Set in the early days of California's Spanish rule, Zorro is the story of a wealthy young landowner who sets out to avenge the death of his father. Regularly assuming the guise of the titular character (think Bruce Wayne and Batman), Zorro's mission is twofold: to find those responsible for his father's death, and to right the many wrongs perpetrated by the bad guys and their henchmen. This is not as easy as it may sound because the bad guys are legion, and, incidentally, not all guys.
At least our hero, Zorro aka Diego de la Vega, feels vaguely human, if a bit vacuous (he's not the brightest bulb in the box). Diego/Zorro, is woefully underplayed by Miguel Bernardeau although I can't really comment on his line deliveries because of the atrocious dubbing. He's athletic enough (although the ladies nearly always get the best of him) and has the bland, WASP-y good looks of a 1980's-era Calvin Klein model. Actor Emiliano Zurita, playing the military leader of California's Spanish guard, is another of the show's few "good guys", although I can't quite decide if his deer-in-the-headlights demeanor is a good thing or a bad thing. The script doesn't really require him to do much more than mope around declaring undying love for his fiancee, and shooting the occasional peasant, as per the instructions of his ridiculously malign superior, the Gobernador (played with 'stache-twirling hamminess by Rodolfo Sancho). Renata Notni as Zurita's beloved (and Zorro's ex-beloved) reminds me of a young Penelope Cruz, but she's constantly angry and so utterly unpleasant that I finally didn't care if Zorro rescued her or not--or she him, for that matter.
The creators and directors of this mess apparently decided a modern spin was required to make the series seem relevant, so almost every character--women and men alike--turns out to be a master shot and swordsman with a degree in martial arts. Unfortunately, these same creators and directors (all men, by the way) have failed to grasp the concept of female empowerment, presenting risible (rather than rousing) women who not only seem superhuman but, at the same time, completely removed from the human race. With the exception of Chacha Huang (as a Chinese woman Zorro rescues from slavery) all the other actresses--Elia Galera, Ana Layevska, and, particularly, Dalia Xiuhcoatl--are badly used: with little else to do, they spend their time onscreen plotting mayhem, and maiming or killing the extras. Not content to leave bad enough alone, the creators throw in still one more bad woman in a late episode when she and her goon squad kill a priest and some nice, pious church ladies. These people just suddenly show up out of nowhere and I don't know what's up with that. It's just one of many plot threads left dangling which I assume will be revisited in Season 2. Season 2! What a thought. At any rate, if there is a Season 2--and I feel sure that there will be--it will likely find Zorro in New York City, where the last shot of Season 1 left him standing atop a tall building overlooking the vast, crime-infested city below, like Batman overlooking Gotham City. Ugh, this show is just awful.
On a more positive note, we binge-watched the first season of The Gilded Age, HBO's American cousin (twice-removed) to Downton Abbey (both series are written by Julian Fellowes). The Gilded Age follow the daily turmoils and triumphs of circa 1870's New York aristocrats and their downstairs subordinates. It's pure soap opera, elevated by an intelligent script, opulent surroundings and sheer grandiosity. Carrie Coon shines as the glamorous, socially ambitious wife of an equally determined industrial tycoon (played by the icy-hot Morgan Spector). Together, with their young adult children (Taissa Farmiga and Harry Richardson), they are The Russells, the wealthiest of the nouveau riche families on the verge of displacing those old-monied descendants of the city's founding fathers. The old school people like Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski at her snarkiest) and her kindly, spinster sister, Ada (Cynthia Nixon), refuse to receive these classless upstarts who have the gall to try and force themselves into the hoity-toity social milieu presided over by the formidable Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy) and her lapdog, Ward McAllister (Nathan Lane).
However, the Russells have just constructed a palatial mansion directly across the street from Agnes and Ada, and the families aren't able to avoid each other for long. Especially once their niece, Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), moves in with the sisters. Marion, a young, well-bred country lady, has suddenly found herself penniless and alone following the unexpected death of her wastrel father. After selling her home and all her belongings, Marion makes her way to New York, thanks to the largesse of Peggy Scott (Denee Benton), an aspiring African-American writer who comes to Marion's rescue after her rail ticket is stolen during a train station altercation. Peggy--initially--seems an inappropriate companion for this country gentlewoman, but they quickly form a strong bond. None too pleased about taking in the daughter of her late, much-despised brother, Agnes puts on a brave face and reluctantly (at first) welcomes this new addition into the household. To everyone's surprise, Agnes, in need of a secretary, hires the well-educated Peggy to assume these duties and moves her into the house as well. Between the houses of the Russell's and van Rhijn's, (and, ultimately, the rest of New York's elite), there's no shortage of intrigue in boardrooms, ballrooms, bedrooms, kitchens and parlors.
Other cast members, including such luminaries as Audra McDonald, Kelli O'Hara, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Michael Cerveris, Debra Monk and Simon Jones, add auxiliary star power to the series. In fact, The Gilded Age boasts an enormous cast where everyone seems perfectly suited to his or her role. Handsomely mounted with luxe sets, splendid costumes and period furnishings, The Gilded Age is a watch worth bingeing. The only problem is that I have to wait until Season 2 is released on DVD before I can enjoy more of this captivating drama. Damn HBO!
Next, there's Ryan Murphy's 8-episode series Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, currently running on FX. The second season of Murphy's Feud (the first featured Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon as, respectively, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis), this outing covers New York's social scene a century after the events in The Gilded Age. As the title suggests, this season's (more or less) fact-based feud features Tom Hollander's Truman Capote befriending--and, later, betraying--a formidable, chain-smoking crew of the most influential ladies ever to lunch in the hallowed confines of La Cote Basque, once a veritable clubhouse for the haute couture-wearing goddesses of 60's-70's New York. While repeatedly failing to deliver the completed manuscript for a book called Answered Prayers, Capote sold several chapters of the work-in-progress to Esquire magazine. One chapter--La Cote Basque-1965--lifted the lid on the personal lives of his famous "swans" and, upon publication, begat the author's ostracization from the smart set.
The performances, so far, have been spot on, with Hollander making a fine (if generally unpalatable) Truman Capote. Naomi Watts slightly resembles photos I've seen of Babe Paley (once the doyenne of New York society), but she's quite good, hovering somewhere between vulnerability and willful determination. Diane Lane also excels as chic, tough-cookie, Slim Keith, Paley's bff and a potent force protective of her little coterie. Chloe Sevigny, too rarely seen these days, plays socialite and fashion icon, C.Z. Guest, and provides a warm generosity of spirit amidst all the vengeful indignation. An uber-glam Calista Flockhart rounds out the bevy of swans as a steely-eyed Lee Radziwill, who appears far too sparingly in these first two episodes. Demi Moore also shows up as Ann Woodward, an almost-swan who made the mistake of killing her husband and ended up banished from these elevated circles. (Woodward wound up swallowing cyanide in 1975, shortly before La Cote Basque-1965 was unveiled in Esquire Magazine.)
I also enjoyed seeing Molly Ringwald onscreen again as Capote's great L.A. friend, Joanne Carson, (Johnny's ex-wife) a den mother, of sorts, to a group of has-beens, wannabes and down-at-heels misfits who require sanctuary when the real world gets too mean (Truman's meanness never really seems to bother her much). In more supportive roles: the late Treat Williams as Bill Paley, Babe's husband, CEO of CBS, and serial adulterer; Joe Mantello as Truman's long-suffering partner, Jack Dunphy; Russell Tovey as Capote's violent, alcoholic boy-toy, John O'Shea; and Jessica Lange as the ghost of Capote's spooky, long-dead mother, Lillie Mae Faulk.
The prolific content creator, Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Halston, Pose, Glee, Nip/Tuck), is producing this series, but has--thankfully--handed over the directorial reins to Gus Van Sant, Max Winkler and Jennifer Lynch, and the writing to Pulitzer-Prize finalist, Jon Robin Baitz. As a writer and director, Murphy rarely employs restraint, and has a certain style that has, for better and for worse, become synonymous with his name. With only the first 2 episodes under its belt, it remains to be seen if this latest incarnation of Feud will keep me tuning in for another 6 episodes, but considering the talent involved in every aspect of this series, I'd say it's looking good.
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