Writer: Javier Grillo-Marxuach
Director: Jeremiah Chechik
Cast: Matt Keeslar (The Middleman), Natalie Morales (Wendy Watson), Jake Smollett (Noser), Mary Pat Gleason (Ida), Brit Morgan (Lacey Thornfield), Brendan Hines (Tyler), Benny Nieves (El Maestro De Ceremonias), Christopher T. Wood (Doctor), Guy Ale (Israeli Museum Curator), Armando Cosio (El Glotón) & Mark Dacascos (Sensei Ping)
Director: Jeremiah Chechik
Cast: Matt Keeslar (The Middleman), Natalie Morales (Wendy Watson), Jake Smollett (Noser), Mary Pat Gleason (Ida), Brit Morgan (Lacey Thornfield), Brendan Hines (Tyler), Benny Nieves (El Maestro De Ceremonias), Christopher T. Wood (Doctor), Guy Ale (Israeli Museum Curator), Armando Cosio (El Glotón) & Mark Dacascos (Sensei Ping)
Sensei Ping is abducted by a band of Mexican wrestlers thanks to Wendy, leaving The Middleman to embark on a solo mission to rescue his mentor...After the disappointing "Accidental Occidental Conception", things gets back on-track with "The Sino-Mexican Revelation" -- although I'm now worried only creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Pilot director Jeremiah Chechik have a grip on this series. Episode 3 is still a bit forced in its execution, but the wackiness is more controlled and it features an amusing guest-starring role for Mark Dacascos as Sensei Ping -- channelling Kill Bill's Pai Mei, by way of Jack Black's Nacho Libre...
Sensei Ping is arriving in the US to train Wendy Watson (Natalie Morales), although she's disappointed The Middleman (Matt Keeslar) is already tapping up another potential sidekick -- waiter Tyler (Brendan Hines) -- should she fail to make the grade. With The Middleman is distracted by an investigation into a stolen diamond, Wendy is tasked to collect Sensei Pin from the airport -- and immediately finds him an obstinate, irritating pain in the neck. She's also unaware of Ping's long-running blood feud with a group of Mexican wrestlers -- who promptly arrive and kidnap Ping...
The curious thing about The Middleman is how it's superficially targeting the under-10s (square-jawed hero, wise-cracking sidekick, vibrant colours, cartoon-y aesthetic) while the dialogue scatterguns references and in-jokes only middle-aged geeks stand a chance of catching. I consider myself pretty well versed in Middleman's genre, but even I furrow my brow at a few gags and remarks. The show must be quite bewildering for youngsters yet to acquire a bedrock of knowledge in this genre.
The trouble is, while the dialogue is tangled in a Pushing Daisies-style and the references demonstrate Javier Grillo-Marxuach's comic-book smarts, everything else operates on a kid-friendly level that's mildly tiresome. I don't think a family-viewing balance is being achieved yet, as the intentionally silly storyline doesn't have the meat or texture to grab an adult's attention. Doctor Who is the best example of a family show that operates on multiple levels far better, with only a few lapses into kid-only/adult-only material.
There's fun to be had in seeing Mark Dacascos channel Pai Mei and Bruce Lee into a clichéd whole, beating up Mexican wrestlers in the chop-socky climax, but my enjoyment is still being sustained by the irrepressible sassiness of Natalie Morales -- whose comic timing, good looks, and deft handling of the material is a real joy.
Matt Keeslar also shows signs of improvement as The Middleman; softening his character's regimented stance and getting down-and-dirty out of his military-style uniform. He makes an appropriately hard-faced foil for Wendy (or "Dubby") and the two actors work well together -- although I sense their chemistry will develop once the characters accept and trust each other. There's the sense The Middleman has his new sidekick on a trial-run thus far, but that looks ready to change by the episode's end -- when Wendy is given a snazzy Smart car to replace her old banger. Hopefully her boss' generosity signals the beginning of a closer bond between the pair.
Elsewhere, Noser (Jake Smollett) might become a cult character -- lounging around in the hallway outside Wendy's apartment, guitar in hand, with the chilled-out expression of a stoner. "Heyyy, Wendy Watson..." He's like a throwback to the kind of hippy character you'd find on the outskirts of a '60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon. I'm not totally sold on Wendy's activist room-mate Lacey Thornfield (Britt Morgan) just yet, but a scene where it's revealed she fond of wearing an oversized teddy bear costume was endearingly daft.
Overall, "The Sino-Mexican Revelation" was a better effort than episode 2's misstep, but the plot wasn't as engaging as the Pilot's. I sincerely hope other writers will be successful at transplanting Javier Grillo-Marxuach's comic to the small-screen, as the underlying idea behind The Middleman is perfect material for light and breezy family viewing. They just need to develop the plots a bit, and make the dialogue less knotty for younger ears to grasp.
30 June 2008
ABC Family, 10/9c pm
