It’s always hard to tell exactly what a show is going to be like after the pilot episode. All you can really hope for in the introduction to a new series is to be intrigued, moved, or tickled enough to want to tune in again. So, how did I feel after watching the first episode of Showtime’s The Big C? I’ll say this: I will be turning in for the second episode.
Was it a flawless pilot? Certainly not. There is enough here, however to keep me (and I think quite a few others) watching. The material is certainly difficult to deal with. To make a comedy about a woman dying from melanoma is a challenge. Although, it does get a little easier when you get stellar leads like Laura Linney and Oliver Platt. Seriously, why haven’t these two been on my TV more regularly? I’ve been a fan of Linney’s for a long time, and it’s clear that this show is going to live or die by her performance.
That bodes well for the series. Cathy Jamison is definitely an interesting character, and watching her come to terms with her fate and live her remaining days to the fullest is going to be a ride. The writers certainly set up a lot of unique characters for Cathy to interact with, each one a little bit of a stereotype. There’s the bitchy loaner neighbor, the unruly son, the childlike husband. Indeed, a lot of the material seems a tad cliche, such as Cathy only eating desserts for a meal. Some of it seems right out of a Queen Latifah movie.
It’s my hope that the series doesn’t delve into the predictable. If we see Cathy bungee jumping or sky diving in the next few weeks I am going to be sorely disappointed. Of course the expectation is that she is going to start “living each day like it’s her last,” but if the series is going to succeed it needs to surprise the audience. The strength of the cast can only bring you so far.
With all that being said, there are enough promising storylines that I have hope The Big C will be a great series. I definitely want to see her continue to torture her obnoxious son. I’m curious to see how the relationship between her and her husband is going to change and develop. Then there is her career as a seemingly uninterested teacher. I think one of my favorite moments of the premiere was when Cathy put on The Patriot for her students, describing its poor historical accuracy and Mel Gibson’s performance (“medium good”). More of that and I will be satisfied.
I’ll definitely be tuning in again. Will you?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Aug 16, 2010 @ 23:00 EST5EDT
Loved it.
Made up for the horrible Weeds big time.
I just so enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next episode. The whole classroom scene was great. “The Patriot is about 20% correct, but you will learn more from it than I can ever teach and you will know more than 99% of Americans”. Just awesome.
Her son is an ass, and I’m so glad she got back at him and the previews with her paint balling is school bus is insanely funny!
Perfect cast, just great!
I was really disappointed. I was only interested in the first place for Laura Linney, yet I found her Cathy to be terribly predictable and not the least bit sincere. Oliver Platt seems like a joke, the son’s a horrible human being, and Gabourey Sidibe’s much hyped small screen debut fell flat.
If I was interested in anyone it was in Reid Scott (Cathy’s doctor), and John Benjamin Hickey (her brother). For them (and for Linney’s giant status) I’ll tune in again, but what a disappointment.
I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. There were a lot of laugh out loud moments, and I loved the bathtub scene and the son screaming like a little girl. “The Patriot” thing was also hilarious and how timely! My only issue is that I’m already wondering how long the series can go on and if it will end with her death or if they’ll let the show fade away before she does.
If the show is a hit I can see her being “cured” and not have it for a season or so.