ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Taylor Schilling

Dear Edward: Sitting in Sadness, but Never Alone

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?I think we should start believing in God.?
?No way? You can?t just start believing in God and expect Mom and Dad to come back.?

Taken from Apple TV+?s new series Dear Edward, these sorts of questions are often asked when dealing with trauma. Left in shock after unexpected pain, we are a people who instinctively search for meaning in the midst of chaos.

And chaos is a good way to describe the world of Dear Edward.

Starring Connie Britton and Taylor Schililng, Dear Edward begins with a devastating plane crash that kills all of its passengers but a 12-year-old boy named Edward Adler (Colin O?Brien). Devastated by the loss of their family members, each person affected by the tragedy attempts to make sense of what has happened. Working together, they develop a new community of survivors who must navigate their lives moving forward, trying to make sense of a messy world.

The series is bolstered by some strong performances from its leads, especially Britton and Schilling. Britton has always done a marvelous job of creating empathy for her characters and that trend continues here as she both grapples with grief and uncovers dark secrets about her deceased husband. But Schilling in particular stands out here. As Edward?s aunt, she does a wonderful job as a woman on the edge. Left caring for a 12-year-old that she barely knows, suddenly Lacey is expected to understand how to care for him in the midst of his deepest trauma. Shilling plays her character with frailty but courage, as she fights to protect young Edward from himself. Admittedly, one could argue that the level of trauma that each character experiences is definitely extreme. Though, despite their heightened circumstances, every character feels grounded and real.

With heart filled with sadness, Dear Edward is a piece about life after collective trauma. As each family grieves the loss of their beloved family members, they are left with a gaping hole within their souls. (In fact, the weight of emotion and tension offers distinct similarities to mega-hit This is Us.) Left reaching for reasons for their trauma, they look for all sorts of ways to make sense of what they?ve been through. Is God real? If so, how can this happen? Is this simply another example of chaos in the world? Each of these questions is asked with few answers and characters are left spinning.

?Hold on to me, hold on,? the show?s theme song repeats.

In some ways, a show like this feels incredibly appropriate for this cultural moment. While a plane crash has not been the primary impetus of our sorrow, the stress of the pandemic has taken a toll on us all over the last two years. With its emphasis on suffering ?with?, Edward offers an almost cathartic shedding of emotion. Support groups, family dinners and even group hugs are bathed with tears as everyone ?grieves in their own way?. As the show opens, loss weighs heavily upon these characters and signs of hope are few and far between. 

But they still have each other. 

And that aspect of ?together? becomes a key theme within Edward. Without giving any spoilers, a local support group seems to play a pivotal role in the salvation of these characters as they attempt to move forward. Even though each of them is grappling with circumstances that differ from one another, their common experience of grief is an opportunity for healing. Therein lies the magic of the series as some of its best moments come in conversations where they share their stories with one another. This provides them hope and, potentially, becomes a model for us to do the same.

No, Dear Edward will not be for everyone. With few moments of levity (thus far), this is a series that is willing to sit in the difficulty of hurt and takes few ?easy? answers. However, that?s also what makes it work. This is a love letter to those who have been experienced trauma and loss and, truthfully, that?s many of us right now.

The first three episodes of Dear Edward are available on Apple TV+ on Friday, February 3rd, 2023 with new episodes streaming weekly afterwards.

Pam & Tommy: What are You Looking At?

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?What are you lookin? at??

Taken from Hulu?s limited series, Pam & Tommy, this may seem like a simple, throwaway line but it actually asks a much deeper question about the way we view our celebrities and each other. Smartly written and executed, this is a show about power and control? and it all starts with the way we look at one another.

Set in the days just prior to the internet explosion, Pam & Tommy is based on the events surrounding the release of Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan)?s infamous sex tape. After a disgruntled contractor (Seth Rogan) steals the tape from their home, the intimate personal moments of one of Hollywood?s power couples became a global phenomenon that had everyone talking. 

Created by Robert Siegel, Pam & Tommy begins as an energetic heist series but becomes a powerful and poignant commentary on the destructive power of toxic masculinity. While there are moments where the narrative threatens to unravel into soapy madness, the performances by James and Stan are so convincing that they immediately pull the viewer back into the story. Together, their chemistry is palpable. The push and pull between them has an electricity that works in almost every moment they are together onscreen. 

As the violently erratic Tommy Lee, Stan is utterly unrecognizable and leans fully into the performance. However, its James who is absolutely mesmerizing. With each passing episode, James shows an increasing strength that is both powerful and compelling. Although she portrays Anderson with patience and grace, James fuels her with a quiet rage that simmers underneath. There is a fire and fury in her performance that demands attention. (Incidentally, while Tommy Lee has reportedly given the series his blessing, Anderson has declined to officially support it.)

Whether one realizes it or not, the release of Pam and Tommy?s sex tape was a game-changing moment in the way that our culture consumes both sexuality and celebrity. However, rather than use the series to satirize its subjects, Siegel and his team see this as an opportunity to deconstruct the damage caused by the male gaze. 

Admittedly, at the beginning of the series, the show feels imbalanced. For a show called Pam & Tommy, there?s a surprisingly heavy emphasis on Tommy over Pam in the first few episodes. As a result, it feels like the wrong story is about to be told.

But that?s part of the point.

What makes Pam & Tommy so interesting is that is more invested in putting our cultural obsession with sexuality on trial and, most specifically, the male gaze. As the series begins, there?s a heavy emphasis on the male perspective. Rand can?t handle working as Tommy?s contractor and wants to screw over the guy who was doing the same to him. Tommy?s career is struggling as the music scene transitions to a grunge market. Uncle Miltie makes fast money exploiting sexuality and sees an opportunity to do so at Tommy?s expense. From the outset, this very clearly a man?s world and they are taking the lead within it.

Because that?s what men do, right? Take control.

However, as Pam & Tommyprogresses, there?s a dramatic shift in the series? voice. The presence of strong women directors like Lake Bell, Gwenyth Horder-Payton and Hannah Fidell behind the camera provide the necessary perspective to shape the show?s view of sexuality in a healthier manner. What?s more, James? Anderson begins to move increasingly into the forefront and the conversation surrounding the toxicity of the male gaze becomes more prominent. Whether it?s Anderson?s producers on Baywatch or the way that their tape is consumed so rapidly, the harm caused by the oppressive masculine view is increasingly obvious. To them, Pam is little more than the sum of her features and it silences her voice. 

As such, the devastation by the release of the infamous tape is far deeper than making a few dollars. Made as a celebration of their love and for their eyes only, their tape became a weapon that was used against them. With each viewing, the tape reinforces the culture?s dangerous celebration of Lee as sexually powerful and criticism of Anderson as sexual property. Seeing their personal and private moments changes the way that the public values them.

At the same time, it?s worth noting that Pam & Tommy more than earns its R-rating, especially in the absolutely wild second episode. (After all, sexuality is core to the conversation here.) However, that more graphic content gradually disappears as the series takes its use of sexuality more seriously. In a show about exploitation, Pam & Tommy also wants to ensure that it does not become part of the problem.

In fact, what Pam & Tommy does so well is remind the viewer that this was a video that none of us were ever supposed to see. For example, as each man stares deeply at their screen to watch Pam & Tommy?s most intimate moments, the series leaves the monitors off to the viewer. We hear the tape?but we are not allowed to see it for ourselves. In a brilliant choice by the showrunners, the series keeps the viewer at a safe distance from the visuals. (In fact, the only times where the tape can be viewed at all are in moments when the couple watch it themselves.) The series never condemns the couple for making the tape but refuses to allow us to participate in watching it.

In many ways, it?s heart-breaking that the real Anderson has declined to sign off?or even comment?on the series itself. Perhaps the details of the events are incorrect. Perhaps they simply wanted to put this chapter of their lives behind them. Whatever the reason, her lack of involvement is somewhat of a shame. (And arguably bites back at the nature of consent as well.) Despite its pop-fueled energy, this depiction of Pam & Tommy never feels as salacious as it could have been told. 

If anything, it feels more like a public apology.

While the series never judges the industry itself, it makes a point of identifying the toxicity that is created when consent is ignored. Coming at a time when celebrity cellphone hacks are common and privacy is at an all-time low, Pam & Tommy suggests that the real poison in our culture comes when we choose the body over the soul. It acknowledges that Pam and Tommy are real people and, if anything, we are in the wrong for viewing them as any less. 

For all of these reasons, Pam & Tommy becomes much more than simply a dramatic representation of a sexual scandal. Showrunner Siegel and his team have instead used the trauma of one couple to explore problems that extend far beyond one tape or moment in history. Through Pam & Tommy, they remind us that what we?re looking at changes the way we see the world.

The first three episodes of Pam & Tommy stream on Hulu and Star+ on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022 with new episodes following weekly.