CBS’s surprise summer hit gives up the funk – and the fun.
Watching the fifth episode of CBS’s summer series Swingtown this evening, we realized advertisers are afraid. Local ads run during the show were the kind normally reserved for the 2am to 6am crowd: Time Life boxed sets of hippie music, car title loans, those ubiquitous and patronizing DanActive yogurt spots, and men’s discount suit warehouses. That’s a shame, because after months of delays and network hemming and hawing Swingtown is turning out to be one of the surprise gems of the summer season, ranking in the top 20 of viewers aged 18-49.
Perhaps the initial marketing of the show is to blame for this hesitance. The show’s original hype centered around couples swinging in the Seventies, essentially having lots of meaningless, hairy sex. But as the show has progressed, this tawdry premise has given way to a much more complicated exploration of interpersonal dynamics between three sets of spouses during a period in history in which so much was changing politically. One couple epitomizes the swinger lifestyle, another couldn’t be more chaste if they tried, and the third wanders in the gray area between those extremes and struggles to find where they fit. Sex absolutely plays a part, but, as in tonight’s episode (which features a fundraiser for Deep Throat star Harry Reems), it’s shown more often as a component of married life – not the most important thing in the world, but not trivial, either.
The cast is, for the most part, spot-on in their roles. Molly Parker is the show’s standout as Susan Miller, the suburban housewife who is exploring new possibilities outside the confines of her home and her limited role within it. Lana Parrilla and Grant Show are intriguing as Trina and Tom Decker, the swinging couple from across the street, and their ability to show vulnerability while maintaining commitment to their lifestyle speaks to their talent as actors. Miriam Shor and Josh Hopkins, as Janet and Roger Thompson, have taken what could have been stiff, teetotalling characters and given them a depth that makes them oftentimes the most interesting characters to watch.
But all is not perfect. The weak link at present is Jack Davenport, whose portrayal of Bruce Miller suffers from his seeming inability to emote with pathos or use more than two facial expressions. As a result, Bruce tends to come off as either a whiny manchild or so laid back that one wonders if anything would get to him. Juxtaposed with the nuanced performances of his castmates, Davenport’s portrayal could use some guidance – or at least one scene where he has to really lose his lethargic cool.
As with any new show, there are kinks. The producers are so intent on proving authenticity to the time period that parts of the episodes feel like retro product placement. For instance, tonight’s episode featured the Millers’ son offering a friend a Yoo-Hoo, rather than a simple drink. If it is simple product placement, it’s sloppy, and if it’s not, it’s unnecessary.
There are quite a few distracting subplots: a romance between the Millers’ teenaged daughter and her teacher; a drug-addicted neighbor whose Foxes-era Jodi Foster-esque daughter befriends the Millers’ son; a stalking ex-boyfriend who only stalls the story’s forward motion. Promising, doomed recent shows like Journeyman and Carpoolers similarly suffered from trying to juggle too many subplots; it would be a shame if a similar fate happened here.
But overall Swingtown appears to be hitting its funky stride. Each episode has been better than the one before it, and the characters continue to develop naturally and interestingly. Mad Men it may not yet be, but it’s getting pretty good at doing its own thing.
- Jennifer Vasil
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
