Greenleaf

I was prepared to be bored by this series but have been pleasantly surprised.The story lines of each of the characters are seemingly innocent but, become more complex with each episode.

Lynn Whitfield, as always, holds her own as the matriarch of this family whose members seem filled with discontent over the familial pecking order decided by their father. Oprah Winfrey is surprisingly okay as the family rebel aunt who wants to use her niece to bring down her shady brother.

It has, so far, delivered enough shock value to make it entertaining after 3 episodes.

Entertaing up to a certain (low) level. The scenario constantly makes you wonder where the story is going. Basically the scenario is awfull and feels forced in an eagerness to bring focus to current societal issues. None of these issues however are dealt with in depth and are only superficially touched upon. Multiple storylines are simply cut of. A lot of completely pointless scenes and plotholes do not add to a coherent story. It's at times very hard to make any sense of this all and the reason is probably that there isn't one. The whole series feels like a cinematic supermarket that's low on stock and has a small variation of products. On the plus; I'm not a religious person, but I basically like how bible quotes are thrown into daily conversations, although at times I hear myself thinking "Please God, no more."

All in all you may compare this series to soaps like Dynasty, Dallas, The Bold and the Beautiful etc. A constant flow of fuss on your screen that is basically going nowhere and hardly makes any point.

If you can't find anything better, just check it out for yourself. Just don't expect a fantastic story filled with an interesting plot, great dialogues and scenes. It's mediocre at best. Two seasons was doable for me.

The best of what Greenleaf has to offer can be seen in a family dinner conversation in the first episode. Ex-minister Grace has come back to the city of her father's megachurch for her sister's funeral, and mentions that she rarely goes to church in her new town. Her sister-in-law Kerrisa jumps on it, passive-aggressively asking why. Grace's mother insists on an answer, and the whole conversation devolves into a tense mess of resentment and jealousy. It is fascinating.

Much of my fascination with Greenleaf is that, for me, a white, big- city atheist, this world is so outside of my experience, in part because everyone's black, but more because everyone accepts Jesus as a very tangible figure in their lives. Only Grace is the sort of Christian I'm used to - the "I'm more spiritual than religious" type, and in her case she is torn between that and her evangelical roots.

Even though Jesus is so real for them, they are still human. One is clearly gay and trying hard not to be. The church head seems to be casually corrupt. Even Grace's odious pedophile uncle is probably a believer although he seems to flout everything in the bible.

There are some very interesting characters. Grace, her starchy mom and glad-handing dad, and most notably Kerrisa, played by Kim Hawthorne as a controlling, anxious woman resentful that following all the rules hasn't made her happy. She's awful, but also tragic.

I often object to character-driven dramas without much story, but in this case, I feel the story arc lays an element of artifice over these fascinating dynamics. Grace stays in town to play detective, looking for proof of her uncle's crimes, and while this story would be fine if it felt like just a part of the drama, its centrality overshadows the series' more subtle aspects.

I like Greenleaf, but I feel I would like it more if everyone just stayed at the dinner table forever.

I see great potential for an interesting look at the inside world of wealth. power and the cloak of holiness. David Keith is a master in delivering dialogue. I love Lynne Whitfield as the matriarch with some obvious issues, yet to be revealed I hope. As the series continues, I (dare I say it?) pray the writers become more confident and provide more realistic speaking styles. The decor of the home, church and offices are beautifully done.Kudos to production staff. I admire the modern styling of the characters. An accurate mix of traditional, natural, ethnic clothing and hairstyles. Multi-racial actors in all types of roles. In fact, the realistic relationship between Grace and her daughter is something I can identify with. Thanks for that. I'm excited that Ms. Winfrey supports this type of project.

This show had all the potential needed for a great series: a secretive family with all it's flaws, the hypocrisy embedded in religious circles etc. But bad writing combined with one-dimensional characters put it at risk. I only watch it to gorge on Keith David and I am a sucker for gospel music. Being gay I hoped that the gay character in the show would be someone to relate. But alas! You will have to look harder to find a more one deimentional a character. The gay love scene we have so far seen is laughable. How disappointing! So dishonest! If a gay character is to be believed and be authentic, he/she has to "do" something! What, are supposed to take the producers word for it? Reminds you the gay character from Melrose Place. It is so symptomatic of the fear of anything gay that permeates the black production community. Be bolder, dammit! If the actors can't go "all the way", find gay ones!