American Gothic

The mystery part of the show was pretty good. A little slow at times but the story picked up speed as the season went on. There were enough twists and turns to hold my attention.

But there was definitely a liberal agenda. For starters this show is about a ridiculously wealthy family in New England. So wealthy that no average American can relate.

Then the family is involved in local politics. This is where the Hollywood starts to ooze out. There are little comments made about getting rid of guns, a gun buy back program, taking care of refugees, blah blah. Just like Hollywood, they fight for the rights of refugees but there isn't a refugee within a 20 mile radius of their gated community.

Make a good crime thriller. Keep the politics out of it.

I really liked the show. It is a mystery who-dun-it. I hope they don't cancel it. I didn't move from my chair till it was over. Sometimes shows do take till the 3rd or 4th episode before they take off.

Kinda had an old-fashioned feel to it. Beautiful grand old house too. I liked the characters and they all had their own thing going on too.

I don't want to give anything away. It's not crass and there is no foul language. I like to watch a show that has drama without going trashy. I also enjoyed seeing Justin Chatwin again--I hadn't seen him in anything for awhile. Also, I love the Gabriel Bateman--he gives me the willies! Give it a try! I hope you like it as well.

Concrete in a tunnel collapses in Boston. It's a blow to Alison Hawthorne-Price (Juliet Rylance) who is running against Mayor Conley. Her father ran the family concrete business which supplied the material. Evidence of the "Silver Bells Killer" is found in the rubble. The killer has been silent for almost 15 years. The cold case is reopened led by detective Linda Cutter and suspicions land on the Hawthorne family. The father suffers a heart attack. Madeline Hawthorne (Virginia Madsen) is the matriarch. Her son Cam (Justin Chatwin) is a recovering addict with his own family. Her daughter Tessa (Megan Ketch) is married to police detective Brady Ross (Elliot Knight). Her son Garrett (Antony Starr) has returned from parts unknown.

It's a crime twisty mystery family drama. It's good enough for a network TV show but nothing more. It's not exciting or terribly compelling. There are some twists but nothing terribly compelling. The characters are fine and so are the actors. It needs one central character with real charisma to drive the show but this is more of an ensemble cast. This is not going to rewrite the TV playbook. There is just enough interest to keep watching all 13 one-hour episodes.

If you are looking for Hitchcock, then don't watch this show. But if you are looking for a little shiver up your back and an "oh my goodness" moment, then is is great summer fun TV. I am really enjoying this program. The cast is great, they are deceptive and loving at the same time. You can see the manipulation playing through as the story wraps around the mystery of the silver bells murder. I love the mother character, a tad crass, and a lady to the last. I love the dynamics of the siblings. It's believable, a love-hate relationship. The son-in-law break up the Anglo cast, but even that doesn't bother me. I like him. I just love the antics, the what just happened there moment? The formula is like though you take a Nora Roberts Novel, and mix it with an good episode of Coloumbo, and add a little Nancy drew to the mix. It's good American TV, there is no Sherlock conjuncture, or Agatha here.. I wish we had more of these during the fall season.

The show is pretty good, suspenseful and keeps you guessing--except for the filming. The entire show is filmed in dull and duller muted gray tones. Office settings, doctor's offices, even outside in broad daylight--all dull muted gray. Often times it's difficult to see what is going on. Even if it's supposed to be the gist of the show, it's very annoying. That being said, the characters are pretty interesting. Most of the family members have suspicious backgrounds and cracked personalities--especially Jack who has the makings of another "Norman Bates"! It's a good "who-done-it." Just when you think you know who the serial killer is, some background information comes to light which has you guessing again.