#Under the Bridge S01E04

[tv-moments]

Under the Bridge

“Beautiful British Columbia”

Director: Nimisha Mukerji

DoP: Minka Farthing-Kohl

[spotlightsaga]

Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews... Big Little Lies (S01E04) Push Comes To Shove Airdate: March 12, 2017 @hbo Ratings: 1.042 Million :: 0.36 18-49 Demo Share Score: 8.75/10 **********SPOILERS BELOW********** In music, television, cinema, any kind of media where we can apply a personification to make what we're hearing, seeing, or sparking our senses to become something familiarly human, I tend to think back to the many times I've seen the band 'MGMT' live. I remember back in 2008 or so everyone telling me they sucked when performing a live show, that they were devoid of the energy on their psych-pop friendly debut album, 'Oracular Spectacular'. I loved the pop elements they played with, but it wasn't what attracted me to the band. Anyway, I had to see for myself... And once I saw them, I had to go back again, and again, and again... Now going from city to city to wherever I could hear them play. Now it's true they've perfected their live sound as time has gone on, but frontman Andrew VanWyngarden has always maintained this dignity on stage... There's not a whole lot of physical movement, but his voice stains and echoes through your eardrums like sweet, sticky honey... It was a quiet energy that the fans of their infectious dancey-pop singles like 'Kids', 'Time To Pretend' & 'Electric Feel' couldn't seem to grasp. By the time MGMT had released 'Congratulations' LP in 2010, they had completely shifted towards that psychedelia drenched, hushed style of momentum building... Andrew's voice slowly exciting your senses with every syllable until an explosion of punk-ridden static screeched the end of the songs like in 'Flash Delirium'. It's true, I'm extremely passionate about the music of MGMT, but that same personification I relate to in their music, I see shades of in 'Big Little Lies'. At the end of the episode, those that have HBO get to see a bit of commentary from the creators and you see them comment on the reserved nature of Nicole Kidman & Reese Witherspoon. Just like it helps to add the climaxes of some of MGMT's best songs, like the 12-Minute masterpiece 'Siberian Breaks', I see BLL use that same technique, even bridging their episode with Jane taking Ziggy to the aquarium. Just like in the songs, it's the part where you just drop everything that could be labeled as a distraction and point out that you must catch this part... It's important, it's a tonal shift that helps define the very core of the episode. Some of those shots were absolutely mesmerizing, easily capturing the childlike wonderment of experiencing being so small and seeing something so beautifully blue, vast, and fluid. Ziggy lives in the moment with Jane, soaking in the sweeping array of colors, sounds and the reflections of light, but eventually he stops Jane... He knows, this experience comes at a cost and he wants to know what will change now... Therapy, Ziggy. Whatever is going on, it will not only put Jane at ease but the other mothers as well. But just like the therapist, I don't believe that Ziggy is causing harm to that little girl. There are both little hints and explosive outbursts of debauchery at every turn, from the flat out terrifying violence of Perry to the subtle creeper remarks or shifting glances that Ed shoots then quickly dismisses as if they never happened. There is tension everywhere, but it's not always as obvious or as catchy as a pop song, sometimes it's a quiet build, forming right under your nose... And even though you know it's coming, something BIG is coming... Those little subtle bits of tension have already built and built upon layers and layers and have you unraveled, so when it finally does hit, it's straight up balls to the wall, unfiltered, raw emotion and all they really need is silence to frame what we already knew was coming.