Things are a little more sane this week as we move back to drama with Cell. This one is a little difficult to explain. Not because it’s hard to follow or complicated, but because there are so many little surprises that to really tell you much about it would ruin the fun of experiencing the series yourself. So, I’ll try to tread lightly as I set things up.
The story begins simply enough, as we see Brian (Danny Cameron) dumped on a cot in a cell by the mysterious Michael. When he finally wakes up, he has no idea where he is, or why he is there. The beauty of that is that we, the viewer, are in the exact same position. The mystery of why Brian is there quickly becomes the focus of the show, even more so than what will happen to Brian. The result is that you’re instantly drawn in.
What really seals the deal though, is the appearance of The Woman (Jourdan Gibson). When Brian finally notices her in the cell across from him, he assumes that she’ll have all of the answers he’s looking for. That’s really not the case, which is bad for Brian, but oh so good for the viewers. The Woman is positively fascinating, and I’ll give equal credit for that to Gibson’s performance and the writing and directing of creator Mark Gardner.
From the moment we meet her, every word or movement is so quiet and purposeful. I actually caught myself leaning in to the screen, trying to coax the information out of her. As if that would help…. It again puts us squarely in Brian’s shoes, as he tries desperately to make sense of it all. Her mysterious way also raised doubts in my mind about just what side of this thing she might be on. It’s a very cool character and an outstanding performance that has Gibson high on my list of favorites.
There are eight episodes to enjoy at the moment, with five more from season one still on the way. The bulk of it has us trying to learn just what is going on as more pieces of the puzzle are slowly revealed. The vast majority of those answers come from interactions between Brian and The Woman, although we also meet The Man (Kevin McCarthy). He sheds a bit of light himself, and is another terrifically intriguing character.
It’s really quite a remarkable thing after you step back and look at it. This is just one tiny little set, with just three actors. But once you buy in to the story, it all feels so much grander than that. A classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. There is a bigger picture here that has so much potential. Halfway through you’re practically begging for answers. I’m really looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. Especially since Gardner described the end of season one in an interview with popculturemonster by saying, “The world that we built blows up.” Awesome.
You can check out all eight of the episodes, along with some behind the scenes videos and a teaser for the final five, at the show’s KoldCast page. For even more information, be sure to check the official Cell site, Lovable Varmint, twitter and facebook as well. Here’s episode one to get you started.
In preview news, we have a fun one this week. From Elle, it’s Dirty Little Secret. Now, the fact that I wear a baseball cap 16 hours out of every day, and that I’m typing this while wearing a soccer jersey that I purchased with Pepsi points in the ’90s, should tell you that I’m not one to normally be reading the Elle website, or following the latest advances from TRESemmé. So how did I end up stumbling on Elle’s Dirty Little Secret? Because it features the illustrations of CliqueClack’s own Annie Wu!
The show follows the beautiful and talented aspiring hair stylist Riley Kendrick (who makes me think of Annie’s Virgin Suicides cover) as she tries to navigate the world of high fashion, threatening rivalries, and dirty little secrets. It officially kicks off on May 25th. For now, you can check out a trailer and learn about the girls. Even better, there’s also an interview with Annie that shows a bit of her process. Between here and TVS I’ve been working with Annie for almost four years now, and I really couldn’t be happier for her. So, from all of us at CliqueClack, congratulations Annie!
Clacked by Brett Love 
on May 19, 2010 @ 10:30 EST5EDT
“Cell” is one of the most impressive dramas I’ve seen on the web. I haven’t watched the full series yet, so thanks for a spoiler-free review!
Thanks for the great review! Really glad you like the show and can’t wait to see what you all think of the end of Season 1
*POST AUTHOR*
Mark, on a completely different topic… I was at a focus group for one of our local theatres yesterday, and it occurred to me that Cell would transfer to the stage very well. Is that something you’ve ever considered?
Funny you mentioned that. We just had a conversation about that Monday night at a midnight ADR session. I hadn’t really considered that before but it’s an interesting thought. I wonder what kind of draw we could get for a stage presentation.
*POST AUTHOR*
Ohhhhh, creepy. Like I’m reading your mind… :D I suppose it all depends on the theatre community where you are. I could see a staged version of Cell working in Seattle though. We have some fringe theatre groups that do some things that are off the beaten path. So, in a survey of one, 100% of respondents would totally buy a ticket.
LOL. Well looks like we need to talk to Seattle about doing an adaptation. Know anyone? :-)