Grid Effect

First off, it doesn’t look like were going to be able to squeeze in Journeyman. Not that we can’t find the time, or that we have anything better to do: we don’t. But the series looks so unappealing that were just going to delete it from the DVR and pretend it doesn’t exist. So, sorry Journeyman fans, we know you’re a vast demographic but were going to cut our losses before there are any to speak of.

The alluded to pilot in question is Cane, its like The Sopranos with sugar and Cubans, and less even writing and patience. In the pilot, something significant happens to every major character, and there are close to a couple hundred of them. Its good to see their attempting to refute that “Latinos live in huddled masses” stereotype. Seriously, they may live in a mansion and run a fortune 500, but that house still can’t comfortably hold all these characters that we’re already supposed to care about. Christ. At least The Wire used an entire city, this series seldom leaves the patriarch’s estate.

There was a lot wrong with this series. For starters, it was entirely too frantic, especially for a pilot. Keeping the characters straight or their relation to each other is damn near impossible, so the best solution is to just assume the age difference defines the relationship. And for all of its anxiousness, the episode was pretty bland. And really, Is the sugar cane business so dramatic? If you saw this, then watched Syriana, you’d think the oil trade runs smoothly. Speaking of which, The writers are pretty convinced on the ability of sugar ethanol to run our cars on an international scale. If Cane can solve the world’s energy crisis, then I’ll take back everything I said in this post.

There are a few recognizable faces. Well, two actually. Jimmy Smits, and Tobias Beecher is a head of a rival company with a Texas accent. He seems believable in the role. Maybe Miguel Alvarez will show up. Oh wait, I forgot, he’s Italian.

In an episode where the son decides to skip college, the daughter illegally goes to a club, a family mystery is revealed and a pivotal familial decision is made, this is the most exciting picture on their website. The should put together a collage of all the plot points.

The technical elements of this show are fairly sub-par. Are they really going to jump in and out of languages like this? I appreciate the stab at realism, but this isn’t The Godfather. Obviously. They could keep Jimmy Smits and his scowling at the camera to one language and I’d buy it. Like every CBS series, there isn’t a heavy focus on character development, the plot fires right up with some psychedelic flashback scenes, man. And we learn that the dad’s sister was murdered by someone who’s looking to buy their sugar company or some such nonsense when she was three years old…Seems like a valid enough reason to Mike Vick him, much less not allow him to profit off of you. But the shows approach is akin to, “This sort of thing happens all the time in the sugar trade, you simpleton”, so I guess its innocuous.

This series is a whirlwind of dramatics. They should really put the breaks on all of this development to make it more palpable with the audience. Everything is so supposed to be a major development but comes off as insignificant considering we’ve known each character for roughly five or six minutes. I mean, Jimmy Smits has already confronted the guy about murdering his aunt. This is entirely too eventful for one episode. Its all in flashbacks as well, how un-The Wire of them. Meaning, the writers/producers have no faith in the acumen of their audience.

Anyhow, someone is murdered to close the episode while the family watches fireworks. I have no idea who the victim is, probably because there hasn’t been enough time for me to care. God, this show is like 24 without the time constraints. They could really learn something from Mad Men, or any FX dramatic series for that matter.