Oh, Canada!  Why is it that I find myself constantly entertained (and informed) by my neighbors to the north?

A friend recommended on several Skype occasions, and again a few nights ago, that I watch Out With Dad, a Canadian coming of age dramedy about a typical teenager, Rose (Kate Conway), and her coming to terms struggle with her sexuality.  Our recent Skype session was about indie music in web series, and once again she asked me if I had watched Out With Dad.  Sufficiently chastised for my excuses of insufficient time, I promised that I would pull it up the next day…promise.

Being a creature of my word, I sat at the corner Greek cafe, Souvlaki pita in hand, and watched all of season one and up to the latest offering of season two all in one sitting…I just couldn’t stop.  For those who know me, to realize my attention could be captured completely away from the lovely Mediterranean ladies who own the cafe, is truly an astonishing achievement.

Now, I could expound on the quirky cuteness and the genuine humor of this series, or I could extrapolate the Romeo & Juliet style, star-crossed conflict of young love.  Yes, I could mention that the music is an indie soundtrack worthy of multiple downloads.  I could even illustrate that I got my science-girl geek off on the use of an actual chemistry equation as a catalyst to drive the balanced, physical reaction of Rose and her best friend, Vanessa (Lindsay Middleton).

I could, but I won’t…not this time.  What inspired me to tears and what forced me to write this support blog of sorts, is the role of Rose’s father, Nathan (Will Conlon).  Nathan is a concerned, single-father of a questioning teenager, and his reaction should be used as a primer for parents seeking the tools to understand the pain experienced by a child struggling with the fear and confusion of identity issues and coming out.  As an adult who works often with teens, I applaud Out With Dad for expertly tackling this sensitive subject matter in such a way that is both humorous and heartwarming.

Last year, I was teaching a class on science and religion.  Yes, you read that correctly, and yes, the two subjects can co-exist.  At the end of the class, and as I was about to leave, I noticed a teenage girl hanging around pretending to straighten up after the class.  I say pretending because the class was held in a chapel, and trust me when I say it wasn’t un-clean.  Experience tells me that teenagers don’t tidy up for the hell of it, so I opened my computer and I, too, pretended to work.  Eventually, the young girl found her way to the front of the room, aligned her last box of tissues with the hymnal, and then nervously asked if we could talk.  Now, unlike an iconic 80’s sitcom star, I don’t normally wear my scarlet “L” embroidered to my clothing, but I had a pretty good idea of the direction this conversation was going.  I nodded in the affirmative and closed my laptop.

She asked about herself, “Why am I different?  Why am I not like all the other girls?”  I have it on good authority, and contrary to what my mother told me, lightning will not strike you dead if you curse in church because I’m pretty sure I said aloud, “Oh, fuck, why don’t you ask me something simple…like explain the theory of quantum mechanics?”  She laughed as she knew my style and knew that I was kidding.  Kind of.  She continued, “My mom says that I should act more like a girl, to dress like a girl…that’s my problem.”  I looked into those sad, brown eyes and said, “I don’t know, how’s a girl supposed to act; how is a girl supposed to dress?”  She looked down at her Melo basketball jersey, her jeans and her high-top sneakers, and then she looked back to me and pointed at my clothes, “Like that,” she said.

“Jesus,” I said, and then listened for thunder.  Upon hearing only the echo of my own voice, I said, “Yeah and my mother told me I couldn’t be a lesbian because I didn’t wear comfortable shoes…”  She smiled, and there was my in.  We sat together for what seemed like hours, and I got the chance to explain that parents do the best they can do with the tools they are given.  Unfortunately, in some areas like the suburbs, the tools are pretty old-testament and obsolete.  Funny, to ask some of today’s parents to carry around the crushing weight of an old boom box on their shoulders, they would laugh at you as they slipped their iPhones in their pocket.  But ask them to reject the science and mathematics of 2,500 year old scripture or culture, and they look at you like you are crazy…or worse yet, a Democrat.  (I know, but I couldn’t help myself.)  That’s why a web series like Out With Dad and its continued success is so important.  Rose’s dad, Nathan, is the compassionate, antithetical tool to Vanessa’s mother’s (Wendy Glazier) harsh, dated, and indifferent devices.

Out With Dad is out and proud that the series has had a positive effect on the lives of thousands of LGBTQ fans and their family members across the globe.  It is no small accolade that it is officially recognized by PFLAG Canada as a tool for those struggling with issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, but why stop at our northern border?  I am making it a personal mission to get the series link to every high school counselor, every youth group minister, and every hard-ass, frightened, suburban parent I know.  Frequent readers of this blog know that I can be a bit of a tool myself sometimes.

Now, my fellow Americans, and those reading outside my geographic borders, unlike Canadian healthcare, this potential life saving production is not free.  I urge you, watch here.  And then, as I am about to do, donate here to aid in funding a third season.

No matter the moniker:  girlie or tomboy, scholar or artist, lesbian or straight, high-tops or high heels…we are all human beings.  “What’s in a name?  That which we call a Rose by any other name would smell as sweet”…right?

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/2011/11/so-anxious-i-can%e2%80%99t-think-straight/ http://mindschmootz.net/2011/11/so-anxious-i-can%e2%80%99t-think-straight/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:13:27 +0000 admin http://mindschmootz.net/?p=3505
I was thrilled when I heard a rumor that Enlightenment Productions and Shamim Sarif were considering creating a web series based on the film, I Can’t Think Straight.  Now, I must confess, Think Straight (as we veteran viewers like to call it) just happens to be one of my favorite go-to movies for a little pick-me-up.  What card carrying lesbian, and even those with fake IDs, haven’t celebrated in exuberant splendor the moment courage triumphs over fear (when the hotel door hits the opposite wall), the moment Tala and Leyla prepare to live happily ever after to the sounds of Jill Sobule’s original, pre-Perry, anthem of I Kissed A Girl?  Yes!

Well, it’s no rumor any longer.  Shamim, and her wife, Hanan Kattan, are utilizing today, the lucky-numbered November palindrome of 11.11.11, to announce that I Can’t Think Straight is a web series in fund raising pre-production.  The creative team is willing to bet that audiences will double down on what most would consider a sure thing.  After experiencing Think Straight and its South African step-sister, The Wold Unseen, I’m willing to go all in as well.

A new ICTS web series website, complete with web series news, community pages, FAQs, and sponsorship packages, has been created for fan interaction and input.  When surveyed, an overwhelming 97% of Think Straight fans said they wanted more of Tala and Layla.  Big surprise, that’s like asking do you want more chocolate, more world peace, or for me, more shoes.  After viewing the original film a hundred or so times, it would be nice to compare the couple’s future created in my mind to the journey to be created in Shamim’s mind.

As any loyal Think Straight fan, I have to wonder, will there be changes in the web series from the original film?  My guess is, of course there will.  Time and careers don’t stand still.  Sheetal has confirmed that she will be joining the web series to reprise the role of Layla and as an Executive Producer with Kattan and Sarif.  Lisa Ray as Tala?  Well on that one, I’m not too sure.  One of the questions on the fan survey asked for suggestions if recasting the role.  Now before you start kvetching about original character continuity and Lisa Ray, I feel your pain.  If ever I had a partner-approved girl crush, it would have to be Lisa Ray (ok, there are others, but that’s a different blog).  That being said, I trust Shamim and her team completely, if required, to cast someone whose beauty and chemistry match perfectly with that of the doe-eyed Sheetal Sheth.  Oh, those big, brown eyes… (Update: it’s my fantasy; they are brown.)

Sorry, back to my professionalism.

I have said it before, and I look forward to the day that I won’t say it again, but as of now, we still need more quality lesbian content.  In an age where television networks are more comfortable pandering the potential of two women in love or historically sweeps-ing in and sweeps-ing out a CSI-induced, steak knife wielding psycho in love with a straight girl, the web is where the quantity and more specifically, the quality, will be born.  Unfortunately, fundraising is the Achilles heel of any foot in the door a web series might receive.  So, until corporate sponsors recognize the potential of the internet based, short-form film, then the cravings for content and quality will have to be sated by the viewer.  So, I’ll bite…because I’m hungry for more, and I encourage others to step up to the plate as well.

I have confidence, and just a little feeling, that the Enlightenment team will not disappoint.  After all I think Shamim will agree, I Can’t Think Straight is like life insurance, “it sells itself”.

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.

Valeria Vera, Damayanti Quintanar, Erendira Ibarra, Beto Reyes, Jaime Kohen, Tania Angeles, Oscar Olivares

From the creative team who brought us the Mexican melodrama of familia Latina, Las Aparico, comes a new foray into the web series entitled Miércoles.  Miércoles chronicles the sexual and emotional relationships of a group of seven 20-somethings living in Mexico City.  Contemporary issues abound as this urban group comes to task with the consequences of finding their own identities through the complicated translucence of drugs, sex, love, and ambition.  Boundaries are blurred and labels are obsolete as life transcends modest roles of gender.  For this tribe, family by birth is relegated to voices on a phone while true kinship is forged by familiarity.  Not withstanding their independent dare to be different, bonds of the conventional bring them back every week to the same place, at the same time, on the same day…what will you be doing this Wednesday?

After the success and the controversy of the Mexican soap opera, Las Aparacio, the next logical step for this production team is the web series.  According to executive producer and writer, Natassja Ybarra, “With a cast and crew comprised of young up and coming Mexican actors, writers, visual artists and designers, Miércoles defies the traditional definitions of the stories that Mexican television series can and will tell.”

Backed by the experience of Mexico’s first and foremost independent production company, Argos, this series harnesses the energy of a new generation of creative professionals all the while keeping it in the family.  Natassja, along with her sister, Erendira Ibarra, the daughters of Argos CEO Epigmenio Ibarra, are teaming up with filmmaker, Nina Jalife, to form Baby Argos (Boutique Agency By Argos), a boutique agency that will develop smaller alternative projects within Argos starting with Miércoles.

Here is a little insight on what you can expect.  Season 1 of Miércoles will consist of thirteen, ten-minute episodes, divided into two chapters.  As if I would expect anything less, the team from Baby Argos will tackle the controversial and provocative subject matter of our modern times all the while recapturing the age-old stories of love and romance.

As one who can never get enough estrogen in the room, I find it refreshing that the crew consists predominantly of women.  From the Director of Photography to the Art Director to the Production Manager, etc., there seems to be more than a fair compliment of XXtra hard-working individuals.  Equally commendable is the production team’s emphasis on sustainability.  Taking environmental stewardship of their location, strict policies will be set regarding what materials are used in production, taking care to minimize Baby Argos’ footprint.  Season 1 will wrap with tree planting in Mexico City to demonstrate the importance of carbon neutralization in highly urbanized areas.

Sponsorship, regardless of content, has been secured by such international corporations as Samsung, therefore, the episodes will be free to the viewership.  Production begins January 17th and the first episode will air the first Wednesday of March.  All content, including the subtitled series and the website, will be translated into English, French, Portuguese and German.  For this, I say bravo!  For an uni-lingual American whose Spanish consists mainly in the confines of my dinner menu, the subtitles are greatly appreciated.  Natassja revealed that every episode will include at least one, well-known, Latino actor including most of the Las Aparicio cast.  And I automatically break into Joplin, “Oh lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes…” One more opportunity for Aparicio fans to enjoy that classic ride.

Of the new adventure, Natassja proudly announces, “Every aspect a new proposal, from wardrobe to product placement, Miércoles not only entertains and provokes, but also defines an aesthetically geared lifestyle.” Featured and available for purchase on the website, will be the work of twenty Latino fashion designers, as well as ten industrial designers.  Also available for download, will be the series soundtrack featuring many international recording artists.

I gotta say, music downloads are a perk, and the fashion part is pretty exciting to a style junkie like me, but I have to be honest, a good storyline is truly addictive.  Feeding my fix in the form of Miércoles are all variations of the love story, gay, straight, bisexual, and those left to personal interpretation.  I hear on good authority that the main lesbian love story is between Renata (Valeria Vera) and Lorena (Damayanti Quintanar), but “Erendira will also have some girl on girl action.”  I love action films!

So, as a fan of their previous work, I wait for this production with baited anticipation.  As Baby Argos takes its first steps, a new path is forged, and we are all invited along the way.  I look forward for more conversations regarding the journey, but for right now…is it Wednesday yet?

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?

Venice in its first season has many things going for it.  One in particular is that it was done at all.  Presently, dramas dependent on uncensored content, devoid of corporate strangleholds, have little other place of premier besides the internet.  Open Book Productions harnessed the anticipatory power of an organized and largely unfulfilled fanbase and moved forward with their aspirations.  Living the ultimate realization of a dream is something to celebrate.

Jessica Leccia brings to the character of Ani a guileless vulnerability that encourages the viewer to root for her.  Roll after roll, over and over again, she puts herself out there until in the finale she inescapably decides to get off that emotional Magic Mountain that is Gina Brogno (Crystal Chappell) to find happiness in a lover without the nauseating twists and turns.  Who knows what will happen next season.   Will Ani grab a fast pass for Lara, or will she stand in that long, switch-back, line for Gina?  Personally, I hope Ani’s happiest place on earth will be with Lara.

Though Lara (Nadia Bjorlin) is a bit of a blank slate at this point, I really don’t care; she isn’t Gina.  For some reason, the character is likable and holds my interest.  Perhaps I am merely cheering for Ani and this is transference on my part.  Whatever the motivation, there is an anticipation that I don’t have for many of the other characters.  Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention that Nadia Bjorlin came to this character cold as it was originally cast with Elizabeth Keener.  It has been well publicized that upon arrival on the set to play her original role, Nadia stepped into the Lara part and has performed admirably.

Hillary B. Smith, episode two not withstanding, brings chemistry, maternal compassion, and humor to the series.  Her passionate plea to the Colonel (Jordan Clarke) for parental understanding is one of my favorite scenes.  Though the Colonel can be classified as stereotypical, such characteristics have their roots in reality, and though Gina waited until later in life to finally confront her homophobic father, she did it.  Many of us either lost that chance because of life’s fated circumstances, or perhaps we are not quite as well adjusted as our critics, therefore, seeing the manifestation on screen is satisfying.  On a selfish note, I have to say that while Crystal and Hillary stared longingly into each other’s eyes after a Goose downed evening in episode 9, I was pleading in my head, “Please make Guya the ADOPTED sister of Gina’s mother!” To this point, no scripted pairing has produced such a reaction.

Out of a much heralded cast, the standout surprise for me has to be Michelle N. Carter.  There is something about Michelle’s character that makes me want to point and say, “Yeah, what she said,” every time she completes a sentence.  She is not only Gina’s assistant, but her super ego with an attitude…not that there is any part of Gina’s moral compass that would respond to anyone less magnetic.

Technically, the series manipulates the beauty of the California beach through the use of high definition cameras to create a setting both visually pleasing and unique to many webseries.  Couple the fabulous photography with the decision to utilize indie music artists as added definition, and Venice creates a secondary storyline that is complimentary to the first.

Though I believe Venice has the potential as a continuing drama on the web, I believe as a viewer, some parts of this freshman season series need adjustment.  My biggest disappointment is there are too many characters to establish a full depth of development in the amount of time the production team arced for one season.  The “morning after scene” with Gina and Ani through the “body in the garage discovery” could have easily encompassed 24 to 36 complex episodes.  I would have preferred the episode 7 good-bye scene to have been the season one cliff hanger with much more character development in between.  I have said it before, please, show me, don’t tell me.  Of course, I can fill in the blanks myself, but as a viewer, I shouldn’t have to.

Not lost on me is that Gina, a character with the most number of scenes, is the least dimensional of the characters.   I watch each episode with the hope that this will be the week I like her.  Do something to expose her vulnerability.  Hell, show her buying a few beach orphans a shave ice, something, something that will tell me she is more than mean, crass, manipulative, and drunk.  As I said in my review of episode 7, Gina shows glimpses of humanity when she allows her personal walls a certain opaqueness.  Show me more.  Give me the slightest impression as to why Gina can’t commit.  A tent pole character doesn’t have to be without its nicks and its knots, it just has to be strong enough to support the apex of the canvas.

Crystal Chappell is one of the most talented actresses in any genre at delivering an emotionally charged scene.  Give her (and me) the bridge to get there.  Unfortunately, the writing for Gina’s final scene with Ani is an abrupt bridge to nowhere.  As with other important arcing sequences of this season, there are significant gaps in composition.  Gina schizophrenically overreacts to Ani’s rejection of their dysfunctional relationship.  I would have given more credence to this emotional outburst had I been privy to insight as to whether episode 7 had actually been the last time these two were alone together.

Had they been given more of a reactive catalyst, the chemistry between Gina and Tracy (Lesli Kay) could have been perceived as more inciting than a child’s science project.  In episode 11, when Gina and Tracy throw each other against the wall, the audience is quickly cut to the product and left to assume the initial substance.  In the finale, Tracy emotionally pronounces she is falling in love with Gina.  How and when did this happen?  Without revealing the fundamentals of the motivation, what’s left is an unbalanced equation.  There is something to be said for giving Gina and Tracy the same relationship litmus test that Ani and Lara are given.

Season one ends with Gina answering a call for reinforcements from the Colonel and finding what appears to be a lifeless, handcuffed woman in his garage.  I have to admit, my first reaction was please let this be Tracy…or at least the personification of her bad British accent.   Cut to black, listen to the music, and wait for season two.

And about next season, I say please, no stunts and no Chaiken things up.  Develop the three dimensions of the twosomes before you work on the threesomes.  Take your time, ladies.  Contrary to fanatical belief, good is worth waiting for…with all elements of this potentially very successful show.

I had just gotten home from the airport last night when a friend of mine called to inform me that the long anticipated Episode 4 “ABM Tuesday” was fortunately an unanticipated day-early live link.  I was anxiously awaiting this episode because as luck would have it, my ABM experience began earlier in the morning as series co-writer and co-Executive Producer, Susan Miller, could have been having breakfast with anyone but me…but she wasn’t.

I will write more later about the best part of waking up with Susan Miller, but for now, I want to focus on the latest episode of the series, Anyone But Me, this particular one written by Susan and directed and edited by Tina Cesa Ward.

As I watched the episode unfold, I smiled and shook my head in recognition.  Just as I had experienced earlier that morning, Susan has a comforting and humorous way of bringing out the personal in a conversation, so too, does she have a similar way with these characters.  Utilizing the voice of an appropriately sarcastic therapist (guest star, Liza Weil), the dialogue begins to scratch at the surface of the complex and uncharted Aster (Nicole Pacent).  By all observations, Aster is a star…white-hot and radiant.  Don’t get too close, you might spontaneously combust.  Taking this into consideration, Tina allows the viewer to hover just above the periphery while the therapist cleverly explores Aster’s sexually charged and cynical solar flares.

Therapist: “So tell me about the first time?”  Aster: “That I had sex?”  Therapist: “I meant therapy, but I’m interested in hearing about that too.”

I like this facetious female Freud.  I could have used a therapist like her, not some miracle-cured, flaming former-gay, Southern Baptist that smelled eerily like Aqua Velva and fried chicken, but I digress.  I can’t wait to see where this goes.   Will we get a glimpse into Aster’s core, or will she burn out before we get the chance?  And what is that obvious thing, other than Aster, definitely orbiting around Vivian (Rachael Hip-Flores) and Sophie (Jessy Hodges)?  Soph’s superficial and sophomoric curiosity, or something meteor?

I know, I know…but this is frustrating.  So many questions, yet so little time.  Waiting has never been my forte, and don’t think I haven’t tried to entice the answers out of my morning coffee mate.  Susan is not talking.  The only crumbs I got came from the croissant.   Tina, give me direction!  Damn it.

Well, I guess it’s speculation for another week, but isn’t that what good entertainment is all about? A look, an angle, a word, a phrase can mean so many things to so many people.  I have a few favorable ideas and who knows better the journey these girls must take than someone who has traveled a like highway?  Can’t be anyone but me…right?