Review of John from Cincinnati

I've respected David Milch's work and looked forward to this series. But where "Deadwood" had bite, resonance, and an historical patina that allowed us to imagine Milch's compact, grinding, elliptical language filtered through decades of eccentric expression, this series is sadly pretentious. The cast is good (although Shaun reminds us that it takes actors to be "real"), generally doing an excellent job of believing and justifying. And some sequences rose above the rest, such as the brilliant surf-riding resurrection of John and Shaun. But the script ties vague, simplistic messages to a Saroyanesque story--a quirky parable of acceptance and renewal, laden with arcane spiritual allusions. The use of mythic action and the over-use of jargon, even pidgin, obfuscate the tale even for a careful listener (or CC reader). I suspect the mannered events and language were meant to make us labor for the message, the better to "treasure" it. But there's a huge difference between grasping and savoring truly complex concepts, such as one might gain from Shakespeare, Beckett, or Stoppard, and merely deciphering whimsical twists and bent lingo to arrive at a commonplace tale.