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| Left to right: Jake Swift and Tom Bennett |
Every Thursday, join us as we join Chris O'Dowd in the Christopher Guest show Family Tree as he discovers just how bizarre his family can get. With the king of mockumentaries finally entering the TV world, we all must wonder how he'll manage to adapt to a universe that has been getting rich off his influence for over a decade. Still, is Guest's introduction to the TV universe one worthy of excitement? Follow us every week as we look at the HBO show and recount the highs and lows, including favorite family members, Monkey's best moments, and if Guest is really the best.
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| Chris O'Dowd |
Plot: Upon rummaging through an old box, Tom (Chris O'Dowd) discovers that his grandfather William may have been a boxer in the 1948 Olympics. Bea (Nina Conti) and Monkey also begin looking for work as performers, though with a fair share of rude jokes to lower their chances.
Family Member of the Week: William Chadwick
In all honesty, it is hard to come back-to-back with anyone that was as bizarre as Harry Chadwick, who took two whole episodes to reveal who he really was. However, William is a decent enough fellow, having been a boxer. Still, there is nothing too out of the ordinary for him, as his only real twist is that he is from Maryland in the United States. This may help to link the show to the second half, which is reportedly taking place in America, but for now, it is not quite as satisfying as the search for Harry's identity.
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| Nina Conti |
Monkey Moment: If this episode had one highlight, it was that there was an excessive amount of moments between Bea and Monkey. In fact, the opening scene alone is them getting shot down for a job because their act is too vile. However, the best of these scenes came in the final act in which they perform their first gig at a Greek wedding. During this ceremony, they begin insulting religious practices and global politics. It is brief and nobody seems to be laughing, especially when Monkey calls the bride a stripper. It is awkward and most of all, I have trouble believing that anyone in the audience spoke English. That alone is the brilliance to that scene.
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| Barbara Bolton |
There was another relative covered during this episode that lead to the eventual discussion of William. Victoria was a woman who hung out quite a bit with Mildred: a woman who collected naked paintings of women. The two of them hung out quite frequently and there is never discussion on whether they were gay. However, it is heavily implied, if just by the way that their relationship is discussed. Still, Mildred's shining moment is when she decides to unleash Victoria's husband William's stuff onto Tom, which includes a jockstrap and a shot put. She is an odd little character, but one of the nice subtle nuances that the show has developed.
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| Left to right: Gerard Horan and Meera Syal |
I am beginning to think that my understanding of fitting in fake TV shows into every episode is not for diversity, but to make a select few to rehash. There isn't any problem with that, though it would make this particular section a little moot. This was the only fake show in the episode, and it wasn't particularly funny. However, listening to Keith (Michael McKean) discuss why it was funny is probably the whole point. There is a culture clash that is so absurd that it is funny. Other than that, I just hope we get a better selection in the next episode.
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5
It is hard to top the Harry Chadwick story of the first two episodes. In fact, William being an American boxer is not particularly thrilling, but does allow for the characters to let loose. Pete (Tom Bennett) has a funny scene in which he boxes a kid (Jake Swift) while wearing a Rastafarian hat. We also get some personal time with Bea and Monkey, which leads to some great laughs. However, the real moment of the episode is when they decide to stroll around a really heavy shot put given to them by Mildred. It makes sense and fits into the Christopher Guest model. However, the episode as a whole suffers from a lack of interesting premise and relies more on gags and comedy. Still, an interesting touch to the mockumentary format was introduced this week. At varying points, without explanation, we get pictures of things that flash on the screen as opposed to being presented by the actors. While this isn't that groundbreaking, it feels like Guest finally did something different to the mockumentary landscape, which makes me hope that he has more in store.
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