Monday, June 11, 2007

TV REVIEW: Meadowlands

What's the best way to describe Showtime's new dramatic series, Meadowlands? Well, let's see: there's a touch of The Prisoner in the setting, some Twin Peaks-style eccentricities, the ferocity and violence of The Sopranos, and loads of kinky, psychologically-disturbing sex and sexual innuendo.

I don't know that I can write a better description than that. From the title of this new series, I assumed the program would involve a family escaping New Jersey, but quite the contrary, "Meadowlands" is actually an isolated little community in the UK, one populated entirely by ex-cons; men and women ensconced in the witness protection program. As the first episode opens, viewers are introduced to a family moving into the community, and a perfect yellow house there. The Brogans arrive at their "new life" with black masks on...a nice touch, since they aren't supposed to know the location of Meadowlands.

Aside from their legal transgressions, the Brogans have some personal issues. The father of this dysfunctional family unit, Danny (David Morrissey), not only has a sordid criminal history but a propensity for violence and dishonesty. "We can't have shrinks and doctors getting into our lives right now," he says at one point, indicating the secrets and lies at the heart of the Brogan clan. Danny's wife is the beautiful Evelyn (Lucy Cohu), and she immediately catches the eye of Meadowsland's unhappily married general physician, Dr. David York (Tristan Gemmill). David is married to caustic Abigail (Emma Davies), who spends her evenings giving head to the town handyman. But more on him in a minute...

Meanwhile, the two Brogan kids have their own set of "issues." Young Mark (Harry Treadaway) wears gloves at all times because his hands were burned in a fire. And - occasionally - Mark he likes to dress up in his sister's clothes and make-up. Mark doesn't talk much (or comb his hair much, either...) and in the first episode, he engages in some kinky voyeurism, watching his busy-body neighbor Brenda Ogilvie (Melanie Hill), strip down to her bra and panties.

Pretty Zoe Brogan (Felicity Jones) is a bit healthier than her messed-up brother, but undergoing a typical teenage rebellion, nonetheless. In Meadowlands - where everyone is a crook, however - that kind of rebellion is dangerous. To wit, upon arrival in the community, Zoe falls in love with a dangerous cat called Jack "Of All Trades" Donnelly (Tom Hardy). Handyman Jack (the guy having sex with Abigail...) offers to fix Zoe's plumbing for her and then informs her that he specializes in "tongue and groove," not to mention double entendre. When Danny finds Donnelly sniffing around his daughter, Jack says to Brogan that "if she's old enough to bleed, she's old enough to butcher!" That comment naturally precipitates a fight. Even though Jack and her Dad don't get along, Zoe comes to believe that she is the only person who can "save" Jack. That plan comes to an unfortunate end...

Other characters in Meadowlands include Brogan's "handler," Samantha (Nina Sosanya), who monitors the Brogans from a safe distance in a motel control room outside the community. And then there's my favorite character, the diabolical lawman of Meadowlands, Det. Bernard Wintersgill (Ralph Brown). He's one lawman you don't want to cross, as both Jack and Danny find out separately in upcoming episodes of the series.

Although Meadowlands is ostensibly "off the radar," and therefore "the safest place on Earth," it is a hotbed for interpersonal conflict. Why? Because everyone there "has a past" that he or she is trying to escape. In one episode, Danny believes he sees the man who was present at the fire that scarred Mark. In another episode, Danny is ruthlessly tortured and interrogated over the disappearance of a main character. In one installment of the series, there is a brutal near-rape followed by a bloody murder. It's not easy stuff to stomach, and yet the drama is compelling.

The Twin Peaks aspect of Meadowlands comes into play with some of the off-the-wall touches. There's a weird Meadowlands welcome for the Brogans, the Meadowlands shag, for instance. Another strange moment involves the introduction of Brenda's daughter, Jezebel (Ellie Smith). All the build-up leads the audience to believe she will be the most gorgeous young woman you've ever seen. The truth is...well, you'll have to watch for yourself.

A violent soap-opera with a wicked sense of humor and irony, Meadowlands is perfectly-positioned to fill in for The Tudors, which just completed its triumphant first season on Showtime. I won't claim Meadowlands is light viewing, however. It's twisted and terrific stuff, even if you need a scorecard to keep up with all the characters and which ones are cheating on whom. If you give the show a chance, I think you'll find the overlapping plots and carefully excavation of family secrets a worthwhile endeavor. Meadowlands premieres on Showtime, Sunday June 17th at 10:00 pm.

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