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| Chris O'Dowd |
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.
Plot: Tom (Chris O'Dowd) makes it to America where he stays with Al (Ed Begley Jr.) and meets his American relatives, who are even more eccentric than the British counterpoints.
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| Ed Begley Jr. |
It was a tough call this week, but Al won out in the end for a distinct scene in which he accuses a relative of shooting Abraham Lincoln and then moving to Europe. His theory on him moving two days after the assassination gives us some insight to his ill informed lifestyle and why he may be the kookiest relative yet. Otherwise, he seems like a nice guy who means the best, but is not socially aware of certain cues. This episode manages to cover a lot of American cultural differences through awkward crassness. While Mike (Fred Willard) wins the overall prize, Al is the family member who I'm looking forward to the most in the American half of the season.
Monkey Moment: I was wondering how they were going to fit Bea (Nina Conti) and Monkey into this episode, especially as even Pete (Tom Bennett) is still in England. The brilliant decision to do it through a computer call is where the show gets most clever. Apparently Bea is asleep and Monkey is just trying to talk about life. Apparently Bea got fired from the bank and Monkey was there. Not much else needs to be said other than that the show deserves points for finding a way to have a Bea-free episode without losing Nina Conti entirely. Even the subtle movements and way that the camera distorts Monkey's image is kind of brilliant.
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| Fred Willard |
The second that Fred Willard showed up on screen, I cheered. This Christopher Guest regular is always guaranteed to raise a smile. In this particular case, he is the awkward neighbor who introduces himself with racist gestures such as giving Tom a tooth brush. He also butts into the Chadwick house without any invitation and even joins Tom in a hot tub naked. If anyone is oblivious to social cues, it is Michael. Even when he is trying to be modest by not saying fuck, he makes a comment about not saying the word out loud. He is a delightful character and while I worry that his appearance will wear thin, I kind of hope that this leads to other interesting American characters.
Best in Fake Show: None
Maybe it was just the fact that the episode had a lot of introductions to get out of the way, but there was no fake show this week. If this remains a habit, I will unfortunately have to drop the section and replace it with something else.
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| Christopher Guest |
If you were worried that the British half was too dry, please give the American half a try. Maybe it is the very idea that most of the Guest troupe is starting to show up in great bit roles, but I found this to be easily the best episode of the season. From the brilliant conversation about Lincoln to the introduction of Christopher Guest the actor as Dave, who is as oddball as we'd expect, this episode is just a great observation of parallels between American and British culture. The writing is even so good that an enema joke about an anal milkshake manages to fit into this universe without feeling crass. There's even more subtle nuances here, and I cannot wait to see where this portion of the series goes. At very least, it leaves me wishing that this show had 100 episodes already. Guest's ability to create characters of great awkwardness is on full display here, and I love it all the more for it.
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