Lately, Feathermaye and I have taken to using our ‘Red Envelope’ service (NetFlix) to catch up on the TV series we’ve heard good critical reviews for. Always on the hunt for the next bit of something that will germinate into another story, I’m ever vigilant for sharp, crisp writing that follows a strong thread.
Last night we finished the first season of “The United States of Tara”. Like any good one, it left me wishing it wasn’t over yet…
Tara Gregson has a problem: something traumatic happened to her in her past. What, exactly, she can’t remember at all. In fact, whatever happened caused her psyche to fragment into multiple personalities in order to cope with life beyond the event.
Well cast in the role, John Corbett plays her devoted husband Max, who will do almost anything to hold his family together, while seeing to his wife’s ever changing and often caustic alters.
Tara is the sweet, down-to-earth mom who is loved and cherished by her husband and two children Kate and Marsh. But, when life becomes difficult, as it will when a daughter trying to figure out life rebels, or when a gay (out-of-the-closet) 14 year-old son deals with the angst of his situation, the Alters step in and take over Tara’s body…
‘T’, moves in as a ridiculously flamboyant and sluty fifteen year old ready to say or do anything to be the center of attention. ‘Alice’, comes into Tara as a 1950’s style mom, a real June Cleaver persona, who bakes and simply refuses to see the worst of life’s darker realities. ‘Buck’ is a red neck who takes over whenever there is need of a little intimidation. These are the usual suspects that the family deals with on a regular basis, especially since Tara has decided to forgo the drug regime she had been on to subdue her Alters, and try, with her family’s help, to work it all out in the cold, sober light of day.
It’s not an easy secret to hide; in fact most of the town, the other kids at school, and the neighbors know Tara’s Alters. But, as the season moves along and Tara attempts to force the true reason for her displacement into focus, another, darker Alter presents ‘itself’ in the form of ‘Gimme’, a strange, poncho-covered creature that holds viciously to Tara’s real secret, and is always ready to do ‘anything’ to keep it (including urinating on anyone who comes close to the truth).
Sharp, current story lines flow easily as The United States of Tara delivers an irresistible plot line. The unique family dynamic is subjected to one social, or familial situation after another. Viewers can identify with these characters as the drama and comedy of life plays against Tara’s rare and often scary psychological disorder.
1 comments:
LOVE Tara. She's got more layers than a Vidalia spring onion. All because of something that happened - who knows what? When we find out for sure what the mysterious "it" is, she will become just another predictable character whose nuances are wrapped and tied up in a neat little bow. For now, it's great to let the mystery be.
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