IR TV Review: THE BOROUGHS [Netflix]
The context of "The Boroughs" [Netflix] coming from the Duffer Brothers is, like "Stranger Things" about taking some great, often underused actors, from the 80s and giving them a new playground in which to play in while also integrating genre and a would-be existential threat. The perspective here is led by Sam (Alfred Molina) who after the death of his wife finds his daughter (Jena Malone) helping him move into his own home in a retirement community called The Boroughs in Arizona. He is retired engineer and it speaks on the aspect that people's strengths are sometimes forgotten but still useful. The first visitor he gets is another throwback from the time period who also has still been steadily working. There is the essence of lost time within their reflection. There is even a great easter egg in the first episodes to one of Molina's first and best known works with a specific idol hidden in shot. Now granted since this is the Duffer Brothers there is a genre element playing into this idea. It does take a few episodes to get going but it is about how people come together.
Geena Davis gets to play in the sand box as Renee who is not really a retiree but almost. At one point there is a great "Thelma & Louise" homage but again these are there for people to notice and not the inherent part of the plot. This is the most Davis has had to play in a while probably because she is picky and yet still has the urge to work with certain people. Her comedic chops are of course as sharp as ever. The person who has the most context besides Sam as time goes on is Wally (played by True Blood's Denis O'Hare). There are some great moments between him and Davis almost commenting as if the fourth wall has been broken on the state of life. As much as the series wants to play with ideas of expectations, it does need to follow a closed circuit plot until the end which may or maybe not work. It is better when the characters just hang out. Clarke Peters has an interesting arch as Alfre Woodard's husband and the reflection of who they were and who they become is interesting mirrored by the young heads of the development in Annalise (Alice Kremelberg) and Blaine (Seth Numrich) who are more than they seem. The younger couple provide the genre bent but their story in terms of path would be great to see in a prequel.
However as the script moves on it bends to its genre underpinnings although one of the later episodes (which shows the actual reason and mechanics of what is going on) actually plays well because it is not about evil, it is about survival and perspective. The story also plays with the perception element that "Don't Worry Darling" directed by Olivia Wilde tried to do a little bit a couple years ago. This story fares a little bit better though it is not as cinematic. The needle drops are cool as well but the plot progression does get a little Keystone Kops towards the end of the proceedings, despite its best intentions. At one point when Sam's engineer builds a device in his home, it has that bit of "Goonies" lore to it especially when his daughter (played by Jena Malone -- who is underused) recognizes what he is doing. Their relationship plays out the best because both of these actors can show lack of communication while showing the underlying emotion. Malone likely wanted to hang out with this crowd since it is great casting without breaking the bank. Also the VFX is not overwhelming so it likely came in at a little smaller budget. It is hard to say where it goes but it is a neat concept even if it is a little boxed in. "The Boroughs" is the Duffer Brothers continuing to play in this sandbox while keeping the closed environment which has served them well without going too far off the reservation. B
By Tim Wassberg
