The Booth at the End

...if so, that's some of the best news I've heard about TV this year.

Every now and then (and it's more thin-on-the-ground than not), there's a show which comes along that meets and exceeds all expectations. This is one of them.

Absolutely David Lynch-ian in its construction, "The Booth At The End" is that rare piece of television which makes you *think*.

In the event you've not seen it, the show revolves around The Man in the Booth; an enigmatic fellow with a well-worn leather-bound notebook; from it, he extracts 'deals' to be done with the patrons who seek him out. Each patron wants something. The Man gives them a task. Completion guarantees fulfillment.

Or something.

This is the best piece of allegoric TV since 'Twin Peaks'. Do yourself a favor. See this.

And remember that the pastrami sandwich is quite good....

A man sits in a diner at 'The Booth at the End'. He is visited by people who want something. He creates the opportunity for them upon them taking on the task he sets them. They each return to him to discuss their progress. "That's the Deal"!

The show is filmed entirely in one location and the episodes last less than 4 minutes each. Yet every time an episode ends it feels like a cliff hanger. The impressive thing may be in how the script is laid out and how tightly it is written. 'The Man' whether he's in control of the conversation or not is interested in the finer details and we therefore get into the real mindset of the characters and are taken to a level that we may never of thought about asking ourselves. The really impressive thing is that each episode is never shot the same way twice, its not that they don't use the same camera angle in different episodes, its more about the style and how each new piece of the puzzle comes to affect the way you look at the show as a whole.

To fully understand the genius of the show I can only recommend that you watch it. It needs patience and an open mind to start with. If you are willing to give it that, then be prepared to be intrigued!

Out of all my years of movie watching this is one film that is incomparable to any other. The whole movie revolves around one man in one booth. Xander does an amazing job of being the mysterious and enticing man in the booth. The people who visit him asking him for favours are very realistic and each have their own underlying problem. The movie progresses at a perfect pace and eventually brings everything together in a giant knot of pure intensity. The ending is a shocker, it let my brother and me with our jaws dropped and exclamations of "What did he just say?" And remember the whole movie takes place in a booth! Overall it was an amazing and vastly underrated movie. A must see in my book. Not soon to be forgotten.

I never imagined an action scene, nail biting suspense and thought provoking could just be achieved by just two people talking. This show is a breath of fresh air in the myriad of TV shows. And its possibilities are endless and I loved it.

Xander Berkeley is the man and his acting is master class. Intense, Honest, Intimidating, Sincere, Discontent etc. He was able to portray all these subtleties excellently and this elevates the show much more than I expected. Some times you can see some overacting by other actors but as soon as The Man talks you immediately forget it and are involved in what the has to say.

This has been a fantastic show! Twenty minutes flies by as you watch individuals come to seek out their hearts desire by making deals with a creature that could as likely be an angel as a devil. Tasks and deals begin to intertwine and form a cosmic game of chess, but the man in the booth at the end is merely keeping score.

Not only is this an engrossing series, but a masterful accomplishment of screen writing. The entire show is filmed from a booth in a diner. If someone had simply told me about this show I'd be convinced it couldn't work, but the concept of storytelling is given new life in this small screen format. Each contracted party returns to the diner to update the scorer of their progress and through their updates we learn how deals have gone horribly wrong or transformed into unforeseen joy. I cannot recommend this enough. I hope for more.