TV Week 25: Apparitions, The Graham Norton Show, Children In Need & John From Cincinnati

It's something of a milestone this week, with my twenty-fifth column for Newslite.tv. 25 already? Where does the time go?! This week I take a look at spooky BBC1 drama Apparitions, consider the merits of The Graham Norton Show, chew over Friday's Children In Need fund-raiser, and preview FX's supernatural surfing import John From Cincinnati.

"The scene is set for a thick soup of family drama, and an impenetrable mystery that would have David Lynch scratching his head in confusion." -- John From Cincinnati, read more...

JOHN FROM CINCINNATI 1.10 - "His Visit, Day Nine"

Writer: Zack Whedon

Director: Dan Minahan

Cast: Austin Nichols (John Monad), Bruce Greenwood (Mitch Yost), Rebecca DeMornay (Cissy Yost), Luke Perry (Linc Stark), Keala Kennelly (Kai), Brian Van Holt (Butchie Yost), Greyson Fletcher (Shaun Yost), Ed O'Neill (Bill Jacks), Paul Ben-Victor (Palaka), Luis Guzman (Ramon), Emily Rose (Cass), Dayton Callie (Freddie), Matt Winston (Barry Cunningham), Chandra West (Tina Blake), Matt Mather (Dwayne) & Jim Beaver (Vietnam Joe)

John and Shaun return to Imperial Beach...

"The end is certainly near", to paraphrase John Monad, our enchanting and perplexing guide through this equally stultifying and brilliant series. The final episode begins with another perfect JFC montage, beginning in the clouds of "Cincinnati"/Heaven, before descending to the waves of Imperial Beach, where we find John (Austin Nichols) and Shuan (Greyson Fletcher) surfing home after their disappearance...

As you'd expect, the episode struggles with the difficulties of maintaining its unspoken mystery, whilst simultaneously having its human characters ask pertinent questions. John may be able to sidestep such directness, but Shaun shouldn't be able to. So, when father Butchie (Brian Van Holt) demands to know where the hell he's been, Shaun can only play the amnesia card. It's annoying, but expected, and it helps that Shaun has been quite a distant personality throughout the show (John-like at times), so the script gets away with it.

Of course, it being the last episode, viewers demand some kind of answer, or at least enough half-answers to satisfy watching. A great scene between Linc Stark (Luke Perry) and John, both sat cross-legged on the ground, is perhaps the show's most successful attempt at this. Sort of. John's parrot-talk remains vague and confusing, but Linc has far more success understanding John and how his "your words, my words" vocabulary works.

There is a definite feeling that creator David Milch asked this episode's writer Zack Whedon (son of Buffy creator Joss!) to wrap up and truncate plots that would probably have spread into season 2. The Hawaiian's story, with the arrival of their Chinese boss seemed unnecessary, is most rushed, while "The Chemist" (Howard Hesseman) only appears in one silent moment!

Barry Cunningham (Matt Winston) gets a great little scene, talking to Ramon (Luis Guzman), that finally crystallized his fears and gave us a reason for his teddy bear fixation. It was also interesting when everybody witnessed Mitch's levitation, even if their reactions were as ridiculously subdued as ever.

His Visit, Day Nine builds towards a "rebirth" of the Yost family and their Stinkweed connection with Linc Stark. The episode ended with an ad hoc parade through I.B, with the Yost's outfitted in John's "stick-man" wet-suit design, finally putting aside their differences. I particularly liked the moment a lecherous man heckled ex-pornstar Tina (Chandra West), only to be verbally slapped down by Cissy, of all people.

The closing moments hinted at things that will go unexplained, such as John's voice-over bizarrely mentioning that that Dr Smith (absent in the episode) returned to I.B "20 years younger" during the Yost family parade. Huh? What was that about?

Or, even stranger, was the last line spoken by John's voice-over, saying "mother of my father" over a clip of Kai surfing? That seemed to infer (to me, anyway) that Kai is destined to become a modern-day Virgin Mary character -- with Butchie as a Joseph? So maybe John's work has only just begun with this important family?

Sadly, it's an in-road for season 2 that will go untraveled... as John From Cincinnati was canceled by HBO. I'm not surprised. This is easily the most complex and distancing television series in years; both a pleasure and a frustration.

I stuck with it for its impassioned and kooky acting styles, original premise and vague hope everything would jigsaw together in the end. I'm glad I stayed the distance, as JFC began to make some hazier sense after episode 6, but I'm also disappointed this last episode didn't provide the gob-smacking punch I'd been waiting and hoping for...


Posthumous Review
Written: 23 August 2007
HBO

JOHN FROM CINCINNATI 1.9 - "His Visit, Day Eight"

Writer: Wayne Loren Wilson

Director: Adam Davidson

Cast: Bruce Greenwood (Mitch Yost), Rebecca DeMornay (Cissy Yost), Luke Perry (Linc Stark), Matt Winston (Barry Cunningham), Keala Kennelly (Kai), Brian Van Holt (Butchie Yost), Greyson Fletcher (Shaun Yost), Ed O'Neill (Bill Jacks), Paul Ben-Victor (Palaka), Luis Guzman (Ramon), Emily Rose (Cass), Dayton Callie (Freddie), Chandra West (Tina Blake), Matt Mather (Dwayne), Jim Beaver (Vietnam Joe), Willie Garson (Meyer Dickstein), Howard Hesseman (Erlemeyer) & Garret Dillahunt (Dr. Smith)

Shaun mysteriously disappears, throwing his family and the local community into panic...

I never thought I'd be glad to see Mitch Yost (Bruce Greenwood), who has been absent for awhile. John From Cincinatti doesn't really have a leading character, but Mitch seemed to be the closest thing we have to one, so his return gives the show a bit of stability. His reappearance also calm Cissy's histrionics slightly, with Rebecca DeMornay giving another excruciating performance -- but in a good way.

Mitch return from the U.S/Mexico border with old friend Erlemeyer (counter-culture icon Howard Hesseman), a reclusive beach-dweller, known as " The Chemist", who provided Mitch with drugs back in his youth. The white-haired man has a history with the Yosts, but why Mitch has decided to bring him to I.B is left dangling.

Mitch and Erlemeyer's reunion coincided with the predicted disappearance of 14-year-old Shaun (Greyson Fletcher), sending Cissy into meltdown and the whole community into shock. Everyone suspects John has kidnapped the boy, after his recent "Shaun will soon be gone" proclamation, but Butchie (Brian Van Holt) doubts dimwit John is any danger to his son.

Even stranger, Bill Jacks (Ed O'Neill) discovers his resurrected parakeet Zippy has also gone missing. Is Shaun's disappearance tied to the bird that seemed to bring him back to life? Whatever the answer, Bill's white cockatoo suddenly starts telepathically talking to him, after 15 years of silence...

The Snug Harbor Motel's residents seem to be developing with the absence of John, fending for themselves in the apparently haunted bar -- now occupied by a ghostly Shaun and the animated corpse of the paedophile who abused Barry! Ramon (Luis Guzman) also makes an important discovery in an Avon catalogue, regarding John's bizarre stick-figure symbols...

There's a sense that the show's myriad of details are finding focus in the penultimate episode, although the show is still a sprawling mass of confusion at heart. I don't think creator David Milch has any idea what's really going on, just a hazy direction that seems to make sense on some spiritual level.

The script, by Wayne Loren Wilson, is solid and it's another simply storyline that helps you focus on the smaller details. As the show has progressed, the initial overload of characters and weirdness distracted me, whereas now I'm finding I can muse on the show's mysteries much easier.

I don't think everything is going to be answered in next week's finale, although suspicions that John From Cincinatti was designed as a contained 10-part story are rife -- so it will be something of a coup if the show stuns everyone by resolving itself neatly.


Posthumous Review
Written: 16 August 2007
HBO

JOHN FROM CINCINNATI 1.8 - "His Visit, Day Seven"

Writer: Abby Gewanter

Director: Jesse Bochco

Cast: Austin Nichols (John Monad), Rebecca DeMornay (Cissy Yost), Luke Perry (Linc Stark), Keala Kennelly (Kai), Brian Van Holt (Butchie Yost), Greyson Fletcher (Shaun Yost), Ed O'Neill (Bill Jacks), Paul Ben-Victor (Palaka), Luis Guzman (Ramon), Emily Rose (Cass), Dayton Callie (Freddie), Chandra West (Tina Blake) & Matt Mather (Dwayne)

The Imperial Beach residents become unnerved by a cryptic message from John...

We're heading for the final stretch of David Milch's 10-part journey into some decidedly weird and often unfathomable territory. His Visit, Day Seven is another simple episode that benefits from just focusing on a few characters and doesn't go overboard with the mumbo-jumbo.

John (Austin Nichols) has begun to get his voice across, with more people ready to listen to the curious outsider. His claim that "Shaun will soon be gone" seems to disturb the community, somehow speaking to a communal reverence for the young surfing prodigy. John's statement is met with anger, confusion and criticism, particularly from Cass (Emily Rose) and Bill.

Cass's filmmaking exploits take a weird twist, as Cass realizes she has no memory of her "work" being done with John -- only a strange stick figure symbol on black cloth is any evidence of it. It's the same symbol Meyer drew into the wet concrete recently, and most likely the shape John and Shaun drew into the ground with their feet very early in the season. Oooh, are things are coming together slowly...?

Bill (the superb Ed O'Neill) decides enough is enough and (with viewers willing him along at home) sits John down for a no-nonsense talk in the motel. It's a talk that proves to be one of the show's highlights and a big step forward regarding John's identity.

As ever with this show, there's a lot to enjoy and a lot to annoy. I have more of a grasp on John From Cincinatti's world than I did 5 episodes ago, but many characters still irritate, I detest a few (Cissy -- aagh!), while others just seem to exist for no real purpose. I mean, just why are the Hawaiians at that motel, anyway? I've never been clear on that...

The great thing about this episode is that characters begin to act like normal human beings, making it easier for us to follow their various stories. I particularly liked how Bill and Freddie (Dayton Callie) are both now convinced John is not human, which should hopefully lead to some dramatic moments in the remaining episodes...

And when will Mitch (Bruce Greenwood) make his reappearance?


Posthumous Review
Written: 9 August 2007
HBO

JOHN FROM CINCINNATI 1.7 - "His Visit, Day Six"

Writer: Nichole Beattie

Director: Jeremy Podeswa

Cast: Austin Nichols (John Monad), Rebecca DeMornay (Cissy Yost), Luke Perry (Linc Stark), Keala Kennelly (Kai), Brian Van Holt (Butchie Yost), Greyson Fletcher (Shaun Yost), Ed O'Neill (Bill Jacks), Paul Ben-Victor (Palaka), Luis Guzman (Ramon), Emily Rose (Cass), Dayton Callie (Freddie), Chandra West (Tina Blake), Paula Malcomsen (Jerri), Matthew Maher (Dwayne) & Garret Dillahunt (Dr. Smith)

Linc's reign at Stinkweed is challenged, Dwayne considers Shaun's internet profile and Dr Smith tends to a poisoned Palaka...

After the improvement last week (I say "improvement", but what I really mean is "something exciting happened"), I was expecting the show to start picking up the pace and pulling together its plot strands. I was wrong. A few things develop, most notably with Linc Stark (Luke Perry), but it's basically business as usual.

What becomes clear with His Visit, Day Six is that nobody remembers the "cookout speech" from John Monad last week. It seems they were all bewitched at the time, or had their memories erased, so there are no huge proclamations of divinity in their midst. Even Cissy Yost (Rebecca De Mornay), who witnessed John outside her window, armed with unknowable knowledge about her abuse of Butchie (Brian Van Holt), hardly bats an eyelid when John turns up again.

The episode also introduces a few more characters. First there's internet geek Dwayne (Matthew Maher), who had a small role last week, but whose placing in the Yost pantheon of "hangers-on" is made clearer. Dwayne runs the Yost website and has noticed the site's getting more hits after Shaun's "miracle" (a so-called "halo effect").

Then there's Jerri (Paula Malcomsen), a friend of Kai's who helped her hide Butchie's surfboards so he couldn't sell them to get more dope. Speaking of whom, Butchie finally realizes his addiction has left him (no doubt a result of John's presence), so it looks like his character might blossom.

Maybe that's the point of this show. Everyone's affected by John (whether they know it, or not), so perhaps the last episode will cleverly have turned every unlikeable or questionable characters into a decent citizen?

The Yost family are particularly difficult to like, although I have a fondness for Butchie's bluster. Cissy's screeching was given context last week, but she's still hard-going. Shaun remains either tortuously wooden, or cleverly restrained. I suspect the former. Mitch (Bruce Greenwood) remains absent for the second episode in a row, building expectation as to how he'll return, and in what state...

The best plot in episode 7 is probably that of Linc, whose business, Stinkweed, is finally shown and his role given some depth. I particularly liked his handling of an in-house rival, who tries to dig some dirt on Linc through conquest Tina (Chandra West). Linc is still quite an odd presence, as his dealings with the Yost's haven't ended well, perhaps hinting that he's the disruptive "evil influence" to John's "calming good"?

I disliked a subplot with Palaka (Paul Ben-Victor), primarily because it comes out of nowhere. Here, Freddie's simple-minded henchman, is poisoned by a bad tattoo and helped by Dr Smith (Garret Dillahunt). It's interesting enough once it gets going, particularly when Freddie shows some emotion for his suffering friend, but it's very out of left-field. Still, Garret Dillahunt's performance is becoming something of a rock in the rapids of John From Cincinatti. It's just nice to have someone who doesn't talk in riddles and generally reacts normally to situations!

The problem with the show is it has intriguing characters, moments of beauty, solid acting, deep writing... but nothing holds it all together. It just doesn't play with the accepted TV rules; which is admirable, but rules are established for a reason...


Posthumous Review
Written: 2 August 2007
HBO

JOHN FROM CINCINNATI 1.6 - "His Visit, Day Five"

Writer: Alix Lambert

Director: Tom Vaughn

Cast: Austin Nichols (John Monad), Rebecca DeMornay (Cissy Yost), Luke Perry (Linc Stark), Keala Kennelly (Kai), Brian Van Holt (Butchie Yost), Jim Beaver (Vietnam Joe), Greyson Fletcher (Shaun Yost), Ed O'Neill (Bill Jacks), Paul Ben-Victor (Palaka), Luis Guzman (Ramon), Emily Rose (Cass), Dayton Callie (Freddie), Matt Mather (Dwayne), Bruce Greenwood (Mitch Yost) & Chandra West (Tina Blake)

John tries to help Cissy and Bill confront events from their past, as Butchie tries to organize a reunion between Tina and Shaun...

Six episodes is enough time to gauge the quality of a new TV show. John From Cincinatti is a curious mix of the sombre, the dull, the irritating, the intriguing, the mysterious and the humorous. There's either a deep and complex plot being slowly spun each week, or a laborious exercise in trippy confusion.

Thankfully, with His Visit, Day Five, the show takes a firm step forward and solidifies a few suspicions concerning eponymous John (Austin Nichols) and his impact on the local community. Here, John Monad and Vietnam Joe (Jim Beaver) team-up with Bill Jacks (Ed O'Neill), to find the hoodlums that "fatally" stabbed him...

Their search doesn't get far, as John senses some disruption with Cissy and "astrally-projects" himself across town, just outside her kitchen window. Amusingly, this "projection" doesn't speak in the same stilted manner, meaning John can converse normally when freed from physical restraint. His first act is to warn Cissy against suicidal thoughts, asking her, in the manner of a radio huckster to "Act now, Cissy. Baptize that fucking pistol!". It's the first unquestionably divine/supernatural act John has made in the show -- just when we needed a bit of solidity, too.

Rebecca DeMornay is superb here as Cissy, as her hissy-fit character is finally given some context (an acid-fueled molestation of her son Butchie when he was 13.) It'll be easier to get a handle on Cissy's outbursts and self-loathing from now on, and a good sign that the writers know what they're doing. It also highlights a dilemma when reviewing TV shows, as future episodes can provide hitherto unknown revelations that contextualize reasons for a character's annoying, aggressive or unlikeable behaviour.

Brian Van Holt remains his usual foul-mouthed self as Butchie, trying (very badly) to organize a reunion between surfer son Shaun (the ever-vacant Greyson Fletcher) and pornstar ex-lover Tina (a nicely understated Chandra West.) The culmination of events, when Cissy shares time with Tina and shows her how to make tuna sandwiches for grandson Shaun, together with the eventual meeting between mother and son, is also one of the better human moments of the series so far. Oh, and the "loaves and fish" has an obvious Biblical parallel...

This is still a maddeningly difficult show to feel at ease watching, with most characters remaining closed-off -- perhaps intentionally, so that John can open them up for us. The motel's "Three Wise Men" (lawyer Meyer, manager Ramon and new owner Barry) are still open to interpretation, although it was interesting to see Meyer gain a wife here --- played by 80s icon Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing fame, no less!

Ed O'Neill should also get a belated mention as gruff Bill Jacks, a widower who lives with caged birds and is curiously distrustful of John. O'Neill is famous for playing Al Bundy for years on sitcom Married... With Children, so it's quite a revelation to see him give a fine dramatic performance in something so tonally different. He's so good, he put the ghost of Bundy to bed within minutes of his appearance in episode 1.

This episode is certainly the strongest evidence for John's effecting the town's residents, with or without their knowledge. Filmmaker Cass (the delectable Emily Rose) spends a scene almost turning spiritual in her video work, banging pots and pans as if to summon a spirit guide, and even Bitter Freddie (Dayton Callie) shows a musical side with a saxophone.

But it's the closing moments that signal seismic shift, as John (still in his "projected" persona), somehow brings everyone together at the motel whilst speaking an eloquent monologue. For anyone struggling to understand this show, it's a vital piece of information, although it's quite a cryptic piece of prose in itself! The actions often speak a bit clearer, with polar opposites Freddie and Bill making beautiful music together and a spooky moment when John goes into the "haunted" Room 24 and calmly emerged carrying a grey-skinned corpse!

Certainly, John From Cincinatti is an acquired taste. Every time you feel you're about to get a grasp on it, something happens to cloud the water again. It's intentionally thick with confusion, bewildering characters and length monologues, but episode 6 is the first time I truly got the impression there might be a point to it all. Or, if not, there's at least enough queasy logic that the writers can begin to shape it into something quite profound over time.

His Visit, Day Five won't convert you to John From Cincinatti if you've made your mind up about it, or abandoned it episodes ago, but it's a reminder to the faithful few that there might be some method to its madness...


Posthumous Review
Written: 26 July 2007
HBO

JOHN FROM CINCINNATI 1.5 - "His Visit, Day Four"

Writer: Steve Hawk
Director: Ed Bianchi

Cast: Austin Nichols (John Monad), Rebecca DeMornay (Cissy Yost), Bruce Greenwood (Mitch Yost), Luke Perry (Linc Stark), Keala Kennelly (Kai), Brian Van Holt (Butchie Yost), Jim Beaver (Vietnam Joe), Greyson Fletcher (Shaun Yost), Ed O'Neill (Bill Jacks), Paul Ben-Victor (Palaka), Emily Rose (Cass), Dayton Callie (Freddie) & Chandra West (Tina Blake)

Tina Blake, Shaun Yost's estranged mother, arrives to see the son she abandoned, and John helps Cass with "her work"...

At the moment, I just don't care about the Yost family. That's quite a problem because they're the linchpin of John From Cincinnati. Mitch (Bruce Greenwood) is bitter and disloyal to his wife; Cissy (Rebecca DeMornay) is highly-strung and annoying; Butchie (Brian Van Holt) is amiable, but maddening; while Shaun (Greyson Fletcher) is as stiff as one of his surfboards.

His Visit, Day Four introduces another member of the family, albeit estranged and hated, in the shapely form of Tina Blake (Chandra West). Tina has roared into town in a sin-red sports car to see her son, Shaun, who she abandoned to Cissy and Mitch 14 years ago. To say there is some bad blood between her and the Yost's is an understatement. In particular, Cissy spends most of the episode scowling in her kitchen, spitting venom and brandishing a handgun.

Tina is a welcome presence in the show -- and not just for salacious reasons (although that tight jeans certainly help.) The show needs more relatable people, to sit alongside Dr Smith, as the annoying Yost's and the weird peripheral characters are beginning to make my eyes glaze over. Tina fits the bill. She's a supposedly manipulative and cold-hearted scarlet woman, who's been working as a porn star (shades of Mary Magdalene?). Her storyline also connects with talent scout Linc (Luke Perry); another character badly in need of firm direction

The frustrating thing about all "intellectual" mystery shows is that you're never quite sure if the weird ambiance and strange events will have some huge pay-off later on. At the moment, I can pick at dozens of bugbears about John From Cincinnati, but these may be put to rest by a future episode. I hope so. But, we're five episodes in, so I'm perfectly entitled to feel some sense of illumination... and I'm not. It's just willfully bizarre and frustratingly cluttered by over-written dialogue.

Steve Hawk's script doesn't contain any paranormal events, that usually help make the show easier to swallow. As such, it's down to the characters and story to carry the episode... and it fails. The acting is fine from the main cast, but there's just nothing here to sink your teeth into. The Tina/Butchie subplot isn't bad, but it just goes nowhere and fizzles out by the end.

Episode 5 also contains the show's first truly boring John subplot, as he spouts cryptic messages whilst trying to help Cass with a film project -- this involves her filming him at a street festival. His advice for her to "work here, Cass", back at her hotel room, seems like an instruction she should heed (similar to his "see God, Kai" awhile back) -- so there's the vague hint that John is setting people up as part of some masterplan. But that's just a guess. I'm getting desperate to crowbar some kind of sense into this show now, however desperate it might sound...


Posthumous Review
Written: 19July 2007
HBO

JOHN FROM CINCINNATI 1.4 - "His Visit, Day Three"

Writers: Regina Corrado & Abby Gewanter
Director: Mark Tinker

Cast: Rebecca DeMornay (Cissy Yost), Matt Winston (Barry Cunningham), Austin Nichols (John Monad), Bruce Greenwood (Mitch Yost), Luis Guzman (Ramon), Luke Perry (Linc Stark), Keala Kennelly (Kai), Brian Van Holt (Butchie Yost), Jim Beaver (Vietnam Joe), Greyson Fletcher (Shaun Yost), Ed O'Neill (Bill Jacks), Willie Garson (Meyer Dickstein), Paul Ben-Victor (Palaka), Emily Rose (Cass), Dayton Callie (Freddie) & Garret Dillahunt (Dr. Smith)

John is beaten up by some thugs, Kai grows closer to Butchie, and Mitch shares his secret with Cass...

Okay, the honeymoon period is over. I always like to give TV shows some leeway in their opening handful of episodes because, unlike books and films, television doesn't arrive fully-formed. Early criticism of something in episode 1, could be revealed as a masterful piece of foreshadowing by episode 5, etc. However, after 4 episodes, if the show hasn't grabbed you on some level -- it's probably never going to...

His Visit, Day Three is a great deal simpler, narratively, although this means the episode feels like 20 minutes of story stretched to almost 50. Indeed, I'm sure the plots to episodes 1-4 could have been told in half the time. This slow-burn nature is designed to cultivate a mood in the viewer, which it succeeds at, but it's also beginning to try my patience.

Fortunately, after bubbling away for three episodes, episode 4 may not have much going on, but atleast it makes definite progress regarding the storyline. John cuts himself loose from the hips of Butchie and Kai, to wander around Imperial Beach by himself, eventually running into trouble with a gang of hoodlums and getting stabbed.

The other major turn of events concerns Mitch, who is seen in bed with filmmaker Cass (cute Emily Rose), a girl young enough to be his daughter. It appears the Mitch/Cissy relationship really has hit the skids and Mitch's bond to Cass is solidified after she witnesses him levitating in the bedroom.

As it typical for John From Cincinnati, the other subplots mainly consist of characters pairing up and talking to each other in vague, meandering, jargon-heavy ways. Cissy busts some reporters in the surf shop, as the press try to get a story on "miracle boy" Shaun's return from the dead; Hawaiian drug-dealers Freddie and Palaka antagonize each other outside the Motel; Bill Jacks continues to chat to his dead wife and bird Zippy; and love blossoms between boisterous Butchie and surf chick Kai (Keala Kennelly).

The freshest injection into the show recently has been Dr Smith (Garret Dillahunt), the only character who genuinely seems "normal" and on an admirable quest to figure out what's going on! Mitch (Bruce Greenwood) also become more probing about his levitation, linking it strongly to John's appearance at last. I'll be happy when more characters stop ignoring all the bizarre happenings and start looking for some answers -- if only for the audience's benefit!

Carnivale was another HBO series that preferred to amble instead of run during its first season, but that series had a more elaborate production and visual appeal to help gloss over its defects. John From Cincinnati is very low-budget in comparison, but hasn't yet developed characters strong enough for you to care about. There's strong acting in places on John From Cincinnati, but it's all played against impenetrable dialogue and surrealism, so just distances you.

Regina Corrado and Abby Gewanter's script atleast manages to provide stronger focus on characters like Cass and Linc, who both appear to know more about what's going on than it seems. Cass in particular becomes far more interesting when she experienced a vision of missing John's whereabouts (similar in style to the one Kai has last week) and John's alien nature is becoming more apparent. He even parrot-talks snippets of dialogue he wasn't present to hear (although nobody notices...)

Is this a hint that events are preordained in John's mind? Could time-travel be playing a part in the mystery? Is John a visitor from the future, sent back in time to witness or influence an event involving the Yost's?

If nothing else, John From Cincinnati is providing a small brain workout. I just wish it was more enjoyable than it currently is... but it's getting there.


Posthumous Review
Written: 12 July 2007
HBO

JOHN FROM CINCINNATI 1.3 - "His Visit, Day Two Continued"

Writer: Ted Mann
Director: Mark Tinker

Cast: Austin Nichols (John Monad), Matt Winston (Barry Cunningham), Keala Kennelly (Kai), Jim Beaver (Vietnam Joe), Rebecca DeMornay (Cissy Yost), Bruce Greenwood (Mitch Yost), Luke Perry (Linc Stark), Luis Guzman (Ramon Gaviota), Greyson Fletcher (Shaun Yost), Ed O'Neill (Bill Jacks), Willie Garson (Meyer Dickstein), Brian Van Holt (Butchie Yost), Emily Rose (Cass), Garret Dillahunt (Dr. Smith) & Dayton Callie (Steady Freddy Lopez)

Dr Smith believes a paranormal phenomenon has occurred within the Yost family, Kai takes John to her trailer and Cass comforts Mitch...

Finally, incontrovertible evidence of the paranormal occurs when boy-surfer Shaun Yost miraculously survives permanent brain-damage and shattered vertebrae, thanks to a "kiss of life" from a bird called Zippy. After so many bizarre events going disregarded, or ignored by people, this makes a refreshing change... although only resident Dr Smith (Garret Dillahunt) seems to really grasp the immensity of the situation.

John From Cincinnati seems to be finding its groove , successfully reigning in confusing scenes and providing a more appealing storyline for episode 3. Ted Mann's script still contains some frustrating quirks: such as Mitch (Bruce Greenwood) taking a trip to the beach, with a fan who's young enough to be his daughter, at the time his grandson has been declared braindead! I know the Yost family are dysfunctional and he'd just rowed with wife Cissy (Rebecca DeMornay), but... would anyone behave like this? It didn't quite work for me.

But mostly, His Visit, Day Two Continued, is a more coherent installment with some nice performances. Dr Smith is like an oasis of normality just when the viewers need it, while drug-dealer Steady Freddie (Dayton Callie) is a fantastic creation: an opera-loving thug with a face that belongs in a Scorsese gangster flick, or the Wild West -- which is actually where he's spent the past few years on TV's Deadwood.

Now the miracle of Shaun's recovery has given the show something supernatural that can't be ignored, it'll be interesting to see if this works as catalyst. Unfortunately, the motel plot continues to go nowhere very interesting. Indeed, actors Willie Garson and Luis Guzman have basically just been standing around looking confused by lottery-winner Barry ever since he arrived. Last week's vision/ghost in the motel room 24 isn't really explored to any significant degree. I hope the writers have a clear plan for this branch of the story, as it's becoming a little tedious already...

John (Austin Nichols) displays another paranormal ability whilst attempting to "bone" Kai (Keala Kennelly) in her trailer, giving her a trippy hallucination and causing pain to various characters (including Butchie and "Vietnam Joe"), after telling her to "See God, Kai". I have no idea what it means, but it's another piece of the puzzle that will hopefully slot into place. It 's also another example of John affecting his environment, as the earthquake seemed to signify when he was punched by Steady Freddy last week.

The performances are genuinely good, particularly from sun-baked Rebecca DeMornay, but most of the characters continue to be aloof. Brian Van Holt (playing gruff Mitch) is perhaps the best character at the moment, while everyone else isn't quite connecting. This may be intentional -- to try and cultivate a sense of unease in viewers, but I hope the Yost clan's dysfunction begins to soften soon.

I really want to engage with these people, but so far the characterizations are making it difficult -- particularly with grouchy Mitch and one-note Shaun (Greyson Fletcher), who's a real-life surfing whizz, but has no acting experience. He's not bad, per se. In fact, he's probably an accurate portrayal of his type, but I wish he'd show some spirit away from his surfboard.

Overall, this is the show's strongest step yet. If some of the straggling plot-lines are tightened, characters start to behave more believably, and some of the weirdness is explained (particularly room 24), then there could be hope yet...


Posthumous Review
Written: 5 July 2007
HBO

JOHN FROM CINCINNATI 1.2 - "His Visit, Day Two"

Writer: Kem Nunn
Director: Gregg Fienberg

Cast: Luke Perry (Linc Stark), Luis Guzman (Ramon Gaviota), Austin Nichols (John Monad), Willie Garson (Meyer Dickstein), Rebecca DeMornay (Cissy Yost), Matt Winston (Barry Cunningham), Greyson Fletcher (Shaun Yost), Ed O'Neill (Bill Jacks), Jim Beaver (Vietnam Joe), Keala Kennelly (Kai), Brian Van Holt (Butchie Yost), Bruce Greenwood (Mitch Yost), Dayton Callie (Steady Freddy Lopez), Garret Dillahunt (Dr. Smith), Karl Makinen (Mr. Nolan) & Emily Rose (Cass)

A drug-dealer arrives at Imperial Beach, Linc expresses an interest in sponsoring Shaun's surfing and Barry decides not to raize the motel after experiencing a vision...

It's the second episode, entitled His Visit, Day Two (which I assume refers to the eponymous John Monad's arrival), and things continue to plod along in an almost-hypnotic manner. Shaun's ambition to participate in a surfing competition becomes reality thanks to Linc Stark's offer to sponsor him. Linc (Luke Perry) appears to be just another hanger-on to the legendary Yost clan, so it's strange to see patriarch Mitch allow his sponsorship, particularly as Linc's dealings with son Butchie led to a career-ending drug addiction.

John, who we learn hails from "Cincinnati" in this episode, continues to be a surprisingly ambivalent presence. He's not very proactive in whatever "mission" he has to accomplish in the town, instead quite content to shuffle around repeating a growing collection of phrases. The fact people seem to latch onto John is interesting, as is how quickly the poodle-haired oddball has become a "family friend" of the Yost's. It's almost as if everyone can sense they need John around, for some unknown reason...

The motel subplot is the most bizarre at the moment, as I can't work out where it's going. The manager Ramon (Luis Guzman) and his lawyer Meyer (Willie Garson) are busily trying to endear themselves to new millionaire owner Barry (Matt Winston), who likes to meditate half-naked in empty rooms overlooking the ocean, whilst talking to his teddy bear.

Quite where this is all heading is anyone's guess at this stage, as becomes particularly clear after Barry experiences a frightening, unseen, vision in Room 24. It may not make much sense yet, but I'm keen to discover the answers.

His Visit, Day Two also introduces a new character; drug-dealer Steady Freddie Lopez (Deadwood's Dayton Callie), who immediately starts a fight with client Butchie, before throwing a punch at John that seems to trigger a minor earthquake! The episode culminates in a tragic moment for Shaun that's quite surprising, but not as surprising as the final scene with Bill Jack's pet Zippy -- the avian equivalent of Lazarus.

Overall, there are developments that hint at greater things, while the character's interplay fizzle with a weird tension. John From Cincinnati is a very oblique show, that tends to wander into humdrum scenes too often, but it also has a laconic sense of the bizarre that pulls you through. Just about.


Posthumous Review
Written: 18 June 2007
HBO

JOHN FROM CINCINNATI 1.1 - "His Visit, Day One"

Writers: Kem Nunn & David Milch
Director: Mark Tinker

Cast: Bruce Greenwood (Mitch Yost), Rebecca DeMornay (Cissy Yost), Keala Kennelly (Kai), Jim Beaver (Vietnam Joe), Willie Garson (Meyer Dickstein), Matt Winston (Barry Cunningham), Austin Nichols (John Monad), Brian Van Holt (Butchie Yost), Greyson Fletcher (Shaun Yost), Ed O'Neill (Bill Jacks), Luis Guzman (Ramon Gaviota), Luke Perry (Linc Stark), Emily Rose (Cass), Jon Ryckman (Security Guard) & Jeremy Howard (Gary)

A strange man called John Monad arrives on Imperial Beach, quickly endearing himself to burned-out surfer Butchie Yost, just as Butchie's father Mitch finds himself levitating...

David Milch is the brains behind gritty, foul-mouthed TV western Deadwood, and here he's teamed-up with "surf noir" author Kem Nunn, to create John From Cincinnati -- a family surfing drama with a dose of magical realism.

Bruce Greenwood plays Mitch, patriarch of the Yost family and a surfing legend whose career was cut-short by a knee injury. His own son, Butchie (Brian Van Holt), was similarly revered by the surfing community until fame led to drugs. Butchie's 13-year-old son Shaun (Greyson Fletcher), has also inherited this "surfing gene" and now wants to start competing in tournaments. Owing to Butchie's junkie lifestyle, Shaun lives with his grandparents -- Mitch and Cissy (Rebecca DeMornay.)

The Yosts are a dysfunctional bunch, with particular antagonism between Mitch and Butchie, but they remain local celebrities and are surrounded by acolytes who go weak-kneed in their presence. Put simply, they're the "Kennedy's of surfing" and similarly cursed by bad luck.

Into all their lives wanders cypher John (Austin Nichols, with an 80s poodle-cut), a dim-witted man who forms a quick bond with Butchie, who misunderstands that John wants surfing lessons. John is a weird presence, forever repeating questions back to people, shrugging "some thing I know and some things I don't", or ominously predicting "the end is near". He also seems able to produce any desired object from his trousers pockets! The arrival of John coincides with a sequence of odd events around Imperial Beach, most memorably when Mitch finds himself floating several inches above the sand after surfing one morning!

Kem Nunn and David Milch's script is difficult to get a handle on, as the Yost's aren't immediately likeable; Mitch is a proud grouch, Butchie's a junkie slacker and Cissy is prickly and overbearing. Only Shaun appeals due of his youthful innocence, but he barely utters a word.

The surrounding characters are perplexing: Bill Jacks (Ed O'Neill), a retired policeman who lives with caged birds; Linc Stark (Luke Perry), a surfing talent scout; Barry Cunningham (Matt Winston), a mentally-unstable lottery winner; Meyer Dickstein (Willie Garson), a lawyer who's arranged the sale of a flea-pit motel to Barry; and Ramon Gaviota (Luis Guzman), the current manager of said business.

As the characters are difficult to like, overtly strange, or intentionally blank, His Visit, Day One becomes an awkward experience. It also contains lots of jargon, colloquialisms and inventive swearing (a Deadwood hang-over), delivered at high-speed and volume, it just distances you from events.

It's frustrating, as the concept of a "spiritual surfing" drama is ripe with possibilities. The episode's occasional dalliance with the supernatural helps maintain interest, but I hope events gel together soon, as that doesn't happen here. By the end, you're just as lost as you were at the beginning!

John From Cincinnati wants you to invest time trying to puzzle things out for yourself. Is John a savant, alien, or angel? Why is he so interested in the Yost clan, particularly Butchie? What is the significance of the temporary dead bird? Just how do the motel owner and lawyer fit into the picture? Why does Luke Perry's talent scout character spent so much time on the periphery, acting almost as spooky as John?

The thing is, I'm a sucker for peculiar TV shows -- the kind that are waist-deep in atmosphere and bursting with metaphor. The surfing angle is a fresh vein mostly untapped by TV , the hard-boiled Yost antagonism has spark thanks to Milch's writing, the strangeness never really overshadows the human interplay, and John's character retains a bewitching Starman quality.

This isn't the best of starts, but there's definitely something to tempt you back for more. However, I have a suspicion audiences will abandon the show if things don't become more focused. After all, Twin Peaks was also weird... but its central murder investigation was a bedrock of normality audiences could hold into.


Posthumous review
Written: 11 June 2007
HBO