I missed the first airing of the pilot but caught an encore Saturday night, and I am glad I did. The plot was challenging, characters engaging, dialog tight and raw, atmosphere gritty.
I have an inexplicable soft spot in my heart for Gypsies, and I am usually disappointed in how cold and inaccessible modern nomads are in film and T.V. The Riches family are portrayed with enough warmth and pathos (and unexpected poetry!) to let the viewer in, while in no way slipping into the criminals-with-a-heart-of-gold cliché. This ain't no Hallmark channel program!
I was particularly impressed with Eddie Izzard's rich use of language which really did touch on the poetic at times. Minnie Driver was especially compelling and complex. And their marriage was one of the few believable mature relationships I've seen on television in a long time.
With the absurd premise and the comedy-background casting, I expected a few laughs, but didn't find them. Instead, I had the strange yet familiar feeling reminiscent of picking up a Frank Miller comic book the first time, expecting superheroes and finding horror in its place.
