Greetings,
So, when it comes to remakes and reboots, I am generally not a fan, as I have often said before. However, I always have an open mind when something new comes along, because sometimes these things seem to be interestinh..or they just happen to star one of my favorite actors...or both. Anyway, when I started to see promos for Emerald City, I thought two things: First, 'Someone's doing another OZ thing?', and second, 'This looks kinda neat'. So, last night I decided to check it out, and here are my brief thoughts on the first episode. There was a second, but we're doing an official premiere discussion. So, there.
We start in modern day Kansas, where we meet Dorothy, played by Adria Arjona. At first, it looks like she's a doctor of sorts, but she's only twenty, so I'm thinking she's a med student or something. Or else this is also a Doogie Howser reboot. Anyway, she was adopted long ago, and now she lives with other family members. Then, a tornado cometh and sweeps her away to OZ...in a cop car of all things. With Toto, who appears to be a German Shepard on this go round. Good times.
As she begins to explore, she runs into some interesting characters, some good, some bad, some who knows. Whilst that is going, we, the audience, also start meeting some interesting characters. Again, good, bad, who knows. And be warned. They are not the same as you may know them from other adaptations. But what did you expect? They made it clear that this would be darker, and it is. Although, I didn't expect to see a brothel. Yeah, that happened apparently. So, in case it's not obvious, this probably is not for the little kids.
I will say this, though, I enjoyed the cast quite a bit. Everyone seems well-suited to their roles. Our Dorothy is quite good and likeable, which is important. Florence Kasumba portrays The Witch of the East, who was wickedly delightful, if that's even a thing. The wonderful Joely Richardson does a fine job portraying Glinda, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen portrays Lucas, who I'm pretty sure is supposed to be the Scarecrow, but he doesn't exactly look it. I must say that I was very enthralled with Ana Ularu who portrays The Witch of the West. She totally creeped me out, but I was also captivated by her. Someone has skills! And, of course, we have Vincent D'Onofrio as The Wizard. Yes, he is the main reason I decided to watch this. What about it? I thought he was great, but I am so confused about the accent he was doing. I just can't place it, so I better do some research or it will eat at me something fierce. But whatever, he was still worth watching.
Now this whole series was directed by Tarsem Singh, who also directed The Cell and Mirror, Mirror, so, no surprise, the whole show looks amazing and extremely cinematic. Seriously, however you feel about the movies he has done, they all look stunning. There's just a really good feel to the whole thing. Oh, and the wardrobe is fabulous! For real, I hope someone makes some jewelry or regular people clothes inspired by this show.
So, in closing, whilst I am not jumping up and down over Emerald City, I am intrigued enough to keep watching through how many episodes they've already done, and perhaps, beyond. We'll see how it goes. Frankly, I hope it continues to get better, because, if they give us a good story to follow, things should fall into place, and we'll have a great series on our hands.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
