(S01E02) It's going to get harder and harder for Mitch and Bill to explain away the miraculous occurrences going on around them by way of their own neuroses now. Last week, Bill could chalk up Zippy the Wonder Bird's resurrection to his senility, and Mitch could decide that his levitating abilities came courtesy of a plumcot-sized brain tumor.
Bill, at least, is going to have a hard time rationalizing Shaunie coming back from the dead... well, brain dead. It's also getting harder and harder to believe that John is human. His predictions from last week are all coming true. Well, they weren't really predictions then. They were incoherent babblings being said while Barry, the Lotto winner, went all crazy pants. Here's what he said:
"We are all frail vessels."
"Butchie's mom hurt Barry's head."
"Room 24 will give up its dead, and the dead will be forgiven."
"Where Ramon is from they would build Mitch a shrine."
"One good blowjob rocks the Jew lawyer's world."
"Shaun will soon be gone."
We didn't get the blowjob this week, but we got just about everything else. This, of course, doesn't make John not human, but his lack of crapping abilities would seem to. Despite his assurances, John can, in fact, not take a "dump that a man can be proud of." What are we thinking - an alien, an angel, a metaphysical concept?
Barry gets weirder and weirder himself. I was surprised to hear him publicly refer to his conferences with Teddy, but we probably shouldn't be that surprised by anything Milch throws at us in this metaphysical mystery by way of the gutter show.
Deadwood's Dayton Callie turned in a stellar performance as Butchie's oddly benevolent dealer Freddie. In fact, all the performances seemed to even out this week - De Mornay came back into normal range, and Keala Kennelly found her groove.
I refrained from surfing metaphors last week, but going into the show's second week, I'm finding that John from Cincinnati is easier to take if you just go with the flow; ride the wave; hang loose; whatever, dude. I am Thou, and Thou art I. And he shalt raise the dead, and thou shalt call him Zippy. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, indeed.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-18-2007 @ 3:49AM
Owen said...
I am SO loving this show....
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6-18-2007 @ 9:39AM
Hill said...
I am loving this show as well. I thought this week's episode was stronger than the premiere.
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6-18-2007 @ 10:55AM
colby said...
Listen ...
Haven't seen the show, and probably won't for a while (don't have HBO, Showtime, er whatever pay network it's on) ... at least until it comes out on DVD.
I like Bruce Greenwood ... think he's a great actor. Loved him in 13 Days.
I was intrigued by the show when I heard about it's premise.
All that said ... reading the episodes synopsis(s) it sounds like the most idiotic series on television. Perhaps I should just keep a blind eye to it until that DVD release. : P
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6-18-2007 @ 11:15AM
Mike Davis said...
So far, so good.
It's a nice thing, coming into a mysterious show from the start and try to figure out what's what.
But I have never seen such a split in acting.
There are obviously two sorts of "performers" on this show: there are the actors and there are the surf people.
The surf people kill the show dead when they are given something non-surfy to do.
Sadly, I gotta throw DeMornay in this group. Man, watching her act is like watching someone do long division in their heads. She is deadly.
That said, I hope the show continues to entertain.
More Luis and Dayton and crazy pants Barry!
Peace.
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6-18-2007 @ 8:17PM
Stephen said...
We sacrificed Deadwood after only three seasons for this?!?!
Don't get me wrong, JFC is turning out to be strangely unique in its own way, but is no where, NO WHERE as rich as Deadwood was linguistically, doesn't come close to as compelling characters and really doesn't come up and smack you like Deadwood always could, week after week.
Milch had better make John walk on water (no pun intended) for this to stop burning his like in effigy. And where are our two, 2-hour Deadwood movies already! Arghhh.
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6-18-2007 @ 1:57PM
RockRobertson said...
I waited till I could watch both episodes back-to-back on onDemand. The Deadwood team is rocking the beatbox and I couldn't be more pleased.
Given the background mural during the phone call, I'm guessing "Second Coming". just not sure who yet...
And forget crazy-pants. How about John and his Magic Pants!
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6-19-2007 @ 2:31AM
Sonburn said...
#6. You and everyone else who keeps comparing this show to Deadwood, or blaming this show for Deadwood's demise needs to give it a rest. I loved Deadwood, and for whatever reason Milch and HBO just couldn't figure out a way to make it work... so they moved on, so should we.
#4. I completely agree with you. The youngest Yost, Kai, DeMornay, are all the weakest links on the show. I don't know if they just haven't found their groove, or if we should point the finger at the casting director. Hopefully it will iron itself out over the next few episodes.
I'm staying in for a few more sets.
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6-19-2007 @ 1:28PM
Sonburn said...
Just thinking about the show a bit more... and wondering why nobody is talking about John's ability to be tuned into thoughts or conversations he shouldn't be able to hear.
When Butchie was walking up to John on the dock, Butchie was saying "What do you want John, what do you effin want?!" and yet his lips weren't moving, like he was thinking it. The pace of Butchie's voice also implied it the comments were internal thoughts. Yet John, and us, heard it while he was peering through the telescope (metaphor anyone?).
Also, during the closing scene of the premiere episode, John was able to hear, repeat, predict what Sissy and others were saying even though they were on the shore and he was out on the waves. Very interesting.
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6-20-2007 @ 3:55AM
Kevin Kelly said...
I think John might be a genie of some sort. Just wanted to put it in ink somewhere.
Reply
6-29-2007 @ 7:33PM
Steve Hammons said...
The articles below address some of the elements in "John from Cincinnati" and might be of interest ...
“Developments in science, human consciousness hold promise of new discoveries, better world”
American Chronicle
June 28, 2007
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=30886
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“New HBO series 'John from Cincinnati' has metaphysical mysteries”
American Chronicle
June 14, 2007
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=29716
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