Pasadena

I have just finished watching Pasadena and I definitely want more. The haunting narrative and creepy atmosphere keep you on the edge of your seat. The story begins with a teenager recalling the events that will lead up to her rich family's demise. As the story slowly unfolds and you see the main character, Lily, coming to terms with the fact her family is not what it appears, one is left wondering what could possibly be in store for Lily next. I am curious how the writers will give us enough information to sustain our interest, but keep enough mystery to have us wondering what is to come. If the first episode gives us any indication as to what's to come then the series will continue to be solid and intense. I for one will be setting up my VCR to catch the next episode and I would recommend you do the same.

The Greeleys are a powerful Californian family. They own newspapers and politicians. George Greeley is the patriarch. His daughter Catherine is married to Will McAllister with teenage daughter Lily. One night, Lily is home alone when she's confronted by crazed Philip Parker. He commits suicide. Lily investigates and discovers the dark secret inside her family.

I don't know if I saw this back in 2001. After 9/11, I remember the start of Smallville, non-stop new reports, and late night serious comedians. One did get overwhelmed with the disturbing reality of the world and retreat back to fantasies. A darker fare like this could have faced a greater hurdle. This certainly deserved a better fate. Dana Delany is brilliant. I do get frustrated with Lily's childlike cluelessness. It's predictable that the bones would go missing. It's odd she thinks that Henry had run away. Also Henry's conflict with Tom seems to come out of nowhere. There are a few plot turns that come too fast and furious. They need set up or maybe not exist at all. Mike White puts his comedic touches which doesn't always fit the dark murderous plot. It's fine to have the comedic flourishes from the lighter characters like Jennie and Mason. It's more problematic for the others to flirt with comedy. The tone needs some calibrating. Overall, this is an engaging soapy mystery drama. The twisting plot does move very quickly which leaves me questioning how far the show could go anyways. It got canceled after four episodes.

I knew Balthazar Getty was to be in this show, so I had to watch it. The first minute of the show I was glued. Each show gets better and better, and is perfectly rounded with humour, and moments that make you want to scream and dive into the scream. Surprisingly the unrealisticness works, and you don't question. Great show, definitly my second fave! Malcolm in the Middle is better, of course =)

Not usually a fan of soaps, I read about the cast in some preview blurb. Knowing that a surprising number of worthwhile actors- both established and developing- had been cast in Pasadena, then having heard that Mike White was involved, I decided to give it a go... which turned out to be a huge mistake, in the long run. I tuned in, got hooked on the the excellent actors (nighttime soaps rarely get Pasadena's caliber of actors)...got into the characters, the stories, the production values... then it just ended. It's great that we get to see all 13 episodes again on Soap Net- though not that many people get that channel & so won't get the same chance. Still haven't gotten used to being left hanging virtually every time I really like a superior show (like Arrested Development, etc.) but I suspect I'm gonna have to soon... I really am tired of networks yanking viewers this way, and it gets worse every year.

Back in the early days, a lot of really bad programs were coming out of Fox. Among the bad programs, some gems that went onto become hits emerged, especially X-Files and Simpsons. If those shows were premiering today, they would suffer the same fate as Harsh Realm, Lone Gunmen, and Pasadena, all of which never got a full season. Having seen all of the footage that never made it to air (ie: everything past episode #6), I can honestly say that the show would have had an audience if Fox only allowed it.

Pasadena was a dark and edgy drama about a publishing family that has some deep ties to criminal activity. There was a lot of really dark humour and the storylines were very intriguing. Unpredictable at best, it kept you guessing until the end.

I had the fortune of meeting one of the actors from the show who played a supporting role. She was telling me that given current world events, the audience wanted to see something a little more light hearted, which was one of the reasons why Fox axed the show. She then went on to tell me that at the same time, a direct-to-video film about terrorists highjacking planes that she starred in was literally flying off shelves at the local Blockbuster. Go figure.