The warmly dysfunctional Tylers — mother Karen (Diana Scarwid,
left), father Darrin (William Sadler), lesbian daughter Sharon
(Katie Finneran, third from left) and protaganist Jaye (Caroline
Dhavernas) — are at the center of ‘Wonderfalls,’ now
out on DVD.
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Brian Moylan
Friday, February 04, 2005
FOR GAY TV FANS waiting for the likes of forgettable duds like “Normal,
Ohio” and “Some of My Best Friends” to come out on DVD, don’t
hold your breath. Actually, do hold your breath because if you really want to
see those mediocre sitcoms again, it’s questionable whether you deserve
oxygen.
For those with more discriminating tastes, the long wait for Fox’s “Wonderfalls”
to return is over, being that it was released on DVD on Feb. 1. The critically
acclaimed, but low-rated show aired on Fox for only four Fridays last March
and April.
“Wonderfalls’” devoted cult fan base didn’t know what
became of the program’s nine unaired, one-hour episodes. Now they’ll
get a chance to find out.
And for all of you who ignored the show or didn’t know about it the first
time around, here’s your chance to discover a quality, quirky drama unlike
anything else on television.
CREATED AND PRODUCED by the gay duo Bryan Fuller(Showtime’s “Dead
Like Me”) and Todd Holland (Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle”),
“Wonderfalls” revolves around Jaye (Caroline Dhavernas), a recent
Ivy League graduate squandering her post-college potential by living in a trailer
park and working at a souvenir shop in Niagara Falls, her hometown.
One day, the toys, stuffed animals and figurines at the shop start talking
to Jaye, essentially ordering her around with fortune cookie proclamations like:
“Mend what is broken.” Though often reluctant, she eventually obeys
and her meddling ends up improving the lives of others. It’s like “Joan
of Arcadia” for the blue states.
Jaye’s adventures often involve her zany family, headed by caustically
meddling mom, Karen (Diana Scarwid), and stern-but-lovable dad, Darrin (William
Sadler). In the first episode, Jaye learns that her sister, the over-achieving
lawyer, Sharon (Katie Finneran), is a closeted lesbian.
In the final episode, Jaye learns that her sassy best friend, Mahandra (Tracie
Thoms), has been secretly dating her live-at-home brother, Aaron (Lee Pace).
And of course Jaye has a love interest, local bartender Eric (the adorable
Tyron Leitso).
THE NINE EPISODES of “Wonderfalls” that didn’t air only make
it more evident that this really was a show worth making time for, even on a
Friday night. Hip, stylish, cynical and totally unpredictable, the series has
characters that are strange and neurotic, but eventually likeable.
The stories are offbeat without being ridiculous. Their messages are affirming,
though not sentimental or didactic like on other feel-good shows like “Touched
by an Angel.”
What this all boils down to is that what people try to hide is what controls
their lives — whether it’s Jaye’s “voices,” Mahandra’s
relationship with Aaron, or Sharon’s sexual orientation. In all three
cases, the characters find meaning and fulfillment by indulging what they would
rather keep to themselves.
While she does have a girlfriend, the lesbian character Sharon never gets the
chance to fully explore the significance of this on screen. She also never gets
to come out to her entire family. But over the course of 13 episodes, viewers
get to watch as she more fully embraces her sexual orientation.
“I would rather people think that I was really a lesbian than think that
I was really a lawyer,” actor Finneran jokes about her character on the
“Greetings from Wonderfalls” documentary included on the DVD.
Also special for the new release are commentary tracks for several episodes
by Finneran, Dhavernas, Fuller and Holland. Though these are great for diehard
fans and those who will watch “Wonderfalls” repeatedly, it might
be too overbearing for first-time viewers because it’s difficult to hear
the dialogue between the characters.
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