ACROSS
1 Ophthalmic sore
5 Season-ending
college football
game
9 Stories spanning
decades
14 __ hygiene
15 Bounce off a
wall
16 Chopin piece
17 Evening show
with headlines
and stories
19 Flabbergast
20 Swiss convention
city
21 Fist-pump cry
23 Sales force
member
24 ’60s protest org.
25 Periods that
may decide
5-Acrosses,
briefly
27 Andean animal
29 Like perceptive
hindsight
33 Promise before
testimony
36 Take to court
37 Journalist
Couric
38 German coal
valley
39 Lifts on slopes
42 Gotten a glimpse
of
43 Uncomfortably
pricey
45 One collaring a
perp
46 Watch displays,
briefly
47 Generic
pre-sunrise hour
51 Prefix for Rome’s
country
52 Use a shovel
53 Pound sound
56 __ Palmas:
Canary Islands
city
58 “No damage
done”
60 Five cents
62 Yellowish brown
64 Farm’s remote
acreage
66 French sweetie
67 Inland Asian sea
68 Eve’s opposite
69 Frankfurt’s state
70 Lowdown
71 Soon, to a bard
DOWN
1 Billy Joel
creations
2 Trapped on a
branch
3 Signs of boredom
4 “Is there
something __?”
5 Software trial
6 Halloween mo.
7 Food for Miss
Muffet
8 Needing
company
9 Seattle athlete
10 Fast-cash spot,
for short
11 “Money-back”
assurance,
perhaps
12 Carving tool
13 Ooze
18 Swear to be true
22 Bottom-row PC
key
26 Dismiss with
disdain
28 Insultingly small,
as a payment
29 “... or else!”
remark
30 Instruct
31 Even on the
scoreboard
32 Strong desires
33 Not exactly
34 Writer: Abbr.
35 Things to wash
after dinner
40 __ rage: PED
user’s aggression
41 Very light rain
44 Grassland
48 Netherlands
airline
49 “That’s a shame”
50 Jubilant end-of-
week cry
53 Ohio rubber city
54 Back in style
55 Swashbuckling
Errol
56 __ Ness monster
57 Steady pain
59 Corn syrup brand
61 Unconscious
state
63 Ambulance
destinations:
Abbr.
65 Golfer’s hat
By Brock Wilson
©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/02/17
10/02/17
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
RELEASE DATE– Monday, October 2, 2017
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
xwordeditor@aol.com
5A — Monday, October 2, 2017
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
‘Transparent’ & the curse
of the TV mid-series lull
AMAZON
‘Transparent’ is avaliable exclusively on Amazon
The popular Amazon show inevitably faces the hurdle of others
There comes a turning point
in almost every great TV show
where the writers and creators
have to decide what’s next for
their characters. The obvious
path is to keep following the
same track it started with,
or occasionally, veer off into
experimental
territory
with
a new setting or additional
supporting players. These paths,
however, are not always met
with the kindest responses from
critics and fans. In fact, more
often than not, these thematic
continuations
or
alternative
explorations induce the show
into a “mid-series lull,” a period
in which TV shows tend to falter
after a hot streak of critical
acclaim.
This
sneaky
lull
became
apparent on the newest season
of
Amazon’s
“Transparent.”
Since its beginning in 2014, the
Jill
Soloway-created
family
dramedy has been a creative
landmark
in
serialized
TV
storytelling. Not only does the
show incorporate a diverse and
talented ensemble cast, but it
also shines with consistent and
expansive character arcs. But
because the immediacy of the
streaming platform influences
these arcs, the writers are
forced to structure each season
for a binge-watching crowd, a
strategy that could either make
the episodes feel too cramped or
too bloated.
Unlike
its
first
three
incredible seasons, season four
of “Transparent” feels like the
show’s first major misstep. The
show’s writing, acting, directing
and cinematography remain as
sharp as ever, but the lopsided
plot structure has somewhat
flattened the character arcs.
In
season
four,
Maura
(Jeffrey
Tambor,
“Arrested
Development”)
invites
the
Pfefferman clan to Israel for a
mini vacation and also to reunite
with her long-lost father Moshe
(Jerry Adler, “A Most Violent
Year”). At the same time, nebbish
matriarch Shelly (Judith Light,
“Ugly Betty”) sublimates a dark
secret with an interest in improv
comedy, a subplot that backfires
in
a
melodramatic
twist
toward the end of the season.
Schlubby Josh (Jay Duplass,
“Room 104”) also confronts
his childhood traumas, but his
inner demon-fighting isn’t given
the screen time it deserves.
Sarah (Amy Landecker, “The
Meddler”), the show’s least
SAM ROSENBERG
Daily Arts Writer
TV NOTEBOOK
FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
Steve Carell and Emma Stone star in ‘Battle of the Sexes’
developed character, continues
to make impulsive choices in
her unconventional marriage.
And Allie (Gabby Hoffmann,
“Obvious Child”), the show’s
most
developed
character,
plays into the one-dimensional
stereotype of the “social justice
warrior” with her criticisms of
Israel.
Instead of expanding the
already
immense
emotional
growth
in
its
characters,
this
season’s
emphasis
on
melodrama and politics simply
reinforces
each
character’s
regressive qualities. The show
has always done an incredible
job of exploring the richness
of identity and the complexity
of family history, specifically
through the lens of Maura
embracing her trans identity,
but there is very little of that
signature spark here.
Perhaps you could blame
the
experimentation
of
displacing the Pfeffermans in
a new environment. Perhaps
you can blame the inevitable
comfortability that comes with
writing the same characters
going
through
the
same
obstacles. And perhaps you
can blame the structure of
the
streaming
platform
for
confining the writers to stick
a formula that works only for a
certain type of viewer.
Granted,
there
are
some
wholesome
moments
during
this season — Maura’s struggle
to reconnect with her father
and her past self is the most
emotionally
stirring
of
the
season’s subplots — and a
welcome new character — the
lovely Alia Shawkat (“Search
Party”)
plays
a
recovering
sex addict who engages in a
three-way
relationship
with
Sarah and her husband Len
(Rob
Huebel,
“Baywatch”).
But what could have been a
season that extracted more
nuances from the Pfefferman’s
family dynamics, and queer
Jewish
culture,
given
this
season’s location, ends up being
a muddled mess of contrived
crises.
Of
course,
“Transparent”
is not the first popular show
that suffered from a mid-series
rough patch, and it’s certainly
not the last. CBS’s “How I Met
Your
Mother”
disappointed
devoted fans in its last few
seasons, the final one being an
overlong string of filler episodes.
In the aftermath of its amazing
third season, NBC’s “30 Rock”
experienced a few tepid seasons
before it recalibrated and found
its mojo again. Fox’s “Glee”
was especially hit early on with
mixed to negative reception
after its first two seasons. More
recently, Netflix’s “Orange is the
New Black” went through the
mid-series lull, its fifth season’s
three-day timeframe receiving
an ambivalent reaction.
Sometimes,
the
risk
of
experimentation and repetition
doesn’t have the greatest payoff.
Even when a TV show is doing
well, taking that risk may be a
sign that TV writers are either
getting stuck in a creative loop
or feeling like their material
isn’t compelling enough and
therefore need to defy people’s
expectations.
At
the
same
time, there isn’t an easy way to
combat the lull. Every creative
person goes through an artistic
funk, whether it’s trying to
break out of familiar patterns
or having to constantly move
your characters and ideas in
new directions. A show like
“Transparent,” however, has
promise, even if its most recent
season
didn’t
display
the
most remarkable of arcs and
resolutions. But as long as TV
shows such as “Transparent”
keep moving forward, it’s only
a matter of finding where to go
and how to get there.
FILM REVIEW
Carell & Stone shine in the
pertinent ‘Battle of Sexes’
In a historic tennis game, questions of equal rights are broached
In 1973, the entire population
of “meninists” — an unfortunate
population,
indeed
—
have
placed their bets on Bobby
Riggs, retired tennis superstar,
to prove to humanity that men
are superior to women. Riggs
must beat Billie Jean King, the
world’s best female tennis player,
to end the dispute and silence
“libbers” for good. On Sept. 20,
the two faced off at the Houston
Astrodome in one of the most
watched tennis matches of all
time. And for the goodness of
humanity, Riggs was humiliated.
The victory itself, however,
is the least liberating part for
King; it was one stepping stone
in her path to self-discovery and
liberation.
“Battle of the Sexes” is an
atypical historical sports movie.
The match itself — something
that would normally be the
end goal and most captivating
moment — is really just the
culmination
of
King’s
fight
for equal pay. Unlike “Rocky”
or
“Rudy,”
intense
training
sequences are replaced with King
fighting for equality in an uphill
battle against a sexist USTA
administration. Simon Beaufoy’s
(“Slumdog Millionaire”) tight
screenplay captures the lives of
King and Briggs and what led to
their trivial yet historic match.
King, perfectly portrayed by
Emma Stone (“La La Land”),
boycotts the USTA after she’s
paid an eighth the amount of
her
male
counterparts.
She
then goes on a tour organized
by
Gladys
Heldman
(Sarah
Silverman, “Wreck it Ralph”),
founder
of
World
Tennis
Magazine,
featuring
other
women tennis stars joining her
efforts. For Riggs (Steve Carell,
“Foxcatcher”),
a
pervasive
gambling
addiction
and
crumbling
marriage
catalyze
his return to the public eye.
He was akin to fellow tennis
showman John McEnroe, with
less
emphasis
on
courtside
outbursts and more on his
eccentric demeanor and knack
for self promotion. Although
the match itself
is only a fraction
of
the
movie,
King and Riggs
are perfect foils:
her
poise
and
grace
contrasts
his
bombastic
eccentrics.
Both
Stone
and
Carell’s
performances
are
dead-on
replications.
Every
moment
feels
like
you’re
watching
King and Riggs brought back
to their respective ages in a
time machine. From Riggs’s
idiosyncrasies
to
King’s
confidence, both actors deliver
performances that stand out as
some of their best. Carell has
grown from a sitcom all-star
to an actor that can mold —
quite literally — into any role.
His last several performances
include
face
prosthetics
so
realistic it feels like you aren’t
even watching the same man
who once played Michael Scott
on “The Office.” But it’s Stone’s
potent onscreen performance
that transcends “Battle of the
Sexes” from being just another
inspirational flick to a socially
conscious, gripping tale.
Stone’s
subtle
facial
expressions and gestures hinting
at her newfound love for her
hairdresser Marilyn (Andrea
Riseborough, “Birdman”) stand
out as the movie’s best moments.
We forget the purpose of the tour
— obtaining equal pay — and are
immediately drawn into their
relationship. Directors Jonathan
Dayton and Valerie Faris (“Little
Miss
Sunshine”)
effortlessly
show the controversy and beauty
in the character’s
affection; subtlety
replaces grandiose
cheesiness, though
the movie walks a
fine line between
melodrama
and
camp.
“Battle of the
Sexes” ambitiously
takes on two huge
tasks:
LGBTQ
rights and equal
pay. Dayton and
Faris
succeed
at representing both, but it
ultimately feels like the two sides
are missing key elements. The
battle for equal pay, something
that easily could be the sole
plot, takes a backseat to King’s
relationship
with
Marilyn.
Then, as we’re drawn into it,
the plot shifts to the King-Riggs
match. Although the story is
based on reality, going back-and-
forth between two incredibly
important themes is a lofty goal,
one that isn’t quite met.
Regardless, King’s story is a
triumphant display of bravery,
and after over forty years, it
needed to be told. In a genre
where women don’t get equal
representation, “Battle of the
Sexes” is a clear progression.
WILL STEWART
Daily Arts Writer
“Battle of the
Sexes”
Michigan
Theater,
Quality 16, Rave
Cinemas
Fox Searchlight
Pictures
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