Animation
Good Times
Netflix takes a classic sitcom, Good Times, and turns it into a vulgar, violent, sexually-charged TV-MA show.
Ten years ago, the Warren family suffered the unthinkable. Claire and John Warren’s 9-year-old boy, Adam, was abducted. And even though his body was never recovered, their neighbor, Hank, was convicted of Adam’s kidnapping and murder.
Now the Warren family is faced with something even more unthinkable. Adam—the little boy, proven in court to be dead—has come home. Alive.
Happy ending, right? Hold the phone there, pardner. Nothing—particularly on this ABC serial—is ever that simple.
Since Adam’s been away, family matriarch Claire has become a powerful politician in the state of Maine, campaigning on a platform of family values. She’s running for governor now, and Adam’s remarkable return is remarkably fortuitous for Red Pine’s mayor and her political aspirations.
But despite Claire’s public love of family in the political arena, her private one is in rough shape. Husband John resents Claire’s calculating nature and has long since strayed—finding solace in the arms of the female police officer who originally investigated Adam’s case. Meanwhile, the other children—Danny and Willa—have gone in very different directions. Danny is a womanizing drunk, Willa a pious Catholic (and Claire’s no-nonsense political advisor). What unifies them? Tremendous guilt over Adam’s disappearance.
And what of Adam? A boy who gagged at the sight of eggs but can’t get enough of them now. A boy who sneaks out of bed in the middle of the night to watch old home movies, as if trying to memorize them. A boy who might not be exactly who he claims to be.
The Family is a mystery along the lines of Gracepoint or The Killing, revealing its secrets episode by convoluted episode. But while serialized television is nothing new in this era of TV binging, it is a bit unusual to see a series predicated not on an unexpected death, but an unexpected life.
Don’t think, though, that that means The Family is family friendly. Sex and violence and lies are layered into it—from John’s dalliances (which can feel raw and explicit) to Danny’s similarly sleazy sexual relationships to, simply, the sexual and physical abuse that Adam says, in unblinking prose, he’s experienced. And while Hank may or may not be guilty of Adam’s kidnapping, the child pornography the police find on his computer tells us he’s far from an innocent man.
This is a grim story with an uncertain trajectory, and its strong performances (led by three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen as Claire) simply can’t compensate.
Adam shows up at the police station, bedraggled and much the worse for wear. The Warrens are thrilled by his return, but we see that the family is far from healed—and there are odd, nagging questions as to who Adam really is.
Privy to John and Nina’s affair, we see partial undressing and explicit sexual movements, along with rapid breathing. In flashback, Danny is blamed for Adam’s disappearance—distracted while “trying to get to third base with some slut,” his sister accuses. Indeed, we see Danny kissing her and groping her backside. In present day, he’s seen simultaneously sharing a hotel room—and bed—with two women in various stages of undress.
We hear brief but brutal details about Adam’s repeated torture and rape. We see that his back is covered with scars. We learn that Hank is a pedophile, with child porn on his laptop. He was previously convicted for indecent exposure.
Willa handles a small cross and crosses herself. When she goes into a Catholic confessional, she says it’s been “six days since my last confession”—but 10 years since her last real one. (When she’s still a child, her father worries that she’s turning into a “religious kook.”) Nina tells Hank there is no God, “because if there was, why would He make something like you?”
A couple is caught smoking weed. Claire calls Danny a drunk, and we see him pour liquor from a flask into his orange juice. He goes to a bar and asks the bartender to “bring the bottle.” He appears hung over in his hotel room. Characters say “h—” seven or eight times, “b–tard” twice and “d–n” once. God’s name is misused.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
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