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WARNING!!! This review does contain some spoilers. I'll try to keep them to a minimum but just so you know, I will bring up some things! You've been warned!
That's right, it's that time of the day again when I review my latest obsession. I know I keep apologizing and not reviewing, but that's going to change in the upcoming weeks. Anywho, I'm sure you've all heard of the new show from the brilliant and really scary mind of Ryan Murphy. (I might do American Horror Story: Asylum next. I don't know, stay tuned!)
I first heard of Ryan Murphy when he created Glee but because Glee was the reason one of my shows got cancelled, I don't watch it on principle but that did not stop me from watching this show. And I'm really, really, really, really, REALLY, glad that I did. If you're not watching this show, something is severely wrong with you!
This show has everything. It has humor, it has romance, it has a crazy bigot grandmother, and a super precocious little girl. It really doesn't get any better than that. Basically, the premise of this show is that a gay couple, Bryan and David, decide to have a baby. They get help from a surrogate, Goldie, who has a daughter Shania (pronounced Sha-Ny-A) and they have a semi-racist, homophobic Republican grandmother who just represents everything old school, and she goes by the name of Jane.
What I thought was really creative was that they didn't make the whole show just about the pregnancy. If anything, it's a family show. It explores the same dynamics any other family show would explore but it's just a new twist on it. I don't know if it's just my closet cynicism, but I see all these new crop of shows and I can't help but not like them because they're the same thing over and over again. What I'm noticing what seperates good shows from bad shows is the level of surprises they have. A lot of people in the industry will tell you that there are no new stories. See, I partly agree with that. There may be seven stories, but there will always be new ways to tell those stories, making it new in some way or another. And I think with the New Normal, it's the same exact thing. Ryan Murphy is just so good at bringing you something new and exciting. And I seriously suggest you give this show a chance, no matter what your prejudices are.
I'm going to start with the other characters first and then get to the main characters. I'm only doing it this way because the main characters are probably the only reason why I like this freakin' show so much. This is in no way because of the other actors' capabilities, I just really like David and Bryan!
Goldie walked in on him literally cheating on her and she gave him up simple as pie. What I liked was that she didn't blow up, she didn't scream, she just said she had enough and kept it pushing. I know this is very anti-feminist of me. But I feel like there are all kinds of women in this world. I genuinely don't believe that all of them would blow up in their husband's faces over such a betrayal. Especially when her husband had been treating her bad for years.
I've never been more proud of a female character than when she just said, "You know what? You can have him!" Because there's just some things not worth blowing up over. I'd like to think that if I ever caught my man cheating, I would react the same way. The way I see it, he obviously didn't care too much for me to not cheat, so in my eyes, he can pack his bags and go. I don't believe in cheating, I don't condone it, and never will I. People keep telling me how when I'm all lovey dovey in love with someone, that I would do anything for them and I really beg to differ. Why waste your time on someone who obviously doesn't care about you? So what I liked was how Goldie handled that situation.
Goldie hopped in the car soon after and drove all the way to California and watched the sunset, but then Goldie met Bryan and David and the rest is history from there. I also liked Goldie's open mindedness about the couple. It's so easy to judge people based on their sexual orientation without getting to know the actual people. In my theatre class, I'm seeing more and more evidence of how "gayness" wasn't a big deal back then. It wasn't uncommon for guys to kiss each other, or girls. Let's face it, it took a supremely long time for English theatre to get used to the idea of having actresses. Which means all of you who loves Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. Yeah, guess what. In original productions, Juliet was played by a man and those epic love scenes mean two guys were kissing. Back then, it just wasn't a big deal. Once people put a name on things, it becomes taboo. Which is why when people talk about gay people in a negative way, I can't help but think they're dumb because it wasn't that long ago when their ancestors were kissing all over other guys or other women.
But Goldie was really chill with them and I liked how willing she was to help them. It's so rare to come by, it's almost sad and it really makes me wonder about the future of America or anywhere for that matter. I seriously fear about this world because people just aren't happy unless their mad about something and going to war over the smallest things. So as far as my list of good, strong female characters go, Goldie is definitely one of them and I think Georgia does a terrific job of bringing those characteristics back to life.
Shania is the precocious little girl and she's played by Bebe Wood. It's sort of like Ryan Murphy looked at old tapes of Kids Say the Darndest Things and put it all into the character of Shania. She's just so worldly and accepting and it's not at all what a child of her age should act like, yet she's completely believable. It's not uncommon for children to be the total opposite of their upbringing. Like if they had a very outspoken parent, it's not uncommon for the kid to be shy. In the case of Shania, she has a very outspoken grandmother and a sort of timid mother. So it makes sense that Shania would be a mix of reserved yet outspoken.
It's amazing the things that Shania does. She's so weird and cool and funny and it makes me think that if I were still younger and Shania really did exist, I'd want to be friends with someone like her. I mean, she watches animal documentaries and yells for the animal to eat the people, she imitates characters from movies, and she dresses like a pilgrim when Goldie takes away her iPad to symbolize how far people have come frome the "dark place" where there was no technology to keep everyone connected.
What I also liked was that Shania is very observant and knowledgable. She teaches Bryan and David, Goldie, and even Jane things that they still needed to learn but didn't know that they needed to learn. Considering things that have happened, it would have been very easy for Shania to be a jaded little girl who hates the world. As it looks, her dad abandoned her, Goldie sort of kidnapped her across state lines, and her mom is having a baby for a gay couple. Yeah, that would be enough to make anyone mad but instead, Shania is just this very open cool girl and I really look forward to future Bebe Wood's projects because I honestly think she's going to go far in her career and I hope it's a really long one.
Ahh, what to say about dear grandmother Jane, played by Ellen Barkin? I don't think there are adequate words to describe everything that is her, but here's to trying. All in all, it's very easy to understand Jane. She comes from a different era where gay people were weird, black people were others, and teenagers just didn't have sex like that and have children at such young ages. It's easy to see how she's a product of her society because I'm sure her parents were filling her head with all kinds of untrue crap, and again, it's just a product of that kind of world back then. The world's changing and she just doesn't like what she sees and she's frightened.
There was a time when all kinds of guys would walk up to her in a bar and try to pick her up. There was a time when Goldie would listen to her. There was a time when gay people kept their business to themselves and times were just simpler then. I think more than anything, Jane is just scared of what the future is going to bring. She puts up a good front but she has just as much insecurities as anyone else would regarding the future.
She embodies anything old school and that means rules of sex. She thinks people her age shouldn't do any of that and with a gentle push, she gets it on with a guy who makes her feel wanted but also makes her feel old. The rules of dating and sex have changed and she felt dumb about it because she hopped on the bandwagon too late. Yet, in this past episode, she discovered twitter and the many wild things that could happen with it. I think she's just a woman who is trying to catch up to a world that's left her beliefs behind.
Having said that, she has some of the most funniest lines I've ever heard ever on a TV show. Ellen Barkin just really sells her character and I can see why she's such a recognized person. Ellen is a fantastic actress. Just astounding.
Next up is Bryan's assistant, Rocky, played famously by Nene Leakes. What I also thought was clever was how Bryan is in charge of a television show called Sing which is a wink to Ryan's show Glee. I thought that was cute.
Rocky is there to play the stereotypical ghetto black person who tells it like it is. Though funny, I would like to see something different from black women like what Kerry Washington is doing on Scandal. (Another guilty pleasure. You MUST watch it!)
Anywho, having said all of that, I really like Rocky's character. She does tell it like it is and she keeps Bryan from being too much of a prima donna. In fact, she pretty much keeps everyone grounded and keeps egos from flying every which way. I think she's a really good addition to the show and I'm interested to see if her character will go beyond her stereotype and become something more than what she is now. I hope she gets a little more meat with her storyline instead of popping up as the situation demands.
Finally, the best for last! YAY!! Okay, David first. He's played amazingly by Justin Bartha. I first fell in love with Justin when he played the faithful sidekick Riley in the National Treaure movies. He was just so cute at being self deprecating and just as smart as Ben without all the credit. So when I saw that he was going to be on this show, the only thing I could say was, "I am so watching this!" He may not be a huge star, but I think he really should be. He's just so good at what he does, it's almost cruel to not give him his props when they're so definitely deserved.
David is a gynecologist and he plays the obvious centered and serious one of the relationship. I recently read an article in EW magazine where one of the writers was upset at the portrayal of gay men in TV. On one hand I agree with him, but on the other, I think he's an idiot. This is in no way reflective of him personally, but I just didn't agree with his views. He was upset that in every couple whether romantic or friendly, there's always a flamboyant one who's so wild, fashion forward, and flashy. And the other is always the serious one who has to keep talking them off the ledge. I understand where's he's coming from. He is a gay man and it's exactly how I feel about how black people are portrayed in TV. Only as lowly thugs and gangbangers or basketball players and things like that.
I understand, I really do, but he should know better. In TV, that's what works. It would be completely boring to have two flashy gay guys, or two serious gay guys, or the same for one gay guy and one staight guy. The couple just wouldn't be believable. The only example I can think of right now, is the gay couple in Suburgatory where Tessa's guidance counselor is flashy gay and Chef Allen for Dallas and Dahlia is the same kind of flashy gay. To me, that couple doesn't really pop off the screen. They're actually kind of annoying. But in the case for The New Normal or Partners, the serious/flashy duo just works. It's the same with straight couples. Ricky and Lucy anyone? Lucy was flashy and always getting into trouble and Ricky was always bailing her out and it brought such great laughs and that was totally okay, but in the case of gay people, it's not okay?
And no offense, but gay people kind of have it coming. Besides TV, I've seen and known gay people who are flashy and flamboyant and fashion forward and act exactly like Bryan on this show. Just as I've seen serious gay men, but flashy is usually the norm. They wear wild clothes that seriously don't match, wear heels, swish their hands, snap their fingers, make fun of people, or even go full drag. Like I said, they kind of have it coming.
So in the case of Bryan and David, it just completely works. David likes to keep Bryan grounded and I love the little flashback scenes where David is really getting into the gay scene and he had glasses, he looked a little nerdish and nervous, he was awkward and it was just so cute to see that side of them when they first met and started talking to each other. I honestly couldn't stop smiling. The chemistry between Justin Bartha and Andrew Rannells is just so electric, you have to wear special glasses for it. Seriously.
What I also liked was how good David is to Bryan. Bryan can go on some pretty wild tangents and still bring him back down while making him feel good about it instead of hurting his feelings like straight men would do to women. There was a scene where they had a party to prove they had black friends (don't judge) and David kissed Bryan's shoulder and then his cheek. Like double kisses like that is so rare to get from a straight man and to see a gay one do it is just ten times sweeter. David is just so open about his love for Bryan and it nearly brings tears to my eyes. That's how much I love this freakin' couple!! I hope they stay around for a really long time because those two weeks in between episodes were literally killing me. This show is so much more than its premise and these characters really give me a renewed hope for future America.
My very best, most favorite character would have to be Andrew Rannells. He's just such a great actor that if it were anyone else in this role, it so would not work. I really hope to meet him one day and work with him because he is just so talented and adorable, it's like how can you not like this show because of him? That whole thing with Utah was just disgusting and it's no wonder why no one even gives that state a second thought.
Andrew plays Bryan with such deep seated sincerity, you can't help but fall in love with his character. He may be a crazy prima donna who cares about if his furniture matches, or baby accessories, or anything like that, but he also deeply cares about David and his mother who's always gone out of her ways to make Bryan feel unwelcome. Bryan has a heart and it's so adorable how David and Bryan play off of each other.
It's not necessarily one is the dominant male and the other is the submissive male. I think they both have a dominant side and a submissive side. There's moments where David is kind of in charge but if you see them in flashbacks, Bryan was the dominant one and really made David step up and embrace his gayness.
This show isn't all fun and games. There are serious moments that make this show even better like the presidential episode where they discuss the effectiveness of either candidate. But there's also an episode where David and Bryan are going shopping for baby things and Bryan put on a baby hat which made him look like a little kid which was cute. And David was saying how cute he looked. It was really lovey dovey stuff that all couples do and some idiot guy came up to them and told them that they shouldn't do that in public, that they shouldn't do that in front of his daughter and that they're setting a bad example for her. I literally wanted to reach through the screen and punch everything that that guy stood for. It was disgusting. I mean, if people want to express their love, let them. It wasn't that long ago when a lot of people couldn't get married, or had arranged marriages, and it's sick how people can think that way.
I feel very much a part of David and Bryan's life because they're so open with each other and so honest and cute. If I ever have a relationship, I totally want it to be like theirs. They're just so cute and teach people what the real meaning of love is. Love is blind, love is true, and love is hard but well worth it.
What I also thought was cute was how David is short and Bryan is tall, yet David is seen as the manly serious one mostly and Bryan is the sensitive one. I don't know if anyone else has caught on to that but I find it really adorable and I think that this show will definitely last if people just give it a chance and stop letting their hatred or their parents' hatred decide things for them. This show is well worth watching because in such a dysmal world that's obsessed with violence, it's great to see a show like this get made. And I cannot wait until David and Bryan's baby is born because they are going to be such fantastic parents. The baby is going to be the most spoiled and responsible person ever. That may be an oxymoron and never done before, but in this case, it's most definitely possible.
Is it obvious how much I love this show? LOL. So honestly, just give this show one episode. If you don't like it, that's your business but at least you gave it a shot before not liking it just because of the subject matter. Seriously, watch this show, you won't forget it. Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic evening!
