Wonderfalls 1.1 "Wax Lion" (spoilers)

[chicken]

Most first eps. have middling to huge suckage factors. "Wax Lion" did not have much suckage at all -- this is a very strong start. Now if only Fox can keep the episodes IN ORDER for crying out loud. Ahem. And maybe give it a better time slot.

First off, the dialogue was witty, and many one-liners and situational humor actually made me laugh out loud (esp. the 'intervention' scene, and also the UPS guy's jinx in which women he likes become lesbians, hahahaha!).

The little lion itself could have been cloying, annoying, and too cutesy, a bad device. Instead, I found it had a totally endearing quality, and it sang songs that I've always liked, so that helped. I know others will disagree, but I adored it, with its little smashed-in head and quirky humor. I didn't like the monkey, though. Thank the little souls that she has to give it back.

As for Caroline Dhavernas herself, her acting is fine, especially good in the facial expressions department/small physical comedy. I read that she is French-Canadian, and studied very hard to get the American accent just right. If I hadn't known, I wouldn't have been able to tell. Very good. Plus I find her look and voice to resemble Holly Marie Combs' (Charmed!)

Some people may consider Jaye's life to exemplify 'underachieving', but I take issue with the very word. Who is to say what a person does with her life? No given career or life is inherently better than another. Knowing quite a few people (in addition to myself) from that very college (and of course others) who are 'under-employed' or not in the corporate fast-track, just as she is, I can say with certainty that they live *happy* lives, no matter their circumstances, and in some cases happier than if they'd taken up a career expected of them by parents or college career counselors. So I really like Jaye, because I really identify with her. Although the empathy also sprang up in me when I realized she'd had to watch that same video like, 5000 times.

Another good thing: the camera work takes elements from The X-Files, Dead Like Me, and the Buffyverse that give the show a look that is surprisingly grounded and mystical all at once. Of course this merely reflects the backgrounds of the directors, writers, etc., but it nonetheless has an individuality rather than merely being derivative.

Finally, the comparisons to Buffy, Tru Calling, etc. seem well-founded. (Although I bet the pitch to Fox had to have been right out of The Player).

Now for things I didn't like. The mother annoys the hell out of me, the fountain is cheesy, the bartender love story seems a little too inevitable, and the glasses don't do anything for the father (he looked so much better on Roswell). But these are very minor complaints.