Characters and Criticisms
A few shows and some issues.
This piece contains spoilers. Spoilers about Rooster, about Beef and about Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Oh, and it has a quick CONSUMED at the end.
Rooster seems like it’s a show about a middle-aged white guy having a crisis. Much like Bill Lawrence’s other shows, Shrinking and Ted Lasso. Also, like these other shows, the writing and characters around the main character; Greg, Jimmy and Ted, are far more interesting and exciting than our protagonist. And this is even truer for the female characters. Charly Clive, Danielle Deadwyler, Lauren Tsai, Annie Mumolo, Robby Hoffman and Connie Britton are enough reason to watch the show. In fact, watching to see even one of them would be worth it. Between their embodiment of the characters, and the sharp writing they’ve been given, they are the standout. Not all these women are obviously confident, but some really are. And they know it. But by the end of the season, every single one of them knows their worth.
Connie Britton, Lauren Tsai and Robby Hoffman are clear in their thinking as Elizabeth (the ex-wife to Steve Carrel), Sunny (the pregnant (not Steve Carrel’s) mistress), and Mo (the mistress’ housemate) respectively. Each line shows this confidence, and when there is a hint of uncertainty or things not going as they thought, their acting and dialogue alludes to this confusion. They do whatever makes them happy, perhaps too much. They are learning their emotions and are shocked when they feel them. They are vocal in their disdain.
Charlie Clive, Danielle Deadwyler and Annie Mumolo aren’t as certain as Katie (Steve Carell’s daughter), Dylan (a professor and potential love interest), and Cristie (a love interest). They’re figuring it out but through their interactions with each other, and sometimes with the men in their lives, they realise they deserve more than they (or others) were allowing themselves to have.
So, whilst Rooster is technically about Steve Carrell being a novelist who teaches at a university, these characters crack the whole story open.
It can be confusing, when a student is walking towards you, a small black object in their first, to know whether it is a vape they are rhythmically putting between their lips, or a protein filled yoghurt sachet that means they can do without spoons, and really, even hands. Both seem problematic in their own way, one for its infantilisation of the eater, the other for its devastating health effects. The new Australian government Public Service Announcements targeting vapes and youth attempts to make vapers question the value in vaping. It rhetorically asks if we are constantly craving a vape, being held back by our fitness goals, panicking over a lost vape, vaping as soon as we wake up, thinking about vaping and have to sneak off to vape, ‘why are we still doing this?’ Teenagers tend to love sneaking off to do stuff. The campaign is split into two messages; vaping harms and pathway to addiction. It is hard to talk about the actual impact PSAs because decisions surrounding the issue do not happen in isolation, and who even knows if the audience actually saw the PSA that is supposedly impacting these choices. To me, the campaign is lame. Not because I think all teenagers think vaping is cool, but rather abstract from their lived experience, I don’t think they will see themselves in it.
Peace only seems to be found by two characters at the end of Beef: Josh and Lindsay. Throughout the entire series Josh (Oscar Isaac) and his wife Lindsay (played by Carey Mulligan) spit poison at each other through put downs, sarcastic jibes and blame. So much blame. Yet when Josh finally takes the blame, you see the relief wash over him and the love he and Lindsay share for each other. Even if it isn’t something to take forward with them, it’s something that allows them to finally move forward.
In Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy Eric Liedtke, Former Adidas Brand President, speaks to the immense pressure brands place on consumers to seem eco-friendly, or hit certain eco targets. I was reminded of this as I saw the above image outside an Officeworks (a major stationery/office supplies store). I looked up the more current figures and as of 2024, 43 stores now have solar panels. As consumers, we are told to recycle, buy recyclable items, make responsible decisions, not waste water, eat with wooden forks etc., yet Officeworks, which has over 170 stores and according to their own report, made $212 million in earnings for the year. And we are expected to save the environment by putting solar panels on our houses and installing the infrastructure for electric vehicles in our driveway.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles is excellent. The Apple TV Show, based on a book by Rufi Thorpe, the show features Elle Fanning as Margo and Michelle Pfeiffer has her mum with Nick Offerman as her dad. Nicole Kidman is also in it as a lawyer who is also a wrestler. The storyline is different. After becoming pregnant by her university professor, Margo starts an OnlyFans page to earn money and support her baby. Margo’s OnlyFans profile, which she names HungryGhost becomes a creative outlet for Margo. Like most American shows, everybody is very sharp and witty with one another, employing a level of honesty that would have me going over conversations for days. Susie, played by Thaddea Graham, is the ultimate creative director/housemate and friend. The cast is great, the costumes are even better, and you really like these characters.
In a very quick CONSUMED…
Currently watching season 2 of The Chestnut Man. Season 1 is great too if you haven’t seen it. I’m back listening to Harry Styles since the release of the Dance No More film clip (IYKYK), and I wish I could tell you I’ve been reading but I don’t want to lie to you.
I enjoyed Rooster so much, not just for the castings, characters and writing but also the wardrobe! All of Katie's outfits were so good.