On a Busy Sunday, Praising Brotherhood
Jason Clarke and Jason Isaacs in Brotherhood by Jim Fiscus/Showtime
This Sunday, it sure didn't feel as if the sweeps month had already ended. Major pivotal episodes of ABC's hit series, a movie special on CBS (one of the better
Hallmark Hall of Fames to air in a while) and, somewhat lost in the shuffle, a season finale of one of TV's more underappreciated dramas. That's a lot to digest.
First off, the watercooler show of the night was unquestionably
Desperate Housewives, capping an above-par season with the long-awaited arrival of a devastating twister. The circumstances were just about as far-fetched as most things that happen in this diverting comedic soap, but that final shot of a flattened Wisteria Lane was truly apocalyptic. Lynnette's banshee screech would have been justified even if she hadn't just realized the house where her family had hunkered down in the basement was buried in rubble. Outstanding.
(For the record, I side with those who think that Ida, the owner of the wayward cat, is probably the "friend" referred to in Mary Alice's opening narration as the other recurring character to bite the dust, alongside Gabby's gun-toting husband Roger. And while his impalement on a picket fence was symbolically inspired, a more daring and grisly show might have beheaded him when the gay neighbors' controversial metal fountain began blowing apart in the wind.)
I also mightily enjoyed the wedding episode of
Brothers & Sisters that followed, especially the comic interlude when most of the Walker men (plus pot-smoking Chevy Chase) ended up in Secret Service custody. Such an entertaining, satisfying show this has turned out to be.
Couldn't complain about
The Amazing Race last night, either. Neat challenges in a new locale (Lithuania), a fairly close outcome, and one of the many teams I find myself rooting against this season flamed out. (While I find nagging dad Ronald an incredible pain, kudos to him for completing the stilts challenge, hernia and all.)
All of which brings me to the network that has quietly been delivering the most provocative entertainment on Sunday nights for months: Showtime. The devilish
Dexter has been on fire lately, especially since his nemesis Doakes discovered his secret stash of blood-slide trophies and now is being held captive in a cage in a cabin while Dexter tries to figure out what to do next and how to proceed while staying true to his twisted code of honor. (Though also a killer of sorts, Doakes isn't essentially evil, so Dexter can't execute him with as clear a conscience as usual.)
Meanwhile, Dexter's truly insane stalker Lila has entrapped his buddy Angel into a date-rape bind, thanks to some ill-gained roofies. All of this cannot end well. (Actually, I've seen the final two episodes, and it ends brilliantly.) If you're missing
Dexter, you're really missing out.
What did end well Sunday night was the second season of
Brotherhood, a family/crime saga that's in many ways - especially when it comes to authenticity and a sense of place - the equal of HBO's much more highly touted
Sopranos. I believe these characters live in these unremarkable homes in these Providence, Rhode Island, neighborhoods. Even with the various violent plot twists, mostly involving brain-addled gangster Michael Caffee (the charismatic Jason Isaacs),
Brotherhood rarely feels larger-than-life.
As politico Tommy Caffee's embittered wife Eileen, Annabeth Gish is giving one of the most unheralded performances of this and last year. The scene in which she confronts Tommy's ice-cold mistress (
The West Wing's Janel Moloney in a courageously unsympathetic turn) bristled with ferocious power. Here's a woman who will fight to the death for her family, however imperfect it is. I'm also fascinated by Jason Clarke's subtle performance as Tommy Caffee, a big fish in a small pond of increasingly polluted political waters. Even though he won the latest election, Tommy is under no illusion that his seat is his to keep - changing ethnic demographics, with the balance tipping to Latino voters over the old-school Irish, will someday decide that. In the final episode, his battle with the speaker ended sourly, with brother Michael's criminal reputation putting the brakes on Tommy's ambitions. This leads to a final scene of recrimination and disillusion between the brothers as the show quietly ends.
There's no cliff-hanger like last season, so if Showtime decides not to renew
Brotherhood, which for all of its quality has lived mostly under the buzz radar, I'll still be satisfied with what I got. This is one of those series that, like
The Wire, is highly recommended for any fan of great drama to discover on DVD. (Or On Demand, if you have that option.)
