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| Scene from Flesh and Bone |
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
It has never been easy to be Starz. The premium movie channel has always suffered with the feeling of being the least appetizing option on the dial compared to HBO, Showtime, and most recently with Cinemax stepping up their game with the masterful The Knick (don't fret. Starz is getting their own Steven Soderbergh show next year with The Girlfriend Experience). However, it feels like the tide is changing as the network has begun to pick up buzz worthy shows, including the Golden Globe-nominated The Missing as well as Blunt Talk and last week's Ash vs. Evil Dead. Still, there hasn't been that one show that makes Starz a worthwhile counter option, even worthy of subscribing to the network outside of bundle deals.
That's what makes Flesh and Bone a compelling new option. It comes from Breaking Bad producer and writer Moira Walley-Beckett, who has written such series highs as "Fly," "Gliding Over All," and "Ozymandias" - the final of which is among the highest rated TV episodes on IMDb. Speaking as the show has wrapped and everyone has gone onto other projects, it's interesting to see what Walley-Beckett's next step would be as she tackles the world of ballet. With Enlightened director David Michod collaborating on the pilot, the payoff seems to be a strange, dark departure from Breaking Bad. Where the AMC series had a hint of humor, the first episode plays mostly as a dark and bleak portrait, establishing a seedy underbelly that involves a lot more depressing uses of sexuality than you'd expect.
The protagonist is Claire (Sarah Hay), a woman who runs away from home to join a prestigious ballet company. She becomes a wunderkind of sorts, immediately impressing the judges despite a few awkward setbacks. As much as the show is about ballet, there's very little of it in the first episode, or at least moments that stand out as such. The character of Claire seems to be used mostly to thrust us into everyone else's dark lifestyle. There's no less than three softcore sex scenes (one of which features the homosexual ballet teacher), and a supporting character is a stripper that dances to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. By comparison, the lengthy conversation about menstruation cycles that take place in a locker room full of women in various states of dress seems quaint.
It does help to set up what the show seems to want to be. As much as ballet is the crux, the series' name Flesh and Bone feels more like a nod to the human body; in this case, the women who sacrifice their bodies for art, letting any possible chance for success present themselves. This isn't Bunheads. There's not really any happy moment in the 65 minute premiere. It's not even as campy as Black Swan could be - though it rivals for overt sexuality at times. As Karen O covers "Obsession" over the opening credits, there's a sense of desire to be the best. The complementing images are more horrific; drawn from elegant body horror. If there's any mistaking this as an upbeat show, you'll quickly be reassured that it isn't. It's about body image in its most juvenile of forms: movement.
Is this necessarily a bad thing? In the hands of capable writers, it can be masterful. Considering that the series is only eight episodes, it will hopefully tell a complete narrative that picks up the pace from its premiere. The show, much like Breaking Bad, feels like it intends to be grounded in a specific realism that itself makes it captivating. For what it's worth, the ballet dancing is authentic; largely thanks to the series doing a nationwide casting call that resulted in every performer being an actual dancer. There hasn't been a lot to show the power that the dance will have throughout the series, but it definitely makes it something worthy of anticipation.
A general issue with the episode is that there's not a lot of standout performances. While it could just be the fault of being an introduction episode, it creates potential conflict for its cast. Are the dancers capable of delivering convincing, dramatic performances that elevate their dark material? As much as authenticity is important, there's a certain necessity for charismatic acting to make the material feel richer. It is probably the biggest disconnect in atmosphere for the series. As much as Flesh and Bone has had striking moments, they've been more visual than performance based. Hay isn't a terrible actress, but one can only hope that she manages to do more than play the awkward and out of place ballerina in subsequent episdoes.
The series definitely is a little rough and uncomfortable to get through at points. The overt sexuality is initially jarring and, when paired with the dark tone, makes it one of the more challenging shows to come out of the Fall TV season. If nothing else, it likely won't be the breakout hit for Starz that Breaking Bad was for AMC. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Ash vs. Evil Dead may end up taking that thunder. Even then, it's nice to know that there's TV that challenges the audience with something more bleak and daring in subject matter. The only question now is if it will stall here or bring us something far more exciting and compelling. I really hope for the latter.
That's what makes Flesh and Bone a compelling new option. It comes from Breaking Bad producer and writer Moira Walley-Beckett, who has written such series highs as "Fly," "Gliding Over All," and "Ozymandias" - the final of which is among the highest rated TV episodes on IMDb. Speaking as the show has wrapped and everyone has gone onto other projects, it's interesting to see what Walley-Beckett's next step would be as she tackles the world of ballet. With Enlightened director David Michod collaborating on the pilot, the payoff seems to be a strange, dark departure from Breaking Bad. Where the AMC series had a hint of humor, the first episode plays mostly as a dark and bleak portrait, establishing a seedy underbelly that involves a lot more depressing uses of sexuality than you'd expect.
The protagonist is Claire (Sarah Hay), a woman who runs away from home to join a prestigious ballet company. She becomes a wunderkind of sorts, immediately impressing the judges despite a few awkward setbacks. As much as the show is about ballet, there's very little of it in the first episode, or at least moments that stand out as such. The character of Claire seems to be used mostly to thrust us into everyone else's dark lifestyle. There's no less than three softcore sex scenes (one of which features the homosexual ballet teacher), and a supporting character is a stripper that dances to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. By comparison, the lengthy conversation about menstruation cycles that take place in a locker room full of women in various states of dress seems quaint.
It does help to set up what the show seems to want to be. As much as ballet is the crux, the series' name Flesh and Bone feels more like a nod to the human body; in this case, the women who sacrifice their bodies for art, letting any possible chance for success present themselves. This isn't Bunheads. There's not really any happy moment in the 65 minute premiere. It's not even as campy as Black Swan could be - though it rivals for overt sexuality at times. As Karen O covers "Obsession" over the opening credits, there's a sense of desire to be the best. The complementing images are more horrific; drawn from elegant body horror. If there's any mistaking this as an upbeat show, you'll quickly be reassured that it isn't. It's about body image in its most juvenile of forms: movement.
Is this necessarily a bad thing? In the hands of capable writers, it can be masterful. Considering that the series is only eight episodes, it will hopefully tell a complete narrative that picks up the pace from its premiere. The show, much like Breaking Bad, feels like it intends to be grounded in a specific realism that itself makes it captivating. For what it's worth, the ballet dancing is authentic; largely thanks to the series doing a nationwide casting call that resulted in every performer being an actual dancer. There hasn't been a lot to show the power that the dance will have throughout the series, but it definitely makes it something worthy of anticipation.
A general issue with the episode is that there's not a lot of standout performances. While it could just be the fault of being an introduction episode, it creates potential conflict for its cast. Are the dancers capable of delivering convincing, dramatic performances that elevate their dark material? As much as authenticity is important, there's a certain necessity for charismatic acting to make the material feel richer. It is probably the biggest disconnect in atmosphere for the series. As much as Flesh and Bone has had striking moments, they've been more visual than performance based. Hay isn't a terrible actress, but one can only hope that she manages to do more than play the awkward and out of place ballerina in subsequent episdoes.
The series definitely is a little rough and uncomfortable to get through at points. The overt sexuality is initially jarring and, when paired with the dark tone, makes it one of the more challenging shows to come out of the Fall TV season. If nothing else, it likely won't be the breakout hit for Starz that Breaking Bad was for AMC. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Ash vs. Evil Dead may end up taking that thunder. Even then, it's nice to know that there's TV that challenges the audience with something more bleak and daring in subject matter. The only question now is if it will stall here or bring us something far more exciting and compelling. I really hope for the latter.
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