Here and Now

Berkeley activists meet, marry, and settle in Portland. Holly Hunter is the middle-aged overbearing, controlling, former therapist wife. Tim Robbins is the middle-aged philosophy professor/author undergoing a mid-life crisis husband. They've raised a Brangelina family of black, light brown, and yellow children, including one lily-white child of their own. For good measure, their black daughter is married to a white "Republican before Trump" and their light brown son is gay and suffering from hallucinations about the number 11.

This show is the anti-"This Is Us." It's the "Look At Us, Ain't We Messed Up" show. At one point, I had to ask myself if I even care what happens to these people. In one way or another, the Gen Z children annoyingly comment about their rainbow family throughout the show. Predictably, married couples will cheat on each other, the children will do drugs, and everyone will wonder about the meaning of life and whether any of it is worthwhile. The show tries so hard at being relevant that it's already a cliche.

Three mysteries may have me tuning back in for a second flagellation. Why is the Vietnamese son celibate? Why is the Hispanic son hallucinating about the number 11? How is the Hispanic son related to his shrink? I don't know how long the showrunner can keep this shell game going, but he'd better come up with a better sideshow or I'll be heading for the exits before the reveal.

I watched the pilot solely due to the fact that Tim Robbins was in it. In contrast to a couple of the other reviewers, I found it to be smart and funny. True, some of the themes that were explored are not exactly novel, but I thought they were handled with skill and delicacy. The cast is great. The production values are very good. The story-lines are intriguing...especially the curve balls presented by the son who hallucinates/dreams about the number eleven and the mysteriously celibate Asian adopted son. I'm definitely going to keep watching.

Reminds me of the 2005 film Crash, only with a metaphysical bent. The acting is terrific, and the storyline gets more intriguing with each episode.

I rewatched the first episode after a slightly distracted initial watch. It's a dense story, with several familiar plotlines somehow twisted in the proper way. I saw a review about it being "leftists". That is missing the boat entirely. There is certainly a political thread, how can there not be in this day & age, but there is a self-deprecating view of the progressive ideals. One that doesn't negate but simply shows depth. Underneath all of this lye a mystery that intrigues and promises some surprise.

I thought the show seems pretty good so far. The cast is an interesting mix of characters and ethnicities. The show just started so there's still a lot to get to but I thought as an opener by the end my wife and I were really looking forward to next week. All and all it has promise.