I will admit that I only started watching it because Gael Garcia Bernal is incredibly easy on the eyes and I really enjoy 85% of Jason Schwartzman's creative pursuits. I thought it would be interesting to see his work behind the camera versus in front of it that didn't involve his musical talent. So, I watched the first two episodes and another one last night.
Here are my initial thoughts:
- Do all Kirke sisters have a lisp?
- It's an easy binge show - it's not too intense, it's light, but the plot progresses at an even pace
- However, the plots are a bit too constructed/predictable which can make watching it a bit annoying I think. It relies a bit on a lot of tropes in terms of plot and character.
- The humor is a bit outdated? Or perhaps it's written for an older sense of humor. It's not that I don't find the show "funny", I recognize the humor and acknowledge it, but it doesn't elicit a strong reaction from me.
- Gael Garcia Bernal is easy on the eyes
Anywho, if any of you guys have watched it, or plan to start, I'd be interested to get your thoughts or reactions to it. I know I'm a few seasons behind but I think I already know what central plot is going to be dragged out and then gratified (much to my chagrin).
Katrina – I’m happy to hear that someone else watches Mozart in the Jungle – the show seemed to drop of the radar after it won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series in 2016. After a few random episodes were screened in TV Symposium earlier this semester, I started watching the series, likewise enchanted by Gael García Bernal. Like you, I found the show to be effortlessly binge-able, and I made it halfway through season 2 before the show slipped my mind (thank you for reminding me of its existence – I will return to it shortly!). I agree with you on the predictability of the plot and the somewhat antiquated humor – the show seems torn along several axes, which I will attempt to enumerate:
ReplyDelete- It seems to hail both an audience invested in the classical music scene and an audience invested in the young people finding their way in the Big Apple shtick.
- There’s an odd tension between affluence and economic precarity; the musicians crack jokes about how little money they make, yet no one seems to struggle to pay rent for their spacious apartments. A more fascinating manifestation of this tension emerges in the contract disputes that come to dominate the narrative at a certain point. Embodying this tension is Hailey’s roommate Lizzie (my least favorite character), who comes from old money but tries as hard as she can to perform economic insecurity.
- The cast is an odd mix of established film stars (Gael García Bernal, Saffron Burrows), film/theater actors (Bernadette Peters, Malcolm McDowell), and stage actors/musicians (the bulk of the orchestra). There’s an odd theatricality to many of the performances that results in stilted dialogue and some of those strange comedic moments you describe. I’m not entirely sure where to place Lola Kirke – I enjoy her performance, and would probably place it in the more naturalistic camp alongside Bernal.
- The stakes are likewise divided; I’m less interested in the fate of the orchestra than I am in the fate of Hailey and Rodrigo’s relationship.
Some other scattered thoughts/questions, for what they’re worth:
- I’m not typically a fan of Jason Schwartzman in front of the camera (he and Wes Anderson are far too intertwined in my mind, and my dislike of Wes Anderson is sufficiently ardent for me to cast judgment on his favorite actors) BUT his performance as Bradford Sharpe (host of the podcast “B-Sharpe) is delightfully irreverent.
- Is it perpetually springtime in New York on this show? They never wear coats.
- Can I care about this show if I don’t care about classical music? Famous musicians pop up in nearly every episode, but their presence is lost on me.