United States of Tara

Well I just discovered another TV series to binge on.  I've had Season 1 of The United States of Tara in my Netflix DVD queue for a year and finally sent for them.

I watched all eight 20+ minute episodes on disc 1 today.  I was blown away.  It was difficult not to put in disc 2 but I had to be firm with myself as I discovered I can't crochet while watching this.  I can't take my eyes off the screen for two reasons--there is too much info in facial expression and body language and they talk too fast for me to catch everything so I have to have the captions on.

I did  a little research before starting this post and discovered the series has already had its finale. Apparently this Showtime original Emmy winning hit series lasted only three seasons.

I put it in my Netflix queue because I've liked John Corbin ever since he played the DJ in Northern Exposure.  He plays the husband of Tara who has multiple personalities.  They are parents of two teens and live a fairly sterotypical suburban middle class lifestyle--except for Tara's inner menagerie that is.  And though I am still entralled by John Corbin, it is Toni Collete as Tara who keeps my eyes glued to the TV.  The talent she displays in portraying multiple fully embodied characters is astounding.  But she could not WOW us with the acting if the writing wasn't astonishing.

When I saw Stephen Spielberg's name in the title credits on the second or third episode I was at first surprised as this isn't the kind of thing I'd associated with him but surprise morphed instantly into 'Ah, no wonder it's so good.'  I do believe if i'd known of his involvement it wouldn't have taken me a year to send for the discs.

Two of Tara's alers--the teenage T and the dude Buck--have potty mouths.  As does Tara's own teenaged daughter.  It is difficult for me to listen when the languages get nasty. I still have a bit of tthe sensibility of the fundamentalist I once was--my inner Alice.  Alice is a Tara alter who is an uptight, prissy 50's style housewife (shades of Brie from Desperate Housewives) and in one of the mother/daughter encounters between Alice and Tara's daughter Alice literally washed the girl's mouth out with soap, slapping a palm full of restroom dispensor liquid soap into her mouth.  I was both horrified and applauding.

With two more discs at home and a forth one on the way I'm going to be seeing a lot of Tara over the next several days.  But I will also be rationing it to those times I can't crochet like over my wake-up coffee while I wait for my eyes and brain to focus and my motor skills to return and after a few hours of crochet or typing when my eyes and motor skills have gone on strike.