Showtime premieres the third season of UNITED STATES OF TARA tonight, March 28th at 10:00 pm ET/PT. I was able to review the entire Season 3 in advance and it is a good one folks! The season picks up months after Charmaine’s wedding, or nonwedding to Zach and just in time for her baby shower and birth. Everyone is coming to terms with and trying to deal with the fact that not only has Tara’s alternates returned, but there is a new one in town, Chicken, the scared little five year old child.
Is this season worth watching? My answer is yes, yes and definitely yes. In order to entice you to tune in, but without giving too much away (after all the fun in the United States of Tara is the constant change and surprise), here are my top five reasons you should be excited for this season, in no particular order.
Okay, maybe I lied. I said these reasons would be in no particular order, but frankly this reason is my number one reason. Personally I think Eddie Izzard is outstanding in every role he plays. He certainly did not disappoint in United States of Tara.
Eddie plays a psychology professor at the local community college in which Tara enrolls to finish her degree. He specifically teaches abnormal psychology and interestingly enough does not believe in dissociative identity disorders. Like most of the characters on the show, the professor is multi layered, but superficial appearing on the surface. This leaves the viewer wondering if the professor will take an interest in Tara, someone with a disorder he does not think exists, and if so, for what purpose and what motive.
In this role, Eddie Izzard gets to play a bit of an eccentric character, which is right up his alley. For me, his character gave the show and Tara’s situation a different feel than the last two seasons. I think he is an excellent addition and you will not be disappointed with the direction in which he takes the season.
Of course in a show like United States of Tara, centering around a woman with multiple personality disorder and her family’s way of dealing with it, the different personalities take center stage. However, in this season the alternates remain center stage but the props, background and players all change. What does that mean exactly? In Season 3 the alternates’ landscape changes and they interact differently than we had ever seen before. Naturally, another personality emerges. However, unlike Gimme or Chicken, this alternate appears to have an agenda. I would also venture to say the latest personality is perhaps one of the hardest for the Gregson family to deal with.
The best part of the show is the differing personalities and the way that Toni Collette consumes her role as each one. She does it so well and so effortlessly that sometimes it is easy to forget it is just acting. The same is true of the latest personality. If Toni does not win an Emmy for this Season, I would be surprised. The range of motion that she goes through both as the different identities and then as the woman dealing with those identities is truly amazing.
Finally, in the season, with the differing interaction of the alternates, Toni is able to stretch her peformance to its limits and she does a great job in doing so.
Although Marshall went through a tremendous growth period last season after coming out, the advancement of his character this season is exciting to watch. While having a hard enough time dealing with his new experiences as a gay teen, Marshall also finds that he is having difficulty coming to terms with his family dynamic, particularly in understanding how they got to the point they are at now.
In this third season, Marshall grows sexually, embarks on a future possible career path and actually taps into the somewhat dark and disconcerting building blocks of the Gregson family. Sometimes it was difficult to watch, but mostly it was enthralling as this somewhat awkward teen develops into himself.
Remember when at the end of every TV season, there would be cliffhangers, usually about whether or not a character was dead? Then you would have to wait all the way until the beginning of the next season, usually over a summer, to find out what really happened? Well, United States of Tara has those, but within the season. That is, you only have to wait until the next episode to find out what happened. Unlike the drama of the 80s though, these are not necssarily about life and death. So I call them cliffhangers for lack of better word.
Some of them are, but most of them are those severely emotionally impact last moments that make you gasp with their rawness. There are a few of those dealing with Tara and her revelations about her identities and who she is. There are also mini cliffhangers, so to speak, within some of the episodes. There were moments that I gasped, anixously wondering what would happen next. Then there were those times that I would sadly shake my head sympathizing with what a particular character was going through.
To me, it is those things that keep me coming back episode to episode and season to season.
I will be honest. I only pay attention to a TV show’s soundtrack if it is really good or I know the song. There was both here. Some songs were familiar, but many of them were older songs that fit the situation. Each time I noticed a song it was because the lyrics were tuned into exactly what was happening on the air. That is a great combination. Also, there is a band this season. Someone used to be in a band in the past and that is resurrected. Are they any good? Hell, no! Are they a heck of a lot of fun? Of course.
There you have it. Five reasons that you should tune into this third season of United States of Tara tonight. I could give you more reasons, but the more I go on, the more I want to share the happenings of the season. There are some really amazing plots, twists, character developments, situations, and storylines. However, I want you to experience it as I did, as it happens. So tune in tonight at 10:30 pm ET/PT for the season premiere of United States of Tara. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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