What I’m Watching: Mr. Corman (Series Finale)

Mr. Corman: Season 1, Episode 10 “The Big Picture” (B+

Have I mentioned how great the casting is on this show? It really makes me wish that we were getting more of it, especially since most of the terrific talent – like Shannon Woodward and Hugo Weaving – only got to appear in one episode. Jamie Chung is the latest superb addition, an actress I first watched on “The Gifted” and then got to see in an unforgettable guest appearance in another one-season show, “Lovecraft Country.” As Emily, she was instantly interesting, responding pointedly to the comments Josh made over Zoom that didn’t land in the way he intended them. Saying that she wouldn’t have agreed to go on a date with an actual musician put her on the defensive, but he also said “oof” when she revealed that she only listened to the radio. Their conversation was fascinating, moving from people not smiling in pictures to science being made up of stories to the severity of their respective anxieties. Watching them eat dinner together while looking at their screens was sweet, and imagining how things would have gone on a real date as opposed to what they were doing was a productive, powerful, and creative. Emily’s comment about Josh freaking out because he was a white male didn’t go over well, understandably, and I thought there might be a happy ending in store after his honest apology. Instead, we saw him trying not to use a credit card to pay for the recording studio he had tried to rent, and then rocking out to Winston Churchill as the final shot of the series. I’ve found this show captivating at times and frustrating at others, and I do hope that, even if we won’t get more of it, awards bodies will celebrate the quality of the performances, which have been superb across the board.

Series grade: B
Series MVP: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his many costars

What I’m Watching: Mr. Corman (Penultimate Episode)

Mr. Corman: Season 1, Episode 9 “Mr. Corman” (B+)

It’s strange watching this show knowing that it’s not going to continue after this, which is only the case since I’m so far behind and getting to this now second-to-last installment after it’s already been cancelled. While I haven’t always been enthralled by this show’s unpredictability and continuously-changing format, it’s still been quite fascinating and intriguing. This episode is a formidable case study in why a show like this is worth the investment, since it featured a character we had only ever heard and not seen, interacting with Josh one-on-one so that we could understand a very powerful and enduring influence on his life. I would love to have followed the casting process on this show, and the selection of Hugo Weaving, an actor I and most others first encountered back in 1999 with the release of the classic “The Matrix,” was absolutely fantastic. He did a great job of portraying someone who easily could have been tremendously respected and also didn’t realize the impact he had on his son, particularly at a young age when he brought him outside to see the catalytic event that triggered Josh’s apocalyptic visions that cripple his life. Knowing that we won’t see him again is sad since it was such a memorable and terrific performance, and this just makes me hope that Weaving gets other roles like this. I have no clue what – or who – to expect in what is now the series finale, but I hope that it will be a fulfilling conclusion to this eccentric series.

What I’m Watching: Mr. Corman

Mr. Corman: Season 1, Episode 8 “Hope You Feel Better” (B+)

Earlier this year, a number of films started to premiere about life during the pandemic that I found thoroughly relatable and enjoyable, and I’m appreciating the way some television series are handling the sudden onset of a new reality in a similar way: incorporating it into their storylines midseason just as it at one point became a part of every viewer’s life. Josh already has plenty of anxiety which makes his functioning in the world more difficult, and the freaking out he did here didn’t spill over into his teaching but did affect his personal relationships. The trap he continually found himself in while handling the burgers was entertaining and completely understandable given early wiping habits that others like Josh would surely still do to this day, and Victor’s need to go to work since his job depended on him being out and about showed how different people had to respond based on their circumstances and the nature of their work. Going to his mom’s house to quarantine even though Victor hadn’t actually been exposed to anything was a bit of overkill that so many people still did, and I loved that she tried to screen his call when he could clearly hear that someone had come over, which didn’t sit well with his isolation ideology. Larry’s politics are also not aligned with how Josh sees the world, and it was fun, if quite awkward, to hear them talk at the table and then go for a daring walk out into the world together.

What I’m Watching: Mr. Corman

Mr. Corman: Season 1, Episode 7 “Many Worlds” (B)

Just as this show was starting to follow a more traditional narrative pattern, with changing titles and superhero montages thrown in, this episode was a real diversion from that, presenting a series of possibilities that could have been. I was confused at first, in part because the audience members weren’t moving and those on stage were, and there wasn’t a clear timeline of when things were happening. I was equally puzzled and pleased to see Emily Tremaine, an absolute standout of the pilot episode, back as Lindsey, who in this case made for a mother to Josh’s child and an unhappy partner that didn’t want to put up with his antics. Megan was more understanding of how he was and how he acted, and that life felt extremely different from the one he had as a teacher since it put him right in the middle of a lot of noise rather than distant from the rest of the world and often retreated into himself, particularly when his apocalyptic visions manifested. The intervention with Ruth was a dramatic event, and I was most interested to see how Elizabeth approached it given her previous appearance as an antagonistic figure who had steeled herself against expectations of how her brother and mother would behave, even if they hadn’t yet done anything in that moment to inspire her anger. As always, this show is mesmerizing and intriguing, but it’s hard to get attached and feel fully drawn in without the opportunity to experience it in a coherent linear fashion.

What I’m Watching: Mr. Corman

Mr. Corman: Season 1, Episode 6 “Funeral” (B+)

After an episode like the previous one, it was fascinating to see Josh in a completely different context, away at a funeral for one of his close friends and surrounded by nothing by silence and then by plenty of people checking in on him as if he had never left. I had seen images of Juno Temple in the show and I’m so glad that she got to have a part. I was a fan of hers before “Ted Lasso” and, while she is absolutely excellent on that show, it’s great to see her in a completely different role, with an American accent and a far less self-assured attitude. Asking Josh if he was avoiding her and then catching him when he said he was going to go to the airport to get an earlier flight that didn’t exist was a wonderful warm-up to him coming over to her house, where her parents were both very happy to see him and pretend as if he and Megan were still an item that could just restart from where they had left off. Megan jokingly accusing Josh of bothering him to a concerned bystander in the market showcased a much lighter mood than how she got when he tried to kiss her and she ran through the multitude of reasons why they couldn’t be together. Her mom vomiting the fruit dip felt like it came from out of nowhere, but this show is all about the randomness, which does work sometimes. I also liked that Megan looked at the signs of impending doom that Josh was seeing, not able to perceive them herself but attuned to how he saw the world and that he was experiencing something very distressing. I can’t imagine we’ll see her again, but I’d be very happy to.

What I’m Watching: Mr. Corman

Mr. Corman: Season 1, Episode 5 “Action Adventure” (B+)

I appreciated the opportunity to see some sort of consistency in this episode, bringing back a character we got to know quite intimately in the previous episode and allowing him to play his normal supporting part in Josh’s life. That said, Josh wasn’t too front-and-center here either, aside from the opening scene where he was a star with his students and then got to flirt with his art teacher. I was thrilled to recognize Amanda Crew, an actress I enjoyed watching throughout “Silicon Valley,” and their flirtation while he asked about her costume and then she accepted his invitation to hang out later was indicative of later excitement that did not end up materializing. Instead, we got Victor hanging on Dax’s every word as he tried to take his social media advice and, as usual, everyone ended up pretty much ignoring Josh. That all changed when Dax got into a fight with someone at the very end of the episode and Josh was pulled in from his latest apocalyptic hallucination for an epic battle that played out like a video game with everyone already ready to go in their costumes. It’s just the latest bizarre style utilized on this show that has become reliable for its ever-changing nature. Ending with the news that Dax was dead was jarring, and Josh wasn’t too happy to hear that revelation followed up by Victor’s realization that he had just hit 500 followers, an ill-timed if relatively appropriate way to commemorate the life of their late friend and influencer.

What I’m Watching: Mr. Corman

Mr. Corman: Season 1, Episode 4 “Mr. Morales” (B+)

Just as with the second and third episodes, this fourth one gives absolutely no indication of what the show as a whole will be like, featuring just a short scene with its title character and even renaming the show “Mr. Morales” because of its focus on Arturo Castro’s Victor (Morales). This show is feeling more and more like “Ramy,” a series that isn’t afraid to take an entire half-hour and devote it to a supporting player so that they get their chance to shine and take the spotlight. I enjoyed seeing Castro, an actor I’ve previously encountered in villainous roles on “Narcos” and “Silicon Valley,” get to have his own deadpan experience with unpredictable antics in his life. His relationship with Gabby was particularly fun, and I have to commend actress Miley Delgado on a truly astounding first TV credit. She brings plenty of personality and energy to the role, and I love the way that she responded to her father’s good-natured attempts to bond with her and be relevant. Michelle Ortiz was also great as Vanessa, who was initially not an ally for Victor but then got very much on the same page with him when Gabby showed them both attitude. I also enjoyed how Josh’s “friend” Caroline helped alleviate some of the tension between Victor and Gabby, showing that maybe he’s a little bit cooler than his daughter seems to think and likes to constantly tell him, also pushing him to be okay with things he wouldn’t necessarily deem appropriate for his young daughter.

Take Three: Mr. Corman

Mr. Corman: Season 1, Episode 3 “Happy Birthday” (B)

There is no consistency whatsoever on this show, with each of the first three episodes coming across remarkably differently. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet Ruth’s new boyfriend, played by Debra Winger’s real-life husband Arliss Howard, and witness that little exchange of familiarity that didn’t hit Josh in the best way. The drive to Elizabeth’s house was very enlightening, and both she and Aaron were described in such a specific and unkind way that it was hard not to have expectations before they even appeared on screen. Ruth suggesting that Josh was anti-Semitic for resenting his brother-in-law’s religiousness elicited a meager defense on his part – that he was half-Jewish – and he was much friendlier to him in person than I would have thought given that charged conversation. I’m very happy to see Shannon Woodward, an actress I’ve liked since “The Riches” who recently appeared in a too-small role on “Westworld,” as Elizabeth, and the way that she communicated both her need for people to buy the specific gifts she told them to and her fury at Josh for questioning God’s existence was fantastic. I hope we’ll get to see more of her again, but I’m not too optimistic given this show’s constantly changing focus. Ruth’s need to pee was an impetus for something I did not see coming, a musical number with a magical background and the two of them dancing on the roof. That’s one way to show that they can’t say I love you to each other, I guess.

Round Two: Mr. Corman

Mr. Corman: Season 1, Episode 2 “Don’t Panic” (B)

If I didn’t know what to make of this show after episode one, I’m even less sure now. This second installment was nothing like the first, absent the enthralling if tempestuous romantic interaction and much opportunity for Josh to interact with his students. Instead, the sight of some celestial occurrence sent him off the deep end, obsessing over the fragility of the world and his place in it. The fact that he waited on hold to find a doctor’s office that might be able to see him only to get extremely frustrated that one physician wouldn’t see new parents for a good deal of time shows how little he’s properly treated his anxiety in the past, since a repeat event should mean that he’s dealt with it in some way in the past. I enjoyed how Victor swooped in there, ready to comfort him both emotionally and physically, creating his own weighted blanket so that they didn’t have to spend a fortune online. Brian had a different approach, one that mostly involved drugs and a legitimate expression of how he felt like he only came to him when he needed him rather than to just hang out. We learn enough about Josh just from the way he talks to other people, including his miserable rejection to learning that his father must have opened another credit card in his name, one whose debt he was now being chased to pay. I’m still curious to see what new approach and content episode three will offer.

Pilot Review: Mr. Corman

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.