When web series Wonder Twins, Tina Cesa Ward and Susan Miller, reluctantly announced there would be no season four of Anyone But Me, only an extended, single-episode, series finale, I immediately thought, “How the hell will they corral in one, twenty minute episode, all that got loose in Season 3?”  The simple answer, they can’t.  This series demands and deserves another season.  But just as waging an ideologically motivated, 21st Century war on women defies logic in today’s American political system, so does the inability to procure adequate corporate sponsorship for one of the most watched, and most awarded, original series on the web.  So, it is with a bittersweet undertaking that I write my final blog entry on Anyone But Me, the Finale.

Immediately, the audience is comforted to know Vivian (Rachael Hip-Flores) and Aster (Nicole Pacent) have found their way back home and to each other.  In a perfectly funded world, I would have loved to have seen this emotional journey on screen with the lovely Dr. Glass (Liza Weil) as my subjective tour guide.  Luckily, I’m a bit of a romantic, and I take solace in the fact that this relationship can be contorted into various dimensions of theoretical geometry only to recognize what is proven…the shortest distance between two hearts is an unbroken line…and bonus, this teachable moment comes wrapped in Egyptian cotton.

(Can I just say that I am a little nostalgic for the “broke-back” blanket?  Yippee ki yay!)

I detect a distinctly adult and mature feel to this finale.  It is comforting to see these ABM characters growing up, establishing their own identities, and moving forward.  Elizabeth (Alexis Slade) has rekindled her love for the theater, Jonathon (Mitchell S. Adams) has apparently found love on his phone, and Vivian and Sophie (Jessy Hodges) share a very sentimental, lean-forward, moment about life, relationships, and how “it takes a lot of years to get over the superstar that is you”.

I remember when Aunt Jodie’s (Barbara Pitts) parenting skills had little more depth than an after-school special.  Now she is a lioness, fiercely and unapologetically protective of her pride…as her sister, Viv’s mother, attempts to prey her way back into the picture after abandoning her family years ago.  Yes, this is a drama, not a soap; I’ll defend that position vehemently.  And as with any adroit drama, there is assuredly an antagonist that will attempt to disturb the landscape…even to the very end.

Vivian is justifiably angry at this runaway source of maternal security that forced her to reverse caretaker roles at such an early age.  More so, she is afraid of what this new dynamic will do to her presently comfortable and dependable view of the world.  What will introducing this variable do to her constant?  It is my sincere hope that one day Ward and Miller will be able to tell me.

What began as a revolution of sorts in 2008, ends with a resolution.  What happened to “Vivster” in the past writes their personal story.  Though there may be a chapter or two of transformation that is difficult to get through, there is renewed commitment to the chronicle.  As Aster so comfortingly says to Vivian in her time of insecurity, “I’ll still be here…that won’t change.”  And I believe her.

Anyone with a past knows that our history, especially our history with family, certainly sets the context for our present.  And in that, I am intrigued that the title of this final episode, “We went down to Battery Park…”,  is the first line of the first episode of Season One.  From that point forward, the stage is set, right?  “Whereof what’s past is prologue.”

Here’s to new beginnings…

]]> http://mindschmootz.net/2012/03/anyone-but-me-series-finale-a-new-beginning/feed/ 6 http://mindschmootz.net/2011/10/anyone-but-me-tis-the-season-finale-of-giving/ http://mindschmootz.net/2011/10/anyone-but-me-tis-the-season-finale-of-giving/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:52:04 +0000 admin http://mindschmootz.net/?p=3457

Yes, the above picture is of my partner and me watching our favorite web drama, Anyone But Me.  The below photo is more representative of how I felt when the production team announced that the next episode would be the last and final installment of the award-winning drama.

It seems like only yesterday that a friend I was interviewing for breast cancer awareness month, suggested that I watch a coming of age web series about a post-911, New York City teenager, who takes the bullshit of societal norms by the horns, and with the help of friends and family, rides it out the best she can.  It’s no great secret that I watched the entire first season late one night curled up with my laptop and a bottomless cup of coffee.  Fully intending to watch an episode or two and come back later, I found myself clicking through one episode after another lamenting the timer as it approached that damnable, web-budget-determined, ten minute mark.  It is also no great secret what I think of the series, as frequent readers know I advocate for what I like.  For those who have not seen Anyone But Me, here are a few of my assessments, and I encourage you to check out all previous seasons (1 through 3) on their website.

Season One and Two of the drama were a gift from the production team, provided free of charge for our viewing pleasure, each a baited hook for just one more anxious bite.  However, without some kind of corporate sponsorship, or unless you are the Koch brothers, personally funding a social movement for an extended period of time is impossible.  It soon became evident that the fans would have to fish or cut bait to catch a Season 3.   And as a result, Season 3 of Anyone But Me was funded by fan donation, not subscription, and consisted of 5 episodes.  Season 4 will be a fan-financed as well, a single episode, Series Finale.

As I said above, I believe ABM is a gift, the whole package.   The box, or the foundation, is the writing, it holds the shape and contains the well-defined parameters of this character drama.  The wrapping?   That’s easy; it’s the actors.  They bring vivid color and eye-catching attention to the package.  Speaking in terms of the main characters, Rachael Hip-Flores is brilliant as Vivian.  She pulls at my heart strings, and she makes me want to be Vivian’s champion.  Conversely, she plays the character flaws with believability, so much so, that I want to scold her sometimes.  I believe that is the definition of depth.  In Aster, I see quite a bit of me at that age, and it probably explains why I’m so hard on that character at times.  Nicole Pacent plays her with an appropriate amount of white-hot, sexuality, but with an obvious and believable insecurity.  Tying all this up in a tight package, is the direction.  How these characters interact, when they interact, and where they interact is vital.  It ads to the credibility.  Combine all these elements of the whole package, and there is the gift.

Now, normally, I would consider re-gifting to be tacky and just a little bit common, but in the case of ABM and its finale, I am going to make a rare exception to my rule.   In fact, I sent my re-gifted donation toward ABM’s season finale last week.  I don’t know, maybe it was all those October Christmas trees in Home Depot that put me in the spirit, but  whatever the reason, I felt compelled to do my part to tie up the package that was Season 3, and I encourage you to do the same.  If we don’t support those who so proudly and eloquently support the community, who will?  In an age where all too often networks and corporations dance the box-step around lesbian content all the while pandering to lesbian viewers, it’s refreshing to have our experiences reflected in the loud and proud, yet subtle works of Tina Cesa Ward and Susan Miller, the creators of Anyone But Me.

At the risk of sounding a little Ecclesiastical, for everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.  For Anyone But Me, the season is four, and the time is now.  Please donate here what you can, and re-gift the gift of art.

Friends and frequent readers of this blog know that I have relatively eclectic tastes, especially in art, music, fashion…and women.  There is little wonder, then, that my diversified palate is satiated with the broad character selection that is Bestsellers, the web series.

The award-wining creative partners behind the series, Anyone But Me, Susan Miller and Tina Cesa Ward, have teamed up the wonder twin powers once again in the form of brilliant.  Sponsored by the SFN Group, Bestsellers, penned by Miller and directed by Ward, chronicles the life trials and convictions of five multi-generational women who put aside the chaos of their professional lives to meet at a weekly book discussion.  Now, if you have ever been part of women’s book club as I have, you know that very little of the book is actually discussed.  It’s no different here, thank god, as personal fact-finding takes precedence over fiction.  It is here where I, the viewer, am allowed to dog-ear the moment and immerse myself in each character:

Taylor (Natalie Kuhn): She is in the genesis of her professional life.  Like so many of us, she graduated from college wondering what the hell do I do now? Taylor bummed around for a while and found that she was pretty good at it, so she created her own travel business.  Some say there is a big personal reveal in the finale, but if you pay attention, you will see it comes much earlier in the series.  On a personal note, let me say thank you, Susan Miller, for creating a 20-something character astute enough to aptly apply the political reference to “Deep Throat” instead of the pornographic one.

Nina (Mandy Bruno): She is the over achieving, multi-multi-talking, guilt-ridden, understandably neurotic, new-mommy…blogger.  Nina is trying desperately to balance the demands of being a real housewife of Murray Hill, a new mom, and her new-found professional passion without completely losing herself.  Can it be done?  And does the 3-second rule apply to dropping an old career for a new one?

Jules (Dena Tyler): She is the pulled-up-by-her-bootstraps career coach that blows the whistle on life’s un-easy truth.  When reality after divorce was relegating her to the back of the bus, she decided to take the wheel and drive the bus instead.  Jules believes women can do it all, and she’s right.  But in doing it all with a citizen soldier client, will she compromise her professional ethics for personal satisfaction?

Abby (Catherine Curtin): She is the character that I love more and more with each episode.  It could have something to do with the fact I have lived with, and loved, this woman for years.  A driven CPA in a man’s profession breeds self-preservation in the form of a sharp, sarcastic, wit and an opinionated point of view as black and white as numbers on a page.  Don’t ask for her opinion unless you really want to hear it.

Zoe (Alice Barden): In a down-sized workplace and a corporate ideal that newer is better, women of experience are often perceived more by the grey matter ON their heads than the grey matter IN their heads.  As a result, more and more women of a certain age are forced to consider a nip, a tuck, Botox, or liposuct.  I believe it was Mark Twain that said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter.  If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”  Well, Zoe minds, damnit!  Not so much personally, but by the fact her age is getting in the way of her “next big entrepreneurial THING”.  I like Zoe, and not because she has this theater diva persona, or the fact she has great taste in shoes, it’s because she is one of those women of maturity that have moved on from the guilt, the anger, the denial, and the regret of living a full life.  Ask her about motherhood and career; she will tell you to make enough money to pay for your kids’ therapy.  You do the best you can with the tools you have, and if you screw ‘em up, well, pay to fix it.  This is the woman I want to be.

The first season of Bestsellers has (unfortunately) wrapped, but I encourage you to view the comedic drama in its entirety.  Ward’s subtle, artistic control allows the viewer a glimpse into the importance of the female support (and humbling) relationship no matter your generational moniker.  Coupled with the ageless words of Miller, the portrayal is intelligent, humorous, and honest.

I’m sold on Bestsellers, and I can’t wait for the next chapter in the saga of these five women’s lives.

Going into Season 3, Anyone But Me’s Vivian and Aster’s cooling hibernation seems to be picking up just where it left off.  I posted earlier about Rachael Hip-Flores’ incredibly adorable “Viv” Bear making an appearance at the 9th Annual “Bear To Make a Difference” charity gala to support the Matthew Shepard Foundation.  Entertainment reporter, Lisa Bearhard, tells me that Nicole Pacent’s “Aster” Bear made an earlier appearance, but not portmanteau’ed with the “Vivian” Bear.  The “Aster” Bear must have stealthily crossed the red carpet with Lohan-like paparazzi evading precision.

It doesn’t surprise me that “Aster” Bear made a command performance.  As I said before, those Anyone But Me folks unselfishly step up for the community when asked.  However, team “Vivster” fans came to a grizzly realization that the drama of Season two still has the fur flying.  Rumor has it that the Hip-Flor version was seen setting up residence at Build-a-Bear with a certain Sophie, and Nicole’s playful addition was spotted with an androgynous female Teddy from Vermont. What does this mean?  Well, it looks like the ABM production team of Miller and Ward have written a soon to shoot, too-short, story of the two bears and a next-door Goldilocks that might be too hot to be just right.

Even the House-bears of DC were showing a bit of solidarity at an event promoting the Foundation’s Small Bear Big Dreams Project that teaches the values of respect for all people and acceptance of individual differences.  So perhaps there is hope for a “Vivster” reunion as there is reported cell phone footage of the “Midler” Bear joking with Sophie.  I guess we will just have to ponder on that one for awhile as we wait for Season 3 of ABM, a highly anticipated fan-supported adventure of three episodes.

Championing the differences of bears everywhere, the Matthew Shepard Foundation as well as the web series, Anyone But Me, celebrate the non-stereotypical diversity of those who live and love from polar to panda, black to brown, and Kodiak to koala.  I would like to thank everyone at ABM for taking the time to give back, especially Rachael Hip-Flores and Nicole Pacent.  Your unselfish willingness to participate in this fund raising event did not go unnoticed…or un-purchased.  One, two, three hundred?  Four hundred?  Five?  It’s hard to put a dollar amount on the priceless nature of charity.

Thank you, Rachael and Nicole!

The biggest obstacle for the web series is obvious…money.  Budget becomes a four letter word of limitation.  Production teams are forced to redirect their creative side from scripts, sets, and location, to the grim task of spinning the corporate short-straw into sponsorship fools’ gold.  As a result, web series creators are faced with the reluctant task of asking the fans to fund the next season of episodes.  A subscription based approach is no easy task in the present economy, and it’s a decision in consideration of the fans not taken lightly.

It comes as no great surprise that the creative minds of the award-winning web series, Anyone But Me, have decided to think outside of the subscription box when soliciting a fan’s financial contribution.  In the historical vein of raising money for worthwhile causes such as public television, Susan Miller and Tina Cesa Ward have produced a three segment web-a-thon to air in half hour segments on July 27, 28, and 29.  The “thon”, as it is known socially, is hosted by the quick wit and well honed solicitation skills of entertainment reporter, Lisa Bernhard.  Fans will be involved by highest bidder in an Anyone But Me public proffering of ABM perks and swag.  Rest assured, there will be other ample opportunities during the three-day-thon to imbue the web series with whatever collateral comes to mind.

As a fan of the show, I have been ruminating over the items up for eBay auction that would convince me to part with my hard earned cash.  A walk-on role is a dream for anyone, but me, for frequent readers of my blog know that I am not one to take direction easily.  A seat at the table of a pre-production read-through would be nice, but I would be tempted to ask too many questions, and Susan Miller would eventually throw me out quicker than labor at a seat at Walmart’s table.  A personal call from the stars?  Not to seem like one of advantage, but that’s part of the job here.  Vivian’s “lezbian” t-shirt?  Nah, I heard that Chely Wright will be selling those on QVC soon.

Other than one particular ABM prop that interests me, but my better three-quarters keeps saying “no” because vintage “home on the range” doesn’t round-up well with our Asian influence decor, I’m having a difficult time deciding my take.  I will say that if there is a fantasy camp item, I’m interested.  Just as baseball enthusiasts pay the big bucks for an opportunity to take to the diamond engaged with the boys of summer, I would find it a priceless endeavor to share a bottle of wine (or two) with the big league dream team of Miller and Ward.  I promise not to spit and scratch…much.  I want to know the commitment required to be a great writer and the necessary vision to be a master of the subtle direction.  I want to know your passion, your pet peeves, and yes, a personal plot device here and there.  And ladies, I’m not beyond a little snarky gossip, either.

So, as one good web-based portmanteau deserves another, I plan to log on to Vivster’s web-a-thon beginning on July 27th.  As I think about it, this pre-produced format for pledges is more like buying stock in a company.  By voluntarily purchasing whatever amount of “shares” I am able, I cumulatively provide the sustainable capital that enables the creative process to continue…for all of us to enjoy.  And my expected dividend?  Simple, the incalculable wealth of uncensored drama and entertainment.  It’s a capital gain.

Curtain Up supposedly finalizes Season 2 of the web series, Anyone But Me, but I perceive the main title as a Miller-ism, an aptly, writer-applied, stage name signaling the real show is about to begin…for the actors and the audience.  And here it comes.  The observations in this last episode are not definitively declarative statements, but open-ended assertions punctuated by a question mark.

Foreshadowed from the season’s premiere episode, relationships begin to rock and unravel either through happenstance or misinterpretation.  Archibald (Joshua Holland), undercover school narc, has to decide if he can live without Elizabeth (Alexis Slade) and her perceived drug habit.  A habit had he been better at his principal-induced profession, would have revealed a monthly trip to Walgreen’s and a happy-pill prescription from Elizabeth’s therapist.  (Hopefully, the shrink is Dr. Glass (Liza Weil), and Season 3 will provide an ABM diva volume discount.)  Could this incident provide some insight as to why Arch would become a rat in the first place?  Paternal feelings for the principal?  Painful pill popping past?  Curtain Up on Archibald’s family, and let’s discover the hidden genes that help configure those designer jeans.

Can Sterns (Garett Ross) be the queer kryptonite for the Sapphic half of the high school comic-writing super team?  Even though Vivian made it graphically clear her sexual preference in dynamic duo, the poor boy vows to continue his quest.  Curtain Up on the Jonathan (Mitchell Adams)/Sterns bromance.  Is there a lez-beau in their future, or will that broke-back blanket on Aunt Jodie’s (Barbara Pitts) couch get more coverage?

Earlier on, in the fantasy/fear episode, Aster (Nicole Pacent) pronounces to perceived romantic rival, Sophie (Jessy Hodges), that she doesn’t like to share, thus raising more than a realistic, non-Botoxed, eyebrow or two.  At that point I saw the writing on the bathroom wall, the infamous pink triangle.  One part bi-curious childhood friend, one part confused-feelings lesbian, and one part relationship-cynical, impetuous lover in therapy.  (By the way, anyone who didn’t know that Dr. Glass was a lesbian, considering her knowledge and use of the Mag flashlight, should have their card carrying, Home Depot sidewalk sale privileges revoked.)  From the date night reveal of the androgynous other woman (Amy Jackson Lewis) to the impetus behind Vivian’s coming out to Aunt Jodie, Sophie has been angling in between the somewhat obtuse Vivian (Rachael Hip-Flores) and the acutely aware Aster.

There were subtle and delicate little hints that something big was coming…like “the shit is hitting the fan”, “when I saw the last scene, my jaw just dropped”, and “mind-blowing ending”.   Hmm.  Being an avid follower of recent lesbian storylines, there was only one outcome I could deduce…one of them is pregnant.  Oh, wait, that was another one.  No, BIG DRAMA IS COMING.  I have to admit, in my late-night, post ABM Tuesday Skype sessions with friends, my imaginatively dramatic journey eased on down a more carnal road, but the end result is the same.  I have praised director, Tina Cesa Ward on her subtlety, but not this time.  Not that I’m not giving praise; this time it is not subtle.  Each moment of Vivian and Sophie’s dressed rehearsal of unrequited exploration is telegraphed and constructed.  From the star-crossed recruitment for stand-in theatrical lovers, to the peer-laden audience taunting their reluctant stage direction, this passion play is set.  Curtain Up on the Viv/Soph post-kiss emotional fallout second only to the pithos of Pandora.

I have read comments that state there is no way that Aster would sit there and play along with this theatrical farce.  I have to admit, had it been me, I would have overturned the table, vaulted the stage, and launched a verbal attack that would have straightened Sophie’s hair.  But alas, Aster is NOT me, and had it been, the series would have ended right there, and would have been entitled Curtain Call.  Aster sits there, denying her insecurities, wanting to deem this as make-believe before her, until the play within the play hits it’s climax.   Remember, relationships never last.

It doesn’t require Dr. Glass’ high beam to see that Aster’s psychological struggle between the conflicting demands of love, honor, and commitment, is not going to take her down the cathartic high road.  She impulsively ditches her hurt on the fly and the androgynous arms of convenience while Vivian watches, injured and suffering.

Et tu, Aster.  Then fall, Vivster!

Curtain Up on the face of betrayal and season three of Anyone But Me.

What is in a name?  That which we call a friend by any other name would still be as sweet, right?  Perhaps.  Perhaps not if you are the aunt of a teenager who just informed you that the vintage cowboy comforter on your couch is really the broke back blanket of a little more than convivial girl on girl talk.

Yes, last night was my personally anticipated Vivian-comes-out-to-Aunt-Jodie episode of the web series, Anyone But Me.  For months, I have speculated the culmination of this event, and I have to say that I was not disappointed in the portrayal.  As a quasi-parental Polonius of sorts, Aunt Jodie’s humorous “when I was your age” musings are comic relief to weighty times.  Though humor is again used to cut the obvious tension of the reveal, this time the blade is brandished with a much more subtle edge.  At the forefront, Barbara Pitts delivers a believable, legitimate, and honest performance of hurt, embarrassment, and anger at the perceived lack of familial trust.

The tragic reveal actually occurs as Vivian, in her exuberance to proclaim to Aster her long overdue profile in coming-out courage, admits that the impetus behind her bravery was not her girlfriend’s long-time pleas for truth and honesty, but seemingly-Sapphic Sophie’s recent ridicule of the hypocrisy beneath Viv’s own personal version of comic relief.  Hurt, embarrassment, and anger are the transparent building blocks of the invisible wall Aster is constructing.  Emotional, non-therapeutic graffiti is scrawled across the facade, “Relationships never last.”

Frailty, thy name is Vivster…

Bravo.  Bring on the next act.

I am a big fan of the web series, Anyone But Me, but I’m oscillating.  Rumor has it that I will be impacted by the final plot twists of this season.  I watched Episode 7, Date Night, and I have to confess, I am spinning.   I’m not just blowing hot air when I say that I believe Vivian and Aster are about to enter a gale of relationship turmoil. 

"Cool T-Shirt Girl"

At least Archibald and Elisabeth seem to be a refreshing breeze, but an ill wind has blown in in the form of the “cool t-shirt girl” from Episode 1.  Feeling a certain kinship, I’ve always had the suspicion that Sophie ran on AC/DC, but I have to admit, my switch was thrown when she showed up on double Date Night with the female power source.   Vivian is visibly shaken by Sophie’s choice of box type and confesses to Aster that her childhood chum used to get her motor running.

This drama blows.  I knew it!  I am propelled into a state of unbalance as the blood begins to boil in my vanes.  What is a super fan to do?  The look on Aster’s face keeps going round and round and round in my mind.  Someone pull the plug!  It’s no use, I’m a dry cell.  I can’t bear to look, but I can’t stop watching and thinking about the possibilities…and then it hits me.

Oh, shit.

Episode 2 – Schmootzcast with Rachael Hip-Flores

Mindschmootz’s Podcast

Thanks to Jeryl for our Schmootzcast intro music “Stay Away From You” from her Radio Friendly CD . Check out all of Jeryl’s music on her MySpace page.

If Season One of the webseries, Anyone But Me, was about scratching off the veneer of its cast of emotionally maturing characters, then Season Two is about getting at the exposed grain of the would-be friends.  The series’ sophomore season begins by placing in proximity the fantasy of life, liberty and the lawful pursuit of personal happiness against the fears of personal discovery, identity, and rejection.  Though experienced through the eyes of characters in a coming of age atmosphere, I can relate, as these are ageless misgivings with a personal familiarity blind to simple chronology.

The relationship of the lead characters, Vivian (Rachael Hip-Flores) and Aster (Nicole Pacent), conjures up reminiscent feelings of young love.  I don’t mean in a juvenile or adolescent sense, but love in its infancy.   You know, that newborn, unspoiled, first-breath-of-her, kind of love.  It’s passionate, libidinous, and sultry…and it’s vulnerable.  Doubt and distrust are tied to Aster’s familial history of relationships.  When she is directed to therapy to assess her feelings regarding her parent’s separation, insight into her personal insecurities are revealed.   When referring to her girlfriend, Aster tells her refreshingly irreverent therapist (Liza Weil), “I wish we were already past this age.”  Pregnant pause.  Aster naively feels that once she and Vivian graduate from the social viruses invading the body of their affection, they will be safe.  The therapist (and I, the viewer) know that the young lover will learn time is not a vaccine that provides immunity from the emotional ills of the world. The required antibodies are unfortunately created only by the inevitable exposure to the human element.

Vivian is hesitant to reveal to her Aunt Jodie (Barbara Pitts) the true nature of her after-school specials with Aster.  Aster is very comfortable with her sexuality and public displays of affection, but Vivian is concerned about the suburban reaction to her rainbow connection.  After all, this is no longer Manhattan, Dorothy.  Childhood gal pal, Sophie (Jessy Hodges), creates a cyclone of sexual tension when she rejects Jonathan (Mitchell Adams) as her choice and happens upon Vivian kissing Aster.  She uncomfortably begins to question Vivian about her sexuality and accuses her old friend of secrecy.  We find that the chaste Soph has sexual silences of her own, and quite frankly, the young lady doth protest too much, methinks, creating an observationally obtuse triangle…to at least one of the sides.

Archibald (Joshua Holland), the male half of the “fierce lesbian journalist/black dude with super drawing powers” wonder-twins, is forced to become the school snitch as punishment for drawing a comic panel depicting a potential sexual encounter with acting girlfriend, Elizabeth (Alexis Slade).  This is the only part of the storyline that I don’t necessarily accept.  A narc, over a comic panel?  Considering my high school past, I would have been forced to become a DEA agent!  Perhaps that is merely as much motivation as it takes in Westchester, but I would like to see something a little more ominous, perhaps the over-dose death of a student or friend, as impetus behind Archibald’s difficult decision to betray his loyalties and rat out his contemporaries.

As a testament to the production and writing team of Tina Cesa Ward and Susan Miller,  the questions that I have about the second half of the season are more about what will happen next, and less about the lack of character development or vast holes in the storyline.  These are the points I ponder with friends around the table at Club M.  What will be Jodie’s reaction to Vivian’s reveal?  Please let there be humor involved as I can relate to Jodie’s comedic coping mechanisms to the stresses of life.  Will Vivian’s dad (Dan Via) ever get another pole dance?  Will we know the “not so right” identity of the person who plucked the cherry from Sophie’s virginal tree?  And does the fact that Vivian is the only character using a masculine pronoun mean anything?  What will Aster do about the triangle, and will it be right?  Can’t the episodes be any longer?  I curse the countdown clock of those less than ten minute episodes.  Hell, just wrap Vivian and Aster back up in that vintage broke-back blanket from episode six, give them free range, and let ‘em drive it home.  After all, this isn’t their first rodeo.  Yeah, yeah, it’s all about the content, right?  Right.

This is a wonderfully produced and well written drama that captures my attention, peaks my curiosity, and stimulates my imagination.  I’m not left with a sense of huh?, what?, but a sense of hmmmm.  What more could I ask of Anyone But Me than to vivify my viewing experience?