What I’m Watching: Brockmire

Brockmire: Season 1, Episode 5 “Breakout Year” (B+)

Brockmire really does represent a facet of society that lives and operates in a world and sector dominated by technology yet has absolutely no understanding of it. Charles is incredibly useful as a translator of what things mean, talking to him about the way that internet stardom hits and what you can do to capitalize on it. Brockmire is unfamiliar enough with technology that he’s not going to log on to a computer at home by himself but instead needs to be coached through it all by the young savvy social media master. All Brockmire is interested in is the chance to be a major league player – or rather, commentator – again, and all through this he has neglected to notice that he’s in a supportive situation with Jules and with Charles, doing something that he enjoys even if he feels that it’s beneath him. He was ready for that big interview and then it just got bumped because of a sex tape, a toss of the coin that suddenly made him completely irrelevant again. Having older fans who aren’t slaves to the internet still show up to admire him was a sweet way to bracket this rollercoaster ride, but in this show’s subtle way, it just moved right on to something wholly new and unexpected. Jules probably could have found a better and much less public time to tell Brockmire that she was pregnant, but something tells me that he would have reacted the same way no matter when she spilled the beans. I’m curious to see what comes of this, though I’m sure the solution will be unconventional.