Round Two: Little Voice

Little Voice: Season 1, Episode 2 “I Will Survive” (B+)

There’s a sincerity about this show that makes it very effective for me. Bess isn’t the only person who’s been through this kind of experience, and her circumstances aren’t all that terrible that she’s struggling to get by. Instead, she knows the kind of reliable work she can get – as a bartender – and understands that she’s partially responsible for the lack of anything else panning out. Mainly, she just wants to make it big, and in this case, even a paying gig that got Benny so excited turned out not to be what was promised. But the experience is still helpful, and it was great to see the way that Samuel interacted with her. I couldn’t peg where I had seen actor Colton Ryan before this, and I now see that he was one of the stars of “The Social Ones,” a funny send-up of social media stardom that’s now on VOD. Interrupting her at the storage unit with notes on her tempo was bold but she ended up taking his advice, and I like that he delivered on his promise to tune her out if she started going off the deep end in her introduction, which of course he had to do right away. Playing opposite her under the arch in Washington Square Park was cute, and I think these two have a real future together, definitely as musical collaborators and possibly as something more than that. Louie really is an endearing character, and I liked the enthusiasm he showed when he tried on the perfect suit. I hope he gets that job and look forward to seeing what happens when he starts suggesting his own hours.