Review: Season 2 of This American Life — magic in storytelling
It’s a testament to the clarity of vision behind This American Life that, regardless of the theme for each episode, viewers and/or listeners stick with the program from start to finish. Just a few episodes into Season 2, I’m hooked.
Showtime sent me eps 1 and 2, which I watched last night (the series premiere is Sunday). Before I slipped the DVD into my trusty iBook, I hadn’t realized just how cotton-candy thin my TV viewing had become. Escapism is a wonderful thing, but with Ira Glass‘ incisive creation, I’m enlightened and entertained.
The stories — about a bunch of kids from inner city Philly who ride horses across the urban landscape, a mother and her disabled son who’re locked in a cycle of co-dependence, an Iraqi exile seeking understanding in America and a Rhode Island couple who go to war over a lawn — unfurl with such subtlety, humor and pathos that I’m reminded of what makes for the best storytelling: Elemental, rhythmic, funny, fast-paced. No gimmicks, laughlines, “reality” cliches.
Thank you.
Tags: ira glass showtime, showtime-fan, Showtime-Network, this american life ira glass, this american life review season 2, this american life season 2, this american life showtimeRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Ira Glass, Showtime Programming, Showtime Stars, This American Life
1 opinion for Review: Season 2 of This American Life — magic in storytelling
Blogger buzz: This American Life
May 14, 2008 at 12:34 am
[...] is in full swing on Showtime, the blogosphere has come alive with commentary. I’ve already raved about eps 1 and 2, but check out what others have to [...]
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: