A weird mix of cheesiness and grim seriousness
When I first heard of this series I hoped it would be an exploration of the arts world like Slings and Arrows or Mozart in the Jungle. And for about 15 minutes it seemed like it might be. The lead actress has an intensity and is a lovely dancer, and there's a sense of her gritty determination and the hardness and self-sacrifice underneath the beauty.Then there's a scene where the waspish gay artistic director throws a fit over prosecco, and I thought, seriously? Then there's a locker room scene where the girls are glib and catty in a way that felt painfully false.
But hey, nothing's perfect, and the next scene, which went back to ballet, was intriguing, even if the lead character was falling into clichéd "the one" territory.
Then there was a strip club.
While some people consider this a fun binge show, I found it a slog to make it through one episode. The show is *so* serious about itself even though it's utterly absurd. Not only is this not another Slings and Arrows, it's not even another Smash, which wasn't exactly a deep exploration of the arts but was at least a wonderfully entertaining musical that felt like it was written by people who loved the world it took place in.
I'm not convinced the people who made this series even like ballet. And that's okay, because I don't really *love* ballet myself, but I do love the artistic process, and that's the thing this series seems least interested in. Instead of giving us unique, three-dimensional characters struggling for, and with, their art, the writers give us clichés and sleaze and soap. Yet the direction treats it all like it's La Strada.
I don't know why they didn't just make a series about a strip club; it's clear that's where their heart lies.
score 3/10
cherold 22 August 2017
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3786953/14622
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