Martin Carr reviews the second episode of Kidding season 2…
No one thought Frank Langella did comedy and yet his delivery in Kidding is both silly, sarcastic and simultaneously savage. Like the polished gems from Airplane II nothing hits harder than a respected actor delivering pitch perfect punchlines. Off kilter, obviously enjoying himself and sparking off Catherine Keener like a lightning rod this is just one of the many joys episode two has to offer. Black vibrators in children’s cereal, kleptomaniac toddlers and sub-conscious Broadway show tunes all feature, make perfect sense and up the ant without grandstanding.
Narrative invention, innovation and deep rooted issues take a front row seat exploring unresolved childhood trauma through sub-conscious relationship counselling. That this all happens during a segment which feels like Oklahoma with glove puppets only indicates the imagination on screen. Combined with discussions around mortality, adolescent arrested development and the marketing of dubiously shaped bedtime buddies Kidding continues bumping up the bar.
Camera tricks also allow an exploration, realisation and moment of epiphany for Jeff which takes things in a different direction. That the narrative allows more than one person to inhabit him, offer moral support and harmonise during an extended sequence of syncopated choreography is genius. Throw into the mix some foul mouthed puppetry to provide backing vocals, put downs or home truths between verses and Kidding continues to surprise.
If anything episode two is a celebration of imagination as adult concerns are seamlessly sieved through the sub-conscious of Jeff Pickles. Little by little life lessons are being learned, he is starting to take action and his mentality is beginning to evolve. That writer Mike Vukadinovich finally allows us to experience the world of Pickles through to catharsis in such an audacious fashion, whilst also balancing reality elsewhere is the real trick.
Few confrontations, reconciliations or pre-occupations are communicated on television through song. They almost always embrace the musical straight away, shape each narrative step around a lyrical opening or impromptu dance number. And none of them have dealt with emotional repression, creative exploitation or organ transplants except for The Meaning of Life. Ultimately though what Kidding combines are numerous genres, structural tangents and understated character studies all underpinned by an Oscar winner on top form.
Martin Carr
