What I’m Watching: Transparent (Season Finale)

Transparent: Season 4, Episode 10 “House Call” (B-)

My timing finishing this show’s season comes at a very interesting and unfortunate juncture in its life, as Jeffrey Tambor has been accused of sexually inappropriate behavior and decided to quit the show as a result. I do think that Tambor’s performance continues to be excellent, though the way he acts on set apparently is not. An easy way to deal with his departure is to cast a transgender actress in his place to play Maura, though I’m not sure that this show, which had previously been renewed, is going to end up continuing at all. While I don’t think that it’s hit rock bottom, I do think there are some serious issues with this show and its ability to focus. This episode ended with two of its characters talking to imagined people that they know aren’t there, diving deeper into isolation, while the other adult child didn’t bother to listen to her husband pointing out that he might have impregnated the woman they had just broken up with before having break-up sex. This trip to Israel only seems to have made a real impact on Ali, who decided to stick around for something that’s no longer there anymore. The scenario back at the rented Pfefferman home was just plain bizarre, as Maura thought she could just throw August out and he ended up just lying down on the floor in an act of passive resistance before Shelly intimidated him into leaving. This show doesn’t flow narratively in a coherent way, and while its dreamlike nature can sometimes be captivating, it doesn’t work all that well in recommending a cohesive show. I would come back for a fifth season if it ends up existing in some form, but this show isn’t what it once was.

Season grade: B
Season MVP: Jeffrey Tambor as Maura