Show Me a Hero

Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy. The entire point behind the series is to show the fallibility of modern day's heroes. Nick Wasicsko is a well meaning politician who is much of a hero within his head. Luck changes for him very frequently and most of the time he is on a roller coaster ride. His inability to look beyond himself and giving himself the credit for victories and failures of others proves to be his downfall. The other part of the screenplay is focused upon the larger picture and viability of innovative social engineering and with how much pain and effort it can be achieved. It also shows the dichotomy between justice and popular politics in this scenario. The plot, characters, screenplay are raw and authentic and sort of inspiring. Good job HBO!

It was the name recognition of David Simon that brought me to this mini-series, although if I am honest little else from the plot summary really appealed to me. The story of Yonkers' objection to a court order that they must find sites for affordable housing to be built; it is a true story that unfolds over decades, has lots of council meetings, politics, and a large ensemble cast. While part of you will want to focus on the potential for big showboating scenes in those council meetings, with people fighting the good fight, the truth is that this is not a show that has heroic types, or big moments – so the 'true story' and 'decades' bits are really what you should consider. In this way the mini-series is not the most thrilling ride, and I say that as someone who enjoyed it. There are no big explosive moments and no barnstorming courtroom moments.

Instead the story unfolds through fines and political pandering, and really those politicians 'pushing' the housing in Yonkers are really just those who realize they cannot push back. In and around this we have the residents of the area, and those who would become residents. This gives the show a feeling of depth, but at the same time gives it the problem that it cannot spend too long with anyone, and also has too many plates spinning to be able to move the story with a sharp pace. That is what it has to do though, and it is impressive how well the decades-long narrative, with its complexity and commentaries, does manage to hang together and make for an engaging story.

I don't think it is perfect, and it does overextend its reach in how much it tries to bring to the table. However it is a quality piece of story-telling and I liked it as such. The quality is there in the writing, and the way such complexity is made accessible in an unsexy, unglamorous way – with real, flawed characters everywhere, just like real life. Performances are strong across the board – Isaac, perhaps being the one grabbing the headlines with his tragic character, but the cast is deep in good performances (and many HBO faces from Oz, The Wire, and other shows). It does have the feeling of a show you 'should' watch rather than one that you really 'want' to watch, however for its flaws, it is consistently solid in its story-telling, and it delivers a realistic, nuanced, and balanced presentation of the situation, where few are villains, even fewer are heroes, and mostly people are just flawed in whatever they are trying to do.

Just amazing. It's rather understated and procedural many of the times (but nothing unsurprising if one has seen David Simon's TV series). What it does in the six hours is amazing though. Its character development is exquisite, and by the time it's over it feels like it was a run of an actual television series. Of course, it could only be this long, but that doesn't stop me from wishing it WAS a longer series. Oscar Isaac is an amazing actor. I've said it before and I'll say it again, he's doing things not many actors right now are (or even can). The amount of raw talent he has, as well as the amount of warmth he can convey is staggering. That's what makes the end of the series so heartbreaking. I really hope this wins the Miniseries Emmy next year, and that Isaac also takes home the trophy.

Another excellent, daring and absolutely fabulous work of David Simon, creator of 'The Wire' and so many other quality TV series. Extremely political, as always, and an almost to the letter depiction of the events. Racism, segregation, poverty, politics machinations, corruption, class issues, social and political structure problems addressed, not by lecturing us but as a piece of our lives. "Low income doesn't mean low class. The problem begins with the language that's used." An important point. Language is a powerful force in this society, especially when it comes to empty political speak.

If you liked 'The Wire', you'll love this one. Don't miss it. I gave it a 10, with all of my heart.

If nothing else, it is worth watching the series for the craftsmanship alone. I can't remember the last time I've seen something this well done. This show just oozes talent, David Simon and Paul Haggis make an excellent pair and do a great job creating a realistic of 80s-90s Yonkers. The acting across the board is also phenomenal, it seems every time I watch Oscar Isaac he is playing a totally different character, truly a talent. The show itself may be a little slow, but is totally fascinating and really keeps you interested with all of the different characters. Show me a Hero is not solely a political drama, thinking it is would be fundamentally misunderstanding the show. It's a show about real people and real politicians, which are both hard to come across.