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.
In 2012, Mark and Jay Duplass were everywhere having appeared in or created countless movies ranging from Jeff Who Lives at Home, Safety Not Guaranteed and Zero Dark Thirty to TV series The League. While they haven't slowed down, their presence has yet to reach that high of an echelon since. With 2015 just starting, it is an interesting time to ask if the indie auteurs who have become more accessible than the likes of Swanberg or Bujalski are a warranted force for HBO. Speaking as the channel already features contemporary indie-centric shows Girls and Looking, to which they are added to that block of programming on Sunday nights, there's plenty more of the same from the Duplass brothers to find in Togetherness.
The one thing that separates them from their counterparts is that despite tackling very mundane and low budgeted concepts, they actually have charisma and talent. They seem to put effort and subtext into their stories that actually mean something. In fact, this premise of an aging couple that includes a down on their luck relative and a friend who is broke feels like the cliche set-up for a sitcom back in the 90's. However, the Duplass nature is to go dry and honest with the results unveiling themselves in the premiere episode with plenty of insight and cleverness.
Togetherness, much like the other HBO shows, has very little consequence in regards to plot. In fact, there's not much in any of them. They are more thematic growths over the course of many seasons that feature more of personal interaction than personal triumphs. Still, in the world of Duplass, it works because the chemistry between Mark and his co-stars is rather excellent and gets to a deeper problem that made Married a somewhat problematic show last year. Where the FX series felt rooted in exploiting taboo subjects about aging marriage, this one chooses to let them play their course. Maybe wacky hi-jinks will be involved, who knows.
However, the charm of the show is that it feels oddly relevant to the Looking and Girls shows that surround it. If anything, it serves as a warning of having problems later in life. True, Mark is only on the cusp of 40 in real life, but there's a lot of untapped potential for aging comedians that differs from the youthful exploits of the two returning shows. They aren't as wrapped up with parties. They have families now and must deal with the awkward situations of catching your wife masturbating alone and the frivolous exploits of your desperate sisters. There's a maturity to the comedy that makes it all the more engaging and relative.
While there isn't a lot that's necessarily spectacular about the first episode, it does manage to feel like a worthwhile HBO show. Where the channel's dramas feature exhaustively huge casts and confusing plots, their comedies are more central and aimless. True, there will be a breaking point to the appeal of these series and the slacker mantra that defines current Sunday nights will fall off. But for now, it is great to see comedy auteurs tackling subjects in engaging ways. Of course, that just means sitting around and telling jokes. Thankfully, they are endearing and Togetherness appeals to those wanting a 40-year-old take on life: an age that feels greatly ignored.
Of course, it could just be that I am too badgered with Duplass material at this point to notice their flaws. He seems to consistently play that same type of guy and it has yet to wear on me entirely. For some, the idea of an aimless protagonist couple isn't that great. However, considering that their meandering is more focused and artful than Swanberg or Bujalski, I will have to give them credit. They took their indie sensibilities and turned them into a formula that produces some of the most human moments in pop culture right now. I can only hope that the series continues to do so over the course of its eight episode run.
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