It pains me to watch another show that was cut down in it's prime by the greedy FOX executives. As far as canceled shows go, Wonderfalls might be the best ever. This was one excellent show. Ah, I keep wanting to watch more, but sadly, there is no more. I always get sad when I know there's a very limited amount of a good show.
But enough with the pity party. Wonderfalls is about a girl named Jaye, who works in a gift shop in Niagara Falls. Jaye is many things, but hero is not one of them. She's lazy, rude, and occasionally mean. But that changes when a wax lion turns his head and talks to her. Her family (one of the most entertaining families on TV) calls it an episode and drops it, but Jaye knows better. The show is a cross between Joan Of Arcadia, Gilmore Girls, and something else. It's a truly unique experience.
So from that point on, different animal shaped things, instruct her to do tasks. And these tasks, much to Jaye's dismay, change peoples' lives. The messages range from "Get her words out." to "Don't give her money back.", or my personal favorite, "Get off your ass.". This may sound like a cheap knock off of Joan of Arcadia, but trust me, it's no where close. Joan, while an incredible show, always took itself too seriously. Wonderfalls NEVER has that problem.
The writing is some of the freshest and best I have seen since Gilmore Girls. The characters are vibrant, personality filled, but avoid the typical clichés. The episodes themselves are very well written. Karma Chameleon, episode 3, is one of the best hours of television I have ever seen. The twists are amazing and unpredictable. The dialog is reminiscent of the instantly quotable banter of Gilmore Girls, but is not as fast. It's just supreme. This line will go down in history.
Jaye: "You're a lesbian? It's not too surprising." Sharon: "How is it not surprising?" Jaye: "You drive an SUV."
The acting in Wonderfalls, however, is a mixed bag. Caroline Dhavernes is brilliant as eye-rolling, trailer-trash Jaye. When the time comes, she softens her character in a way that is neither obvious, nor unbelievable. Tyron Leitso plays Eric, the bartender who stays in Niagara Falls after his honeymoon was cut short by his wife cheating. Cute as he may be, he is not good. It's simple as that. It wouldn't be a big problem, but he soon turns to Jaye for "comfort" so there is more of him than is necessary. Her family is (mostly) a riot. Jaye's sister Sharon, who realizes in the first episode, that she is gay, is fantastic when paired with Jaye. They play off each other like pros. When Sharon is minus Jaye, however, she can be a bit boring. The parents are both perfectly cast. The mother has almost a Valium-induced breeziness about her that is hysterical. The father is good in his role, as well.
Now, since I have gushed enough, let's get down to the dirt. Most of the dream sequences done here would have sunk a normal show, but they mostly work on Wonderfalls. But there are moments where they go one too far. Such as, when Jaye is afraid she's going to break Eric's heart, she imagines his heart shooting out of him and then her stomping repeatedly on it. It's just too cheesy. Then, when Eric's wife is introduced, she fails miserably at being evil. Maybe it's because I remember her fondly from Firefly, but she still chokes.
In addition to that, the episodes are incredible at the beginning, but stray from their original premise later on and become too soapy. I understand the need for it to bring Eric and Jaye's storyline to a close, but I wasn't entertained by it. The episodes are much better when they are structured around the animals' instructions. The last two episodes are a return to form and provide a satisfying ending to the series.
As a whole, I loved this series. It's obvious right off the bat that FOX made a glaring error canceling this quirky and wonderful show. If you take a look at all the great shows FOX canceled: Wonderfalls, Family Guy, Firefly, Dark Angel, Harsh Realm, Arrested Development. If the network had given these shows time to find a viewer base, they would have the best lineup of any network. Shame on you, FOX.
But enough with the pity party. Wonderfalls is about a girl named Jaye, who works in a gift shop in Niagara Falls. Jaye is many things, but hero is not one of them. She's lazy, rude, and occasionally mean. But that changes when a wax lion turns his head and talks to her. Her family (one of the most entertaining families on TV) calls it an episode and drops it, but Jaye knows better. The show is a cross between Joan Of Arcadia, Gilmore Girls, and something else. It's a truly unique experience.
So from that point on, different animal shaped things, instruct her to do tasks. And these tasks, much to Jaye's dismay, change peoples' lives. The messages range from "Get her words out." to "Don't give her money back.", or my personal favorite, "Get off your ass.". This may sound like a cheap knock off of Joan of Arcadia, but trust me, it's no where close. Joan, while an incredible show, always took itself too seriously. Wonderfalls NEVER has that problem.
The writing is some of the freshest and best I have seen since Gilmore Girls. The characters are vibrant, personality filled, but avoid the typical clichés. The episodes themselves are very well written. Karma Chameleon, episode 3, is one of the best hours of television I have ever seen. The twists are amazing and unpredictable. The dialog is reminiscent of the instantly quotable banter of Gilmore Girls, but is not as fast. It's just supreme. This line will go down in history.
Jaye: "You're a lesbian? It's not too surprising." Sharon: "How is it not surprising?" Jaye: "You drive an SUV."
The acting in Wonderfalls, however, is a mixed bag. Caroline Dhavernes is brilliant as eye-rolling, trailer-trash Jaye. When the time comes, she softens her character in a way that is neither obvious, nor unbelievable. Tyron Leitso plays Eric, the bartender who stays in Niagara Falls after his honeymoon was cut short by his wife cheating. Cute as he may be, he is not good. It's simple as that. It wouldn't be a big problem, but he soon turns to Jaye for "comfort" so there is more of him than is necessary. Her family is (mostly) a riot. Jaye's sister Sharon, who realizes in the first episode, that she is gay, is fantastic when paired with Jaye. They play off each other like pros. When Sharon is minus Jaye, however, she can be a bit boring. The parents are both perfectly cast. The mother has almost a Valium-induced breeziness about her that is hysterical. The father is good in his role, as well.
Now, since I have gushed enough, let's get down to the dirt. Most of the dream sequences done here would have sunk a normal show, but they mostly work on Wonderfalls. But there are moments where they go one too far. Such as, when Jaye is afraid she's going to break Eric's heart, she imagines his heart shooting out of him and then her stomping repeatedly on it. It's just too cheesy. Then, when Eric's wife is introduced, she fails miserably at being evil. Maybe it's because I remember her fondly from Firefly, but she still chokes.
In addition to that, the episodes are incredible at the beginning, but stray from their original premise later on and become too soapy. I understand the need for it to bring Eric and Jaye's storyline to a close, but I wasn't entertained by it. The episodes are much better when they are structured around the animals' instructions. The last two episodes are a return to form and provide a satisfying ending to the series.
As a whole, I loved this series. It's obvious right off the bat that FOX made a glaring error canceling this quirky and wonderful show. If you take a look at all the great shows FOX canceled: Wonderfalls, Family Guy, Firefly, Dark Angel, Harsh Realm, Arrested Development. If the network had given these shows time to find a viewer base, they would have the best lineup of any network. Shame on you, FOX.