Take Three: Feed the Beast

Feed the Beast: Season 1, Episode 3 “Screw You, Randy” (C+)

I think I’m done with this show since it’s not showing any signs of improving and doesn’t seem to be headed in too interesting a direction. Most problematically, there’s absolutely no sense of subtlety. Every scene is articulated to such an excessive degree that absolutely nothing is left to the imagination. Tommy and Pilar’s near-romance, for instance, didn’t include too much conversation but they still managed to say everything they felt even if a good portion of it could have been left unsaid. That’s doubly true for the Tooth Fairy and his late father, who had no qualms about very loudly announcing the specifics of their extralegal exploits and telling his son just how stupid he was for not making the smart moves in business, namely allowing those who crossed him to live so that he could go around threatening to pull out their teeth. It seems foolhardy to think that there will be no implications for stealing $100,000 worth of wine from Tommy’s former employer, and Dion bringing an unstable member of Tommy’s support group with him on the job knowing nothing about him other than that he is shifty and reacts badly to surprises was not his brightest decision. The episode’s title is meant to indicate the new outlook that Tommy has on building up his business and his success, and it’s not a pretty sight, nor a terribly compelling one. This show could have been good and interesting, but it’s a pale imitation of other AMC series which it shamelessly tries to mimic with its musical cues and brooding storylines.