#Shining Vale

[yayatriangleofsadness]

Shining Vale (s1, 2022)

[iconsfinder]

[booasaur]

Shining Vale - 2x06

[postguiltypleasures]

My Peak TV Journey Evil

Five years ago, I chose three network shows to follow and gather articles about them as they aired. I had been doing massive round ups and summaries of articles about the ends of the series’s. (I started and never finished ones for Pose, Schitt’s Creek and Brooklyn 99. I haven’t rewatched or reread any of the articles so I probably never will.) It was a lot of work, and then two of the shows I chose to follow from their start were canceled. Evil, the best of them, was the only one that remained. Eventually I mostly stopped looking for articles about it, and I switched to this format of trying to write a personal review of everything that I watch. There also seemed to be less articles about television than there were five years ago? Or at least covering fewer shows . While watching the final season I would click on links for articles like “Best Shows Streaming Right Now” and not see it listed. Only then weeks later I’d find an article about Evil being extremely underrated. Also before the final season, the first two seasons were put on Netflix, and got a larger audience than ever before. So maybe someone will find my guides to writings about the show from its first seasons and thank me for putting it all together?

I will miss this show, it’s been a favorite. I am also kind of angry that there two years between seasons due to real world events. I wish the Kirsten’s daughters’ growth spurts weren’t so obvious, or at least that the show did time jumps to explain them.

I went into the season with mixed feelings about what resolution could mean in a series that relied so much on ambiguity. During the second season, I felt like plots were being weighted to the supernatural explanation of events. This really irritated me at the time because I liked the ability to choose a non supernatural option. But this season felt like it reintroduced this possibility in the way that it emphasized how people working with Leland and Sheryl are in some shared fantasy. Are they actually bringing the anti-Christ into the world? Who knows, but they are all deeply invested in it being true, as well as the “fact” that they work with demons in human skin suits. This allowed me to relax and enjoy the demon design, how they all had names like George and Lou, and not worry about how “real” they were.

This shared fantasy interpretation is kind of poignant with Sheryl’s character. She got involved with all this because she’s angry over the mistreatment in the patriarchal world the Church supports. She liked the idea of destroying that world so much that she ignored all the signs that what she was trading it for was equally sexist and violent until it was too late. On the flip side, Leland seeing his initially slovenly and incompetent attorney as a literal demon with past victims corpses attached to his body was funny.

Part way through the final season I had the realization that the show almost never shows the incident that they are investigating, and that feels revolutionary. It is necessary for maintaining ambiguity about what happened. But also it’s a way to keep people aware that Evil is about how the case sets off reflections amongst the three protagonists. It’s a reminder that this is about subjective experiences, not what happened.

Speaking of subjective experiences, for some reason I thought Ben’s story with the jinn started in the previous season. Someday I will rewatch this whole series and make clear why I thought this, but even with this, the story was fascinating. The way Ben approached it, through various scientific tests and eventually embracing some unscientific associations in his solution, including a real tin foil hat.

The final four episodes kicked off Anna Chlumsky claiming she’s Kristen’s daughter Laura from the future. Only it’s more like that she is a woman Andy is having an affair with in his very expensive rehab facility. But some of her tales from the future are really apocalyptic, and they do lead to attempted murder of children. (Here I am going to share an unpopular opinion. I love the daughters and the ways they talk over each other, even if I barely bothered to learn their names consistently.)

Richard Kind also appears in some of the last episodes. His presence make me think about how A Serious Man is probably a predecessor to Evil, tone wise, keeping the audience not knowing if what’s suggested is real. Then his character did something so shocking I didn’t know what to make of it.

At one point in my note taking I wrote “Finally a plot that in “ and I have no idea what this was in reference. Maybe the deconsecration of the Church scene. I really had never thought about the process of deconsecration. In fact I think the last time was when I was a college student and read Luigi Pirandello’s The Late Mattia Pascal. In that novel the title character and narrator is telling his story from his current job at a library in a deconsecrated church. When reading on my own I assumed that this meant that literature is the new sacredness. But then the teacher pointed out that Pirandello was a nihilist, and this was a way he expressed that. My interpretation showed my lack of Catholic grounding. The scenes on Evil felt like they were substituting that lack. (I have no interest in ever rereading The Late Mattia Pascal because I remember it as an unpleasant read, but other works of Pirandello feel really relevant to these days.)

As I started this series saving articles about it in this commenting/scrapbooking kind of way, it feels fitting that I end it like that too. So here are eight articles I found and read between the show’s final episodes and now.

First is “The Genius of Evil” by Phillip Maciak in The New Republic. It does cover that affect from being raised Catholic, as well as an appreciation of how being goofy is an essential aspect of its spiritual search. It also discusses the Kings work at large, the show as both a throw back to the procedural TV and forward looking in into ambiguity. The article takes time to discuss trends in tv, network vs. cable vs. streaming, and how difficult it is for something like this to find a large audience.

After the finale found this Collider article by Lloyd Farley declaring the season three episode the "Demon of Algorithms" the series’s most shocking episode. The essay also works as a recap of Sheryl’s arc. I really wish there was more of the aftermath of that on screen.

The final season upped the number of the demons and other creatures that appeared on screen. There was some bonus material on Paramount+ about the creature design after the episodes. And here is an interview with Joel Harlow by Mark Peikert in IndieWire. I didn’t really know anything about his career before but it’s a good read.

At The New Yorker current critic Inkoo Kang wrote praises for its spiritual depth, humor and distinctive voice, saying it's like nothing else on television. I am not sure I would say that it’s like nothing else on television. Firstly, there is more television out there than anyone can see or really be aware of. Second I think the (admittedly, already cancelled when this was published) Shining Vale had a lot in common with Evil on a tonal level, though the characters are less explicitly searching for something spiritual. Thirdly, SurrealEstate getting a third season means that there is another unconventional twist on the sci-if/fantasy procedural out there. Tonally I don’t think these two shows have much in common, but both of their recent seasons ended with characters moving to work for the Vatican, so I want to highlight that. I will do a post about SurrealEstate around the end of third season.

Joshua Rivera wrote about the show for The Ringer. Some instances of his arcticle that I disagree with such as that the final episode were angry because the work wasn’t done. (I think the show knew well enough that the work couldn’t be done.) But it also has this quote that I wish I had articulated: “Leland, for all his efforts to corrupt our heroes and bring forth the Antichrist, was never really a foe to vanquish so much as he was a meddler, muddying the waters until he was the only thing visible in them.”

Near the finale the Michelle and Robert King gave an interview to Slate’s Rebecca Onion. They discuss how the first two seasons became successful on Netflix just as it was canceled by Parmount+. They discuss the appeal of shallowness and how that informs how the audience sees certain characters, and leave open the possibility of being picked up again sometime in the future.

After the series wrapped up, Trent Moore at IndieWire wrote about it as a perfect Halloween binge. The article makes repeated general references to The X-Files, which is obvious and kind of misleading. I have followed multiple series that fall under the science fiction/fantasy procedural sub genre, but a lot of people don’t. They may like one, but that’s an exception. Further more, through my very unscientific method of observation of Reddit threads, when there are what to watch after TXF, Evil is rarely mentioned and when it is there are people who tried it and couldn’t believe its tone was on purpose. As someone who grew up with TXF and greatly enjoyed getting to see Kristin Bouchard do things Dana Scully would never be allowed, I get how much of a whiplash going from one show to the other can be. (Even if I haven’t rewatched any TXF since 2015, and don’t intend to unless there are no new sci-fi/supernatural procedurals that I like on the air.)

Finally, I’m including this TVLine year end round up where they put it on the list of most unjust cancellations of the year. (It was on some of their other year in review lists, too.) It had a pretty good ending but it was unjustly fast.

[aroyalpaininthecass]

Just finished Shining Vale season one, it's really good actually! I expected it to be super strange, the title card image gave weird expectations that aren't consistent with the content imo

But struggling writers represent

[inafieldofdaisies]

Shining Vale (2022-) | Season 2, Episode 5, Chapter 13 – The Miracle

[seggggga]

In season 2 episode 3 of Shining Vale, there's a big reference to Rosemary's Baby when Pat's dreaming (she has mousse that's been drugged by her neighbour and ends up being raped (?) by a demon while she's high).

Although in Pat's case it could just be a hallucination, I don't even know anymore.

[bilbobagginsomebabez]

i'm watching shining vale and this woman literally attacked her family with an axe while in psychosis and they just... let her go to show back up at her house no warning to see her family she almost murdered and it made me actually laugh out loud watching her jumpscare the family members one by one.

that is actually how it works. not the axe thing, she would have gone to prison for that. but yeah they give you a bus ticket and leave you on the front doorstep. there's something called a protective hold where if the person being released presents a danger to you, they have to notify you of release but they Do Not Do This.

[movies-tv-more]

SHINING VALE season 2 premieres tonight at 9pm on Starz

[yayatriangleofsadness]

Shining Vale (s1, 2022)

[iconsfinder]

[booasaur]

Shining Vale - 2x07

[pizzaboat]

Shining Vale is seriously one of the funniest shows I've watched in a while... it's jokes always land for me. The timing, the episode pacing

Each ep is like, half an hour long but it feels like you got more in a good way. Like, it never feels like I'm getting needless scenes, or scenes that could've been used to convey more than one message

And the acting is SO good. Like, perfect line delivery. Fucking hidden gem. Its mine now. And I'll sit on AO3 with my zero hits and I'll probably keep writing for it

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You

The Most Beautiful & Humorous Dark Haired👩🏻 American Actress Of The 90's

From the Hit TV show Of NBC'S Greatest TV Sitcom 📺 Since Cheers 🍻 & Fraiser

Born On June 15th, 1964

She was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a daughter of businessman Richard Lewis Cox (1931-2001) and Courteney Copeland (née Bass) (1934-2020). Cox has two older sisters, Virginia and Dorothy, and an older brother, Richard Jr. Her parents divorced in 1974 and her mother then married businessman Hunter Copeland (uncle to music promoter and business manager Ian Copeland and The Police drummer Stewart Copeland).

She is an American actress, director, and producer. She rose to international prominence for playing Monica Geller in the NBC sitcom Friends (1994–2004) and Gale Weathers in the horror film franchise Scream (1996–present). Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award, nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cox has starred in the NBC sitcom Family Ties (1987–1989), the FX drama series Dirt (2007–2008), the ABC/TBS sitcom Cougar Town (2009–2015) which she also directed, and the Starz horror comedy series Shining Vale (2022–2023). Her film credits include the action fantasy Masters of the Universe (1987), the comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), the animated comedy Barnyard (2006), the fantasy comedy Bedtime Stories (2008), and the independent drama Mothers and Daughters (2016).

Cox owns the production company Coquette Productions, which was created by Cox and her then-husband David Arquette. She has directed the television drama film TalhotBlond (2012), the black comedy drama film Just Before I Go (2014), and executive produced the game show Celebrity Name Game (2014–2017}.

Please Wish This Iconic & Sexy Dark Haired American Actress Of The 90's and Early 2000's Of NBC'S FRIENDS & Of The Iconic Slasher Film of The 90's,  Scream 😱

A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

YOU KNOW HER

SHE HAS MADE YOU LAUGH IN THE 90'S

& SHE IS STILL OH SO FINE

THE 1 & ONLY

ONE OF THE SELECT FEW ACTRESSES I EVER HAD A MAJOR CRUSH ON 😍

MS. COURTENEY BASS COX 👩🏻 AKA MONICA GELLER OF NBC'S FRIENDS & GALE WEATHERS OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES

SCREAM 😱👻🔪

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 TO YOU MS. COX 👩🏻& HERE'S TO MANY MORE YEARS TO COME

  #CourteneyCox #Friends #Scream #CougarTown #ShiningVale #MonicaGeller #GaleWeathers

[inafieldofdaisies]

Shining Vale (2022-) | Season 2, Episode 6, Chapter 14 – Chapter 14 – What's the Matter with Sandy?

[postguiltypleasures]

My Peak TV Journey *Shining Vale*

I watched both seasons of Shining Vale late last year right before it was cancelled and removed from Starz streaming service. I loved it, but thought that if it had been more popular it would have inspired some kind of backlash where it would involve jeering at the fans for clearly being bad people for cheering for such a harmful  leading character and not careful depiction of mental illness. It would also likely have staunch defenders, though I am not sure I would have been vocally there. But it's not, so I should say how much I liked it and wish there was more.

So let’s talk about the cast which is headed by Courtney Cox (also a producer), Greg Kinnear respectively as Pat and Terry Phelps, all of whom I’ve lived for a while. I’m a more recent fan of Gus Birney, who was great on Dickenson as Jane, (the young hot widow) as their daughter Gaynor, and Dylan Gage who plays their son, Jake.

This is the story of Phelps family that moves from Brooklyn to Shining Vale, Connecticut in the aftermath of the mother Pat’s affair with a contractor. Terry found the house and purchased it without the any of the rest of the family’s input. This does create suspicions especially in regards to the real estate agent Robyn Court, who is played by Sherilyn Fenn (always a joy to see). Also delightful to see Merrin Dungey as Pat’s editor/friend who balances these rolls in funny ways. And then the alway delightful Judith Light shows up as Pat’s mother, who has her own history with mental illness and creates more interesting mirrors between Pat and Gaynor. 

But I’ve been neglecting the series other star, Mira Sorvino! Sorvino plays multiple characters over the seasons starting with Rosemary, who’s a ghost, a demon or figment of Pat’s imagination who “helps” write her long awaited second novel. Her first was an erotic romp with the goal of self definition. The second novel, which is released early in the second season is very different, though still have some filthy bits because that’s Pat’s “brand”. 

The house is TARDIS like in that they keep finding new rooms that were otherwise hidden, most notably a tiki bar that becomes an important location for many scenes, as well as a harbinger of the kinds of substance abuses. It also hints at the building’s secret history as an insane asylum in the 19th century. This history was only partially unraveled in the two seasons that were made.

In addition to liking the cast, I like the series creators Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan. Astor created the two season true crime parody sitcom Trial and Error which I still wish had more time. Horgan co-created and started in Catastrophe and Bad Sisters, both of which I’ve written about here. I kind of want to divide the qualities of the series between the two creators, though I know that it is at best misleading. The series has a melange of horror films reference that was like the  melange of true crime narratives that Astor worked with in Trial and Error. All the things about the dysfunctional married couple and parental relationships with children I associate with Horgan’s work. (Not to mention her treatment of Pat’s alcohol abuse is similar to that of her character’s on Catastrophe)

The references to other horror films are direct, and what I saw of how they add up to something intriguingly different. First as the title and concept of a parent-writer loosing their mind over their latest writing project and the history of their new home suggests, there are plenty of references to The Shining. At least in the first season. The second season, in which Pat’s menopause is reversed by new neighbor Ruth’s (also played by Mira Sorvino) herbal tea, is more inspired by Rosemary’s Baby. There are also liberal references to The Omen and The Exorcist, among other films. And plenty of opportunity to wonder how “real” what we are seeing, especially in the second season where there is an increase in cartoonish-ness. Over the course of the season multiple people get hit by a bus and explode while the bus doesn’t stop. It gets funnier every time. Going in the opposite direction from funny to startling is a gag involving a mysterious Walkman. Three members of it find it at random times, put it on, each hearing a different song, but all doing the same dance. I will forever wonder where they were going with this. 

Tonally the closest comparison I can think is Evil. Sad there will be neither of them soon.