There's Great TV To Watch As Well

 Two Very Special, Very Different Comedies

I’ve been watching a lot of old movies and TV shows for a while now, so catching not one, but TWO new series is a break from my pattern. Both of them wrapped up their latest seasons, and I wanted to give a nod to each.

Only Murders In The Building is fun and silly murder mystery. Three strangers living in the same classic New York apartment complex become friends over a shared love of murder mystery podcasts. Two are Boomers with backgrounds in acting. Charles (Steve Martin) is living on his faded reputation as a television detective, while Oliver (Martin Short) is a Broadway director who hasn’t sniffed a hit in years. The third member of the unlikely trio of detectives is Mabel (Selena Gomez) is a Gen Z artist who grew up at the Arconia, and is now living in her late aunt’s apartment. Gomez has gotten some criticism for her low energy acting, but it’s a necessary ingredient when matched with the high energy style of her two co-stars. She’s reclusive, so her social interactions are awkward, but they get better as the show goes on. Nice to see a show trying for a little subtlety for a change.

The dynamic here is cool too. There’s an inter-generational conflict aspect that they play nicely. But that’s the part that attracts me the most. They play nice. Charles and Oliver are classic grumpy old men, Baby Boomers who cling to their pasts and memories even as those things are crumbling to dust. Mabel is frustrated and annoyed with these old coots, but grows to appreciate the hearts behind the crust. They inspire her to come out of her shell more and she gives them a cultural pied-à-terre for them to explore something other than “the good old days”. The journey for all three is charming and warm. None of them know anything about murders, mysteries or how to solve them. That doesn’t slow them down at all. Together they stumble their way through the thickets of the police investigations (Da’Vine Joy Randolph as the foul-mouthed police detective who is their official foil is brilliant!), their egos, issues, and the impact of their sudden fame.

I loved Season One, thought Season Two was OK, and was a little worried about Season Three in the first couple episodes. Their apartment complex, The Arconia, is a substantial character in its own right in both of the first two seasons. Season Three moves mostly away from the building to the theater, where Oliver is trying to find the magic with a bizarre and hysterical musical. The last five episodes, starting with “Ghost Light” are some of the best television I’ve seen in a long time. The mystery twists and turns, their friendship is bent and then restored, each of them learns something about themselves. I loved this series. Add in an all-star (and I mean all STAR) list of guest stars and there’s almost too much fun going on here. Nathan Lane and Tina Fey lead off in the first two seasons, and then Meryl Streep just crushes it in season three. I do not know how they will top this.

And they’ll have to since it’s been renewed for a fourth season!

Speaking of the best television I’ve seen in many a long year, there’s “Reservation Dogs”.

Holy crap, this is good!

The sad news is that there will be no fourth season for this astounding look at life for a group of teens on an Oklahoma reservation. Beyond the virtuoso performances of the cast, Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi created some history here. All the writers and directors are all indigenous people, and the vast majority of the cast is too. The show was shot entirely on location in Oklahoma, for another first. So, this isn’t some white interpretation of life on the Rez. The story is carried mostly on the shoulders of four young actors, Paulina Alexis, Devery Jacobs, Lane Factor, and D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai. Their characters, Willie Jack, Elora, “Cheese”, and Bear, are trying to find their way after the death of the charismatic center of their group, Willie Jack’s cousin, Daniel. Bear feels like he should be the leader now. Cheese is the heart of the group, Willie Jack the spiritual center, and Elora is the level-headed brains of them all. Together, they explore what it means to be a Native American, a teenager, and a member of both a nuclear and extended family. The show feels almost surreal in style at times, but it’s balanced by profound examinations of the people in the stories, and the stories of the United States’ relationship with its indigenous population. Once again, the final episodes of Season Three were masterclasses in storytelling and television.

What I liked here was the vulnerability of the characters. While the four young people have their own level of confidence, they are the polished, wise cracking cliché television teenagers. Death has come into their lives personally at a young age. They are surrounded by adults with the same strengths and weaknesses as they do. Bear’s mom, Rita, is a smart, hardworking single mom with dreams for herself and Bear. Big is the local police officer whose name belies his size, but not his heart. Uncle Brownie is a local legend of the previous generation, now living as a near hermit. Bear is visited by a spirit, William “Spirit” Knifeman, who claims to have been at Little Big Horn. There’s layer after layer of family and tribal relations that cocoon these young people, even if they don’t realize it. Everyone, young and old, is looking for the community they need. It’s a community that has changed from the one the older generation remembers, and it’s one that is still changing as the younger generation finds their place in it. Both are unsure at times, both discover that they have much to offer that community, and to learn from one another.

When I try to decide who is my favorite character, I realize it’s a lost cause. I admire all of them. Elora’s search for stability, Bear’s desire to be something beyond, Cheese’s heart for everyone, and Willie Jack’s discovery of the spirit of care for her extended family. Big is Barney Fife and Andy Taylor all at once, and William Knifeman still struggles with who he is as he walks with Bear. Deer Lady (an amazing performance by Kaniehtiio Horn) follows her own dark path, forcing the rest of us to face a brutal chapter of our national history. Bucky, and Fixico, and Bev, and Teeni, even Kenny Boy. I could just list the entire cast. Every single one of them is amazing here. The final episode offered a perfect conclusion, a closing of the circle. I felt like they would all be all right. And that’s the way it should be.

The dialogue is rough on a regular basis.  This is no fairy tale version of life.  The trailer below will give you an idea.  You have been warned.  Watch it anyway.  It’s that good.

Both shows are listed as comedies. I’d differentiate that Murders is a funny show with serious moments while Rez Dogs is a serious show with funny moments. I would gladly watch much more television of this quality.

Rating(s) – **** Recommended (for both)

 Reservation Dogs Season 1 Trailer