TV Review: Transparent Season 1
One of the shows that's been on Jenn and I's "to watch list" (which we do keep track of on Wunderlist) has been Amazon's first big hit, Transparent. It's a show that has gotten so much buzz both from an award standpoint and also just word of mouth. I've had several people tell me that I would love Transparent. A couple of weeks back when we finished up Man in the High Castle we moved on from one Amazon show to another with Transparent.
After finishing the first season of Transparent in right around a week I can say that the show was exactly what I was expecting and completely different then I thought it was going to be. On one hand I knew I would be in awe of Jeffrey Tambor who is down right brilliant in the show. To see in the first couple of episodes his characters transition into becoming transgender and coming out to his family is some of the most heart wrenching television I've ever watched. The way in which the show handles it is brilliant. It's so easy to see why the trans community got behind this show in a big way. It's a raw look at a world in which I quite frankly am completely ignorant.
What I didn't expect was to dislike pretty much every character in this show. Transparent is raw. It's not a feel good show. It doesn't hold any punches. This is a show that hits hard and hits often. It almost never lays off either. There are a few times when they let you breathe but not nearly enough. I felt worn out after watching an episode. The family in the show is as screwed up as they come. At times even to the point where it feels out of the realm of possibility. Each of the family members not only has their own plights but their internal family dynamics are often hard to watch.
More then any other show that I've watched in the last couple of years I have a ton of respect for how brilliantly Transparent brings me into a world I know nothing about. And for that I absolutely loved every second of Transparent as I felt like I was being shown the plight of people who have dealt with trying to find themselves in a world that even to this day is only beginning to accept them. However you feel on transgender I would urge anyone to watch Transparent. I think it will do a lot (like Orange is the New Black or even Modern Family) to bring awareness and for me that alone is worth the watch.
