Comedy
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This modern retelling of Greek mythology falls into a pit of questionable themes and content concerns deeper than Tartarus.
Honor. Duty. Justice.
Those are Judge Oliver Garland’s guiding principles, and he stuck by them as a right-wing judge despite the criticisms from public and politicians alike.
He lived out those principles… until he died.
Could Oliver’s principles and Oliver’s death be somehow related?
His investigative and audacious daughter, Mariah, doesn’t buy the “heart attack” story, being well aware of her father’s medical records and political enemies.
His captious and licentious eldest son, Addison, just wants to move on with life. He’s a good older brother, but often a little too carefree and dismissive for his younger siblings.
Finally, his reserved and thoughtful son, Talcott, hears Mariah’s conspiracy out, but he has a couple other things to worry about. His wife, Kimmer, is in a political battle for a seat on one of the 13 Federal Courts of Appeals, and one of the judge’s old friends—now a convicted criminal—approaches Talcott at the funeral, asking for some “arrangements” (whatever that means). All that, and he has to come up with an epitaph.
The family is divided politically, but united morally and in grief.
Loosely based on a 2002 novel of the same name, Emperor of Ocean Park flashes back and forth along the story’s timeline from Judge Garland’s failed nomination to the Supreme Court to the present day, where the judge is dead.
While the first episode had relatively few content issues (mostly profanity-related), the plot leaves way for violent content as Mariah investigates, and sexual content as a character’s potential infidelity unfolds. In addition, there’s plenty of deceit to be untangled among politicians and criminals.
Emperor of Ocean Park is well-constructed and suspenseful, but its themes, and its language issues, are heavy. And we have no indication that circumstances will improve in the personal and political world of the Garlands.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
In present day, the Garland siblings’ lives are turned upside down when their father, Oliver, is found dead. Funeral planning starts, emotions run high, and Mariah becomes suspicious of foul play.
The story flashes back to 2007, when Oliver is a shoo-in for the Supreme Court justice chair. But after an intense and antagonistic Senate hearing, it seems the judge will not be sworn in.
Both timelines involve the mysterious figure of Jack Ziegler, the judge’s old college roommate and now “real-life Bond villain.” The judge’s relationship with Ziegler is questioned in the Senate hearing and then, in the present day, Ziegler shows up at the funeral to convince Talcott to find and give him the judge’s “arrangements” (seemingly some sort of paper trail) so no one in the family gets hurt.
When the judge is still alive, protesters gather outside his court with “my body, my choice” signs. One calls him a fascist and tries to throw red paint on him.
In present day, we see the judge’s dead body (no gore).
We learn that one of Oliver’s daughters, Abby, died when she was only 17 in a hit-and-run.
The judge’s funeral is at a church and the children plan the service with Father Brown. Addison claims that his father firmly put his trust in the Old Testament and Republican law and order.
Abby’s tombstone is engraved with a Bible verse.
The Garland family is Black, and racial topics occasionally arise. Mariah talks to the school about her child got called “Jim Crow” and insists on the “junior Klansman” being expelled. When Mariah doesn’t tip someone at a restaurant, Addison says that will reflect poorly on their whole race.
Addison brings his newest “date” to the funeral service, much to Mariah’s chagrin. Addison’s cousin by marriage is upset as well, but for her own personal, lustful reasons.
Talcott’s and Kimmer’s married relationship is in question when Talcott finds roses and a romantic note in Kimmer’s office trashcan. Kimmer insists she is not cheating, and they kiss. It seems the interaction will go farther, but Talcott stops Kimmer before she takes off her dress.
We see people drink.
We hear the f-word seven times and the s-word nine times. We also hear “a–,” “h—,” “b–ch,” “d–k,” and “whore.” God’s and Jesus’s names are abused a few times, once with “d–n.”
Caleb Gottry is the Plugged In intern for Summer 2024. Caleb studies journalism with a minor in music at Texas Christian University, where he will be a junior in the fall. He loves playing with words, listening to and making music, and spending any spare time with friends or family.
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