The show operates largely on the unexpected. I won’t deny that I’m easy to fool, but this show surprises me in terms of plot and its formal elements. We think we have Amy pegged from the beginning, first that she’s this professional woman who will handle her situation like a professional–ah, nope, that didn’t happen. Then we think when she goes away to rehab she’ll blow the whole thing off–wrong again. Then it seems like her “enlightened” act is just a ploy to get her old gig back, but she actually seems to believe her own BS. And maybe it’s actually not BS. And maybe it could lead to her actually producing something positive, even if it’s out of spite toward the company that spurned her.
Then there’s directions the show takes in its style that are unexpected and ballsy. You can sort of measure a show’s confidence based on the risks it takes, and Enlightened ventures into rough waters pretty often. It will devote entire episodes to supporting characters because it is confident they are interesting enough to learn more about. It sets up devices that don’t pay off for several episodes, some not coming to full fruition until the next season. Each character is developed well enough to have several sides, and as you learn more about them more sides are revealed, each one fairly surprising. This is what a good show does.
Count me among the swath of people hoping Enlightened doesn’t go the way of the aforementioned HBO cuts. If you’re not currently watching it, you’re missing out on something really great.
