VINYL: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON REVIEWED
“Vinyl” is quite a mess of influences. Honestly, I think they made a mistake by setting the show in 1973. Pushing the story about 3 or 4 years deeper into the future and the level of influences they want to tackle would make sense. Bobby Cannavale is nailing his TV roles and a lot of the magic that made Boardwalk Empire work has made its way back over here. The cast is impeccable and I can’t say enough about this cast.
Anachronisms abound, but the music is fierce. James Jagger gets the punk scene in a pop sense, but I buy him in the role. While most people remember Olivia Wilde’s quick nude scene, the powerhouse actress of the show is Juno Temple. Temple is becoming one of those go-to actresses that carries every role she films. The idea to work real artists into the show fills a bit trite. The guys playing Bowie and Elvis did well enough. But, it starts to feel like the Globetrotters showing up on Scooby-Doo.
If I’m going to buy the world of “Vinyl”, I need a better sense of narrative flow than an episode hinging on flying to Vegas to meet Elvis. I know Elvis and I get his schtick. I want to learn more about Cannavale’s label and his mob debt. Why are we even wasting time on this other stuff? It’s a frustrating show, but I expect Season 2 to pick up.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Commentaries
- Featurettes
A/V STATS
- 1.78:1 1080p transfer
- DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track