Another recent episode featured Wendy Wilson of the group Wilson-Phillips, whose easygoing parenting style was repeatedly attributed -- by the producers, not by her -- to the fact that her father was Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Wilson, like all parents, had some problems getting her kids to bed, but other than that, Jo seemed to be on the scene to encourage Wilson to emote over being neglected by her busy songwriter daddy. Finally, Wilson made it clear that she was over it and didn't blame her dad, and mostly she just wanted her 4-year-old boy to stop crapping in his pants. So everyone backed off and proclaimed her a good parent before the cameras packed up to leave for the next domestic hellhole.
The episodes where wimpy parents get kicked in the shins by their kids over and over are probably the most gratifying of the lot. I love that moment when the enraged beast of a 2-year-old is instantly quieted by Jo, kneeling down to the kid's level, looking him in the eye and saying solemnly, "That's un-ass-SEPtable."
Jo may not make much of a difference in these parents' lives, but she sure makes us parents feel damn proud that our kids don't soil themselves and eat Cheetos for dinner. Not yet, anyway.
Let's begin again
There are more domestic perils in store on "Terminal City" (premieres March 6 on Sundance), a place where comedy and tragedy are wound together so closely you can't get one without the other. On the first episode of this Canadian drama, which was picked up by the discriminating masterminds at Sundance, Katie Sampson (Maria del Mar) has a lump in her breast, so she refuses to answer her phone. When the doctor finally tells her they think it's cancer, she goes home and starts hitting golf balls randomly into the neighborhood. The cops come by, but her husband, Ari (Gil Bellows), insists on bringing his wife a drink and talking to her first.
Cop: Are you sure that's a good idea?
Ari: This is a very good idea. It's my wife. I know my wife. And if you knew my wife, you would think it was a good idea, too.
We're supposed to understand, early on, that Katie and Ari are people who make odd, unconventional choices. Take the second episode, when Ari tells his wife, "[W]e can get dressed up, but we're not doing horse tranquilizers." Now imagine that line on an American drama.
Katie makes another odd choice when, halfway through the first episode, she brings her 16-year-old daughter, Sarah, along with her when she goes to her breast biopsy. When Katie steps out of the procedure room, there's a TV camera in her face, filming a reality show called "Post-Op." Instead of mumbling an excuse and moving on, Katie lights up and shows the camera her tumor (which includes baring her naked breast). The show's producer, Jane, calls her boss with an idea: Let's fire our lame real-life-doctor host, and hire Katie to host the show instead.
This very off-kilter drama is nicely cast, beautifully shot, and the mix of desperation and joy presented here is about as ambitious as a TV show can get. Of course, with ambition and smarts comes pretentiousness -- the writing can get more than a little precious at times. After Katie's TV appearance, for example, Sarah admonishes her mom about her language on camera.
Sarah: Mom, you said fuck!
Katie: I know ... and I should use that more often, because it's a great expletive.
Sarah: What's that?
Katie: An expletive? It nails life! My life and your life, too.
If an expletive nails life, having your lead character say that an expletive "nails life" doesn't nail life at all -- it nails unnatural, queasily cute, overwritten dialogue onto an otherwise worthwhile backdrop.
But for every dumb exchange like that one, there are three or four good scenes: Katie in the procedure room, staring at the ceiling while she listens to the doctor prattle on to the nurse; Katie's father-in-law, Saul, saying to his son, when he finds out the news that Katie has cancer, "You have to be tough," and then standing up without giving him a hug or even a pat on the back.
Some scenes are uneven and dorky, but at its best, this tragicomic story carries a weight that conjures the melancholy, sweet mood of "Six Feet Under" or "Mad Men." Of course "Terminal City" doesn't quite come close to those two shows in its first two episodes, and a few bad scenes make it unclear whether it ever could. But I, for one, will definitely be around to find out.
Next week: Who'll win it all on "Project Runway"? (My money's on Jillian.) Plus, on Sunday night, look for the Salon staff to weigh in on the second-to-last episode of "The Wire."
About the writer
Heather Havrilesky is Salon's TV critic. She also maintains the rabbit blog. You can find more of her columns in the I Like To Watch directory.
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