It took a long time for me to come to terms with my thoughts and feelings on Dispatches From Elsewhere. I’m still grappling with the show and likely will continue down this path for some time to come. It’s rare for a show, for anything, to grip me so fully so quick. The show hooked me within five minutes and then continued to tickle my brain over the course of ten episodes. I was left shaken to my core at times, laughing at some more, crying for various reasons, and most often it left me feeling reflective.
What’s it about?
It’s based on a documentary from earlier in the decade titled, The Institute. The doc was about the Jejune Institute which roped people into playing a real world AR game/experience/experiment in San Francisco. Jason Segel and his crew transported the setting to Philadelphia and fictionalized the story. But let’s start at the start.
The story is about four people who could be you or me. In fact, we are told at various times that we should think of these people as us. Do we relate to them? Of course we do because there is a piece of each of these characters in every one of us.
The cast is universally phenomenal. Richard E. Grant kicks things off for us as Octavio, the narrator and presumably the man behind the curtain. He’s pulling all of the strings, or is he? The show takes so many twists and turns, playing with what is real and imagined, that we’re left wondering who Octavio really is. We find out, of course, and this is where Grant’s mesmerizing performance goes even deeper. He runs and runs and runs with wonderful dialog and simple back drops. Most of his scenes are focused on his face, speaking directly to the camera, and Grant never lets us down.
Jason Segel plays Peter, who could be seen as our main main character. He’s depressed and sleepwalking through life. He likes and dislikes nothing. A tabbed flyer changes his life and we watch Peter continue to live underwater until he decides to begin swimming. We watch and wait for Peter to take a chance on new things — on living a real life. There is pure joy and crippling heartache. There is a whole lot of bullshit with Peter and his comeuppance is shockingly honest. This role and entire project from Segel is magnificent to behold. Rarely do we see an artist being so naked and honest on screen. And yes, the fourth wall is broken in ways we’ve never really experienced before. I don’t want to spoil too much because this show is best taken in completely blind.
Eve Lindley is the second of our core four we meet. She is instant charisma. Her character, Simone, comes across as a risk taker and a no-fucks-given player of this game but oh do the layers get pulled back on her. There are LEVELS to Simone. She is fierce and vulnerable in a moment. Eve Lindley is a revelation. I would expect offers to be flying her way like a ticker tape parade. She is THAT good. Simone, even when she thinks she has everything figured out, still has much to learn — and us along with her. Her scenes, late in the show, with Janice are tremendous. It’s fun watching her go toe to toe with Sally Field.
Speaking of Sally Field, between this and Maniac, we may have to do a Sally Field appreciation post. Wow, is she still bringing the heat. Janice is the heart and soul of this group. She is optimism in the face of the opposition. Janice’s home life is incredibly difficult yet she exudes warmth and a shock of spirit the group would otherwise miss. She asks important questions and proves her worth to the group countless times — even when they’re taking her for granted. Janice is the hope inside all of us. She has a few scenes in the second half of the show with Andre Benjamin that will produce crying fits.
Last but certainly not least is the character I most identified with, Fredwynn. Played with give-him-all-the-trophies precision by Andre Benjamin, Fredwynn is the hardcore player. He’s the guy too smart for everyone around him and sometimes even himself. Fredwynn is always searching for more and cannot take things at face value. He’s a detective’s detective. He’s the bloodhound with a Mensa membership (or not, lol). Fredwynn is the one to drive the group ever forward. I would put Andre Benjamin in any and every project I could ever think to produce — he’s just that good.
And now you may be wondering why I chose to highlight the actors and their roles — and you’d be correct to wonder this. These are the five main roles and the five main actors. There are more roles worth discussing and more actors worth applauding. There are plenty in the crew who deserve recognition. We could discuss how personal this show feels at all times partly because of the dreamlike scenes sprinkled throughout the proceedings. This show is shot with a mixture of standard camera placements and shots and then super-saturated shots, odd angles, slow motion, fuzzy cameras and visually interesting focuses. They use inspired music cues to mix up our feelings and then they cut those cues off to further alter our inner balance. All of this is effective — the intent lands with force.
The entire production comes together to create something extraordinary — unlike anything tv has seen beforehand. It plays with our perception of reality and shades that perception constantly. But I focus on the characters and the people who played them because that is what Dispatches From Elsewhere is really about — everything else is window dressing. This show, this wonderful work of art is, above all, about you.
It’s about us.
Next week, I tackle the film, First Reformed. Love each other.
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