writing from Franceschild, great performances from Stott, McCabe, Tennant, Murphy—Hanlon. Wonderful, wonderful Hanlon. It also puts your heart into a meat grinder and turns and turns and turns.

It’s a guilty relief when it’s over.

Takin’ Over the Asylum (1994) s01e05 – Rainy Night in Georgia

I guess it’s Katy Murphy’s spotlight episode now? The question mark because Murphy’s entirely in support of Ken Stott throughout the episode, so even though she’s in it more and we finally find out her backstory, she’s just the love interest. Especially when Stott’s drinking problems come up—he makes a full disclosure about it to her; to be fair, the drinking at work seemed so casually accepted I thought it was just Scotland in 1994.

But, no, it’s actually a big problem. Especially now Stott and David Tennant seem on the verge of getting a gig at Radio Scotland. It’s really interesting to see how “Asylum” presents Stott’s anxiety over meeting with producer Arabella Weir, as he’s ostensibly the only well-adjusted lead character. Lots of good acting from Stott. Lots. Even if it comes at the expense of other actors, like Tennant and Murphy. Murphy so, so much.

There’s a whole kittens in the wild needing protection and tween boys starting fires subplot, which has tragic consequences but also very human ones, leaving Stott—not Murphy—to realize more about the reality of the hospital and how it actually functions.

Stott’s also got home and work issues—grandmother Elizabeth Spriggs is serious about moving to Lithuania and she really wants Stott to pay for it, which leads to more of an emphasis on work—including getting in a feud with alpha salesman Neil McKinven. As usual, Roy Hanlon’s amazing as Stott’s boss. There’s a whole shenanigan sequence with McKiven, Stott, and Hanlon, which seems like screwball—with director David Blair keeping it from going too far—but only Hanlon is at home in the mixed genres. He’s so good.

But it’s not entirely Stott-centered (with Murphy and Tennant his sidekicks), there’s also the ongoing tragedy of Ruth McCabe’s living situation. She’s still literally hiding from the social worker so she doesn’t get dumped at a gross halfway house. While definitely effective, the humor isn’t quite gallows enough. Writer Donna Franceschild never quite figures it out, even when the arc seemingly resolves here.

As usual, it’s an excellent hour of television. The way Murphy’s still a mystery for Stott to unravel versus the guest lead is unfortunate, albeit narratively driven.

The cliffhanger’s probably the show’s bleakest to date, which is saying something.

Takin’ Over the Asylum (1994) s01e04 – Fool on the Hill

With the radio station seemingly on steady ground for the first time the whole show, “Takin’ Over the Asylum” gets going on some more subplots. This episode gives Angus Macfadyen a spotlight, the station’s de facto engineer who’s about to get released and needs help from someone on the outside to get a job. Luckily, Ken Stott’s willing to give him a good reference, though things at the window company are getting iffy for Stott after boss Roy Hanlon finds out about him volunteering at a mental hospital to run their radio station.

Volunteering isn’t something a salesman should do, Hanlon says. Because salesmen are quite obviously terrible human beings.

But Stott’s also got a lot of other things going on. He takes Katy Murphy on something like a proper date, grandmother Elizabeth Spriggs announces she’s returning to Lithuania to live out her last days and Stott needs to pay for it, and then the small matter of David Tennant getting he and Stott an audition at Radio Scotland.

There’s this great clash of dreams with Stott and Tennant, with Stott getting so close to such an old dream while Tennant’s getting so close so fast. Their success—or nearness to success—comes as Macfadyen clashes with new doctor Kika Markham over his future potential and with hospital administrator Sandra Voe, who refuses to let Macfadyen do technical work in the radio station. And then there’s Ruth McCabe, who’s having to hide from nurse Angela Bruce and the social worker because she’s about to get kicked of the hospital and into a “bed and breakfast” group home because her husband doesn’t want to take her back.

Macfadyen’s got an exceptional arc this episode, with a lot to do at various times, and some excellent support from Murphy. Donna Franceschild’s script once again finds this wonderful way of connecting the characters and subplots, which leads to these profound moments of character development. Really good performance from Macfadyen here; he’s been the most supporting of the radio station “staff” (though maybe it just took until episode four for his spotlight) and he does a fine job scaling up to lead here.

Despite not mentioning him much just because of the nature of the episode structure, Tennant does a great job on his arc too. “Asylum” has its protagonist, Stott, but when Tennant’s on screen you forget he’s not the star. And then Franceschild and director David Blair figure how to spotlight an additional “temporary” lead with Macfadyen. It’s really well-done. This episode’s probably the series’s most impressive so far, if not just the best overall.

Takin’ Over the Asylum (1994) s01e03 – You Always Hurt the One You Love

Was there a doctor appearance last episode? I can’t remember. This episode has the first doctor-involved subplot, this time doctor David Robb, who can’t see a reason to keep Ruth McCabe in the hospital anymore since all she needs is medication to keep her OCD in check and her husband, Jon Morrison (incorrectly credited as Jim Morrison, which almost seems intentional since a Doors poster is prominent in radio station shots), is willing to take her back if she’ll just take that medicine.

Of course, McCabe doesn’t want to take the medicine. She’s been flourishing at the radio station and felt good about herself. David Tennant is basically McCabe’s sidekick for this arc, with her figuring into his arc about saving the radio station. But we also get to hear about McCabe’s backstory, which involves a whole bunch of tragedy and a whole bunch of psychological abuse from Morrison. Except—and the show’s amazing about how it acknowledges this facet without any sort of judgment–Morrison’s kind of dumb. Like. He’s a dumb lug and even though he’s a dick, he’s not unsympathetic. Writer Donna Franceschild does a phenomenal job weaving the subplots through one another, with Tennant’s subplot informing McCabe’s not just throughout but also in their resolutions. It’s deftly done.

Similarly, Ken Stott’s got a lot to do with the saving the station arc—though mostly crapping on it because he’s being a pessimist because he just got to this place two episodes ago and it didn’t seem to occur to the people who brought him in—those unseen people—they might need to keep the equipment running. Sandra Voe is back to rain on Stott’s parade—no money from the hospital and also don’t get too close to those damaged patients. Particularly Katy Murphy, who Stott continues to gently court, often making predictable and unpredictable mistakes.

We find out Stott’s sweet on Murphy for sure when grandma Elizabeth Spriggs presses him on why doesn’t he have a wife yet and why doesn’t she have three great-grandchildren like her friends. Spriggs is a weird character; she ought to be some kind of comic relief but instead she’s just tragic and depressing.

Meanwhile at work, Stott’s now in the elite salesman of the month club, which pisses off work adversary Neil McKinven, who’s now out to get Stott for not being a real salesman. We also miss out on Stott’s speech accepting the award. It does seem like that scene should have been in there, if only to give Stott some awkward time at the podium with obnoxious boss Roy Hanlon.

It’s a somewhat circular episode—the radio station plot is always in pseudo-motion only to get back to where it started from—but the great character development keeps it all moving forward.

Takin’ Over the Asylum (1994) s01e02 – Fly Like an Eagle

This episode seemingly takes place soon after the first one—Ken Stott is giving David Tennant DJ lessons—but apparently in the meantime Stott’s had a chance to look at the station’s accounting since he took over. There’s a subplot about hospital money person Sandra Voe wanting to see Stott’s books for running the radio station and it really seems like he’s only been there two or three times and he brought his own records. When we do get around to seeing the book props, they’re entirely filled out—it’s a plot point getting them filled out but not their content. It’s strange TV show logic in a show seemingly dedicated to not doing such narrative efficiencies.

For example, Stott gentle but still awkward courtship of Katy Murphy. He’s trying to get her interested in the radio station but she’s seemingly not at all.

Meanwhile, Tennant’s got a subplot about his dad—James Grant—ready to take him out of the hospital but only if Tennant gets a job and moves to Perth (Scotland, presumably). And he doesn’t want to hear about Tennant’s wild dreams of becoming a radio DJ, which it turns out would suit the hospital just fine too. See, according to Voe, the hospital never intended for the patients to get interested in the radio station, but other outside volunteers. Don’t trust the patients, she tells Stott.

So it’s hard for Voe not to be a villain this episode. Even when Stott gets a workplace nemesis too. The biggest plots are Tennant and his dad and Stott and work. Everything else is just in-between, but very nicely balanced. Again, Donna Franceschild’s script, David Blair’s direction—excellent work. Stott’s so broke he can’t even pay for the TV license, which majorly pisses off grandma Elizabeth Spriggs, and he’s got to figure out how to sell some windows fast. Because he’s already lied to boss Roy Hanlon, which super-salesman Neil McKinven has noticed and now McKinven has got Stott in his crosshairs.

Luckily, Stott’s got a subplot with guest star Liz Smith as an annoying old lady who he just can’t shake and it’s all going to work out fine. Or at least fine enough to get us to another episode in the end.

Most of the plot lines come together at the end for a bit of a Tennant showcase and gets the series through its first act.

Stott’s still good, Tennant’s still charming—the episode’s a little shaky figuring out how to incorporate Stott’s home and work with the hospital, but it’s finding its footing and has figured out how to get Ruth McCabe on the radio team permanent. The subtle character development is outstanding; the show’s able to get to big dramatic moments without them ever seeming too much. Something about Blair’s direction tempers it all perfectly.

“Takin’ Over the Asylum” is working out to be a rather good show.

Takin’ Over the Asylum (1994) s01e01 – Hey Jude

From the opening, it’s hard to tell if “Takin’ Over the Asylum” is going to be a comedy or not. Window salesman Ken Stott is rushing out of a customer’s house for some reason, running away from a potential sale apparently—I’m not sure you need to have seen Glengarry Glen Ross or Tin Men to really grok the sales culture but they sure helped me with it—because he’s late for his radio show. Stott’s got an oldies show he’s been doing for eight years and it turns out it’s his last show because he’s a volunteer and Ashley Jensen’s staff and she wants her own show and people might actually listen to hers. It’s a quick cameo from Jensen as the hip mid-nineties alternative fan versus classic rock means the fifties too guy Stott.

So Stott’s out. But the radio station manager does tell him about another potential gig, resurrecting the radio station at a local mental hospital. At this point it no longer seems like the show can be a comedy because the title’s so direct it’d be weird to subvert it. Contraction not withstanding.

Before Stott gets to the hospital—St. Jude’s, hence the episode title—we also meet his disappointed Lithuanian grandmother Elizabeth Spriggs. She lives with Stott. Oh. They’re Scottish. It’s not really super important to know right off because once David Tennant shows up, he’s flamboyantly Scottish. Tennant’s a patient at the hospital and quickly becomes Stott’s sidekick, whether Stott wants one or not.

The show’s got an interesting way of handling the radio station at the hospital—we don’t get a big tour, we don’t get to meet Stott’s boss, instead, he just goes to the radio station and starts getting to work. He meets nurse Angela Bruce, who’s around but in the background. No doctors lurking about either. It’s mostly just Stott and the patients (though also jerk tough guy Kenneth Bryans is around for roughing up unruly patients). This episode focuses on Mary MacLeod, who’s speaking something language she’s made up so no one even knows her name for sure.

Outside Tennant, MacLeod becomes Stott’s first real listener. His radio show goes up against some pretty popular television programs the patients prefer watching, so it takes a whole scheme to get people interested in the radio station. As it unfolds, we meet some more of the regular cast, Angus Macfadyen and Ruth McCabe. McCabe’s got OCD and cleans everything, including the disaster zone station, Macfadyen’s a tech genius who can help with the busted old radio equipment.

We also briefly meet a fetching lady patient, Katy Murphy, who Stott notes until her behavior starts throwing him off. And then his boss at the window company—Roy Hanlon—who plays it outrageous, almost absurdist humor without a laugh track and it’s mesmerizingly good.

The finale goes for a sharp stab to the heart; the show’s off to an excellent start. Stott’s great, Tennant’s charming; excellent writing from Donna Franceschild and good direction from David Blair.

Shallow Grave (1994, Danny Boyle)

Shallow Grave has bold colors. The production design–by Kave Quinn–isn’t particularly good. Over ninety percent of the film takes place in a rather boring apartment. But that boring apartment has a lot of bold colors. Sure, photographer Brian Tufano doesn’t know how to shoot those bold colors to make them effective, but he doesn’t know how to light any of the other scenes either. Grave is slick and economical, but no one–not the actors, not director Boyle, certainly not writer John Hodge–ever makes it feel particularly creative. It’s got a low budget so they shoot it like a play. With occasionally interesting, but inert, visuals.

As far as the actors, of the three principals–Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston–only McGregor shows any life. None of them have much character depth to work with, which obviously doesn’t help. Eccleston eventually gets the biggest part of the film, but he’s so poorly handled through the first act, he doesn’t do anything interesting. It’s not his fault, there’s just nothing interesting in that script of Hodges’s.

The film, ostensibly a thriller, is often tedious. The script has some funny dialogue exchanges–the trio live in that boldly color apartment and mock prospective tenants they do not like–but not enough to even temporarily disguise the logic holes.

Boyle’s composition is often excellent and Masahiro Hirakubo’s editing is outstanding. But there’s just not enough to the film. It’s trite, cynical, forcibly amusing. Grave’s one controlled misstep after another.

1/4★

CREDITS

Directed by Danny Boyle; written by John Hodge; director of photography, Brian Tufano; edited by Masahiro Hirakubo; music by Simon Boswell; production designer, Kave Quinn; produced by Andrew Macdonald; released by Polygram Filmed Entertainment.

Starring Kerry Fox (Juliet Miller), Christopher Eccleston (David Stephens), Ewan McGregor (Alex Law), Ken Stott (Detective Inspector McCall), Keith Allen (Hugo), Peter Mullan (Andy), Leonard O’Malley (Tim) and Colin McCredie (Cameron).

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