Somebody Must Like It
Sitting through Somebodies was painful. The premiere series from Grady-graduate Hadjii was the trainwreck of a story that could have been and actors that should not have been. The intentions and ideas that spawned the series could but look on as helpless bystanders.
The pilot episode desperately needed both a copilot and air traffic control to guide the audience through the tangled mess of characters. What amounted to a little less than 20 minutes of character introductions left me feeling confused and separated from the cast. The only name I caught and could hold on to was Scottie, the bumbling “hero” of the show. I preface hero with quotes as I’m not sure how Scottie is intended to come across. I understand he is a character lost in time as his friends and college life pass him by finally forcing a new outlook on who Scottie is and what he wants to become. Unfortunately, I’m not sure Scottie understands this. Hadjii, through his writing and performance, created a character without conviction, without goals, without crippling vices, and certainly without virtues. He is lackluster and unlikable – a jellyfish floating listlessly through life.
Scottie’s on-screen accompaniment is composed of one dimensional stereotypes who, through their generally over-the-top performance, further serve to diminish Scottie as even remotely interesting. The stereotypical portrayal of the self-centered girlfriend, insult guy, hungry man, sexed up athlete, revolutionary, and wise uncle limit the show to correspondingly clichéd humor. The jokes are expected, occasionally derogatory, and in general unimpressive to me. While I may not be able to relate to the humor, I find that it is in direct contrast to one of the messages of the pilot. Scottie, attending a black support group, listens to complaints of how the media distorts the image of black with stereotypes – essentially the premise of Somebodies. Scottie refutes this, though mostly concentrates on some cookies, by asking who cares. “Who cares?” The perfect two word review of Somebodies.
The second episode, freed from having to attempt to introduce characters, brings us a generic, predictable predicament that is the staple of sitcom humor. It once again thrusts Scottie into a situation he must cope with, unfortunately Scottie’s “do nothing” attitude is his motivating characteristic. Hadjii, instead of forcing Scottie to do something and make an uncomfortable situation hilarious, has Scottie sit around and watch what happens. Consequently, the audience is sitting and watching a character who mostly sits and watches. No character arc is formed, no definite goal defined. Adding further insult is the sheer implausibility of the situation: a cheap, poor neighbor who loads his house full of expensive electronics and fine furnishings but refuses to buy a phone for $50 a month thus saving him and his family an enormous inconvenience of having to visit their boring neighbor.
I would write more but to be honest, I have no idea what almost all the character’s are named and I’ve forgotten most of the plot even after consulting the notes I took. This makes it difficult to comment, constructive or otherwise. In brief, Somebodies is a muddled, uninspired sitcom minus the comedy. I suppose you could call it a “sit” which is the last thing I would want to do if Somebodies appeared on my television screen.
I’m a 19 year-old Telecommunications Arts major at the University of Georgia. I write about film, photography, and technology in addition to sharing ideas, reviews, and materials.
[youtube -8z7Y_KGgsY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8z7Y_KGgsY youtube]
A clip for your viewing enjoyment.
Wow. I thought my review was harsh…..
But I have to agree with you wholeheartedly.
Your critique is well written, direct, no-nonsense, and brave, considering I am one of the producers. And I appreciate your candor. Others share your concern about stereotypes, cliches, and plot. Others think just the opposite. Criticism is about putting yourself — you as a singular receptor — in front of a work of art, clearing your mind of preconceptions, letting the work wash over you and writing about that experience. By way of response, I am pasting in below the review from the Boston Globe. I'd be interested in your review of her review. TELEVISION REVIEW BET sitcom takes the sharp, smart approach By Joanna Weiss, Globe Staff | September 9, 2008 It's hard to believe it has taken this long for BET to produce an original scripted comedy. Across TV, we're lucky to find any show that deals with race consistently – even backhandedly, as did ABC's short-lived and largely underappreciated sitcom "Cavemen." So why should a network aimed at black audiences abdicate sharp, smart commentary about race to the likes of Comedy Central and (occasionally) the CW? "Somebodies," the new BET sitcom that premieres tonight at 10:30, doesn't tiptoe around the subject, which is what makes the show so honest and so funny. Based on the movie of the same name, which made a splash at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, it centers on Scottie, a perpetual college student in a Southern university town. As played by Hadjii, the one-named impresario who wrote and directed both the series and the film, Scottie is a deadpan guide to life – what Larry David might be if he were gentle, Southern, and black. He knows he needs to focus, but he spends his time bemusedly watching the characters around him, observant to the point of paralysis. In tonight's premiere, Scottie sits back and takes it, brow furrowed, when his college guidance counselor converts a standard lecture about the need to choose a major into a free-flowing rant about the state of some black men. "You sittin' up in my house, eatin' my groceries, waiting on your record deal to come through!" she yells. Everyone in his world seems a walking piece of social commentary, which becomes a joke in itself: He walks out of her office and, in quick succession, strides past a cheerful drug dealer, a beggar, and a strange kid who looks up plaintively and says, "Daddy?" He ends with a fast-talking man named Epitome who runs a campus black group called "Blacks on Campus Encouraging Racial Supremacy" (acronym: BONCERS). This show has room for it all, alternately skewering fiery preachers, ne'er-do-well friends, and white waitresses who treat black groups differently from white ones. It gently explores the ins and outs of intraracial tension. "It's like the less money you have, the louder you have to talk," Scottie gripes at one point about a pair of trashy neighbors, and one of his friends offers a hilarious extended explanation. But this is also the sort of universal, guy's-guy story that Judd Apatow and his repertory group might spin out: the tale of another hapless dude, figuring out his place in the world. The characters we get to know in depth are vivid, too, from Scottie's loud, warm Southern family to his supportive ex-girlfriend Diva (Kaira Akita), who has pretensions of being Diddy's interior decorator. "Somebodies" is filmed on location in Athens, Ga., and it shows; everything feels brighter and more authentic here than it might on an overlit Hollywood set. Stylistically, this show doesn't break new ground: It's a single-camera comedy that comes close, at times, to feeling like a live-action cartoon. It's not as hilariously cutting as "Chappelle's Show" used to be. But the tone is entertaining, and the format fits. The real world is a conflicted place, but a funny one, too, and Hadjii serves as a winning guide. Joanna Weiss can be reached at weiss@globe.com.
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
Absolutely.