My own self

I was going to entitle this post "Brotherhood, season 1-3", but as of yesterday, the show has officially not been renewed for a fourth season. What there is, then, is what you get. But what there is is worth getting. Come one, come all, as I pull my weblog-act together enough to post a review of Showtime's late Brotherhood.

Michael Caffee to his younger brother, after returning home after seven years: You're pissed at me.
Tommy Caffee: How can I be pissed? You're the prodigal son. You know, if Ma could, she'd kill every fatted calf in New England.
Michael: Ooh, you're wicked pissed.

As this quote shows, Brotherhood tells the tale of how a prodigal son returns to his family after seven years, and how he and his younger brother deal with their newfound co-existence in a fictional district of Rhode Island. Michael, a member of some standing in the local Irish Mob, and Tommy, a promising and popular politician in the State House of Representatives. The shows deals with how Tommy is torn between his career, wife and children and his love for his brother; a huge political liability to say the least. Simultaneously, it portrays Michael's re-integration into a criminal environment he had to flee seven years prior. They each have their issues, and they each have their values, and maybe most importantly, they both dearly love their little district. Michael sets out to use his shaky standing in the local mob to perform crimes he thinks will improve the neighborhood for the elderly and the children, while Tommy spends his days at the Rhode Island House of Representatives fighting hard to keep his district from being mowed over by the richer and more influential ones. The contrast between each characters intentions and morality and their actions and decisions are marvellously portrayed, and the show's by far strongest point.

The first show that springs to mind when one first checks out Brotherhood is indubitably The Sopranos, and this is likely not coincidental. But where the previous attempts I've seen from Showtime at making shows that pick up the torch from the critically acclaimed, dark and complex HBO-hits usually fall somewhat short, Brotherhood remains standing. No, it's no Sopranos, but it is darned good nonetheless. If you take out the psychological angle of The Sopranos, stir in the political aspects of the later seasons of The Wire, and adds a focus of two prominent main characters instead of just one or an entire ensemble, you'll get something that resembles Brotherhood pretty closely. Not quite measuring up to neither the potency of Sopranos nor the brilliance of Wire, Brotherhood is nevertheless a show that captures the same general feel of reality and quality hand in hand. Considering its inevitable comparisons to The Sopranos, Brotherhood makes the remarkable feat of not simply withering away in shame. This is a solid, well-made show that deserves a chance based on its own merits.

Brotherhood, importantly, have several interesting characters. Both the brothers are highly engaging, beautifully portrayed by Jason Isaacs and Jason Clarke, but many supporting characters shine as well. In particular I should mention Kevin Chapman's slick mob boss, Ethan Embry's morally ravaged detective, and Stivi Paskoski's drug-addict mob enforcer with a heart of gold. But the jewels here are many, and I only stop at three names to keep the review from becoming a gush-fest of characters and actors.

I mentioned The Wire, and thematically, Brotherhood is a close fit. Where the former looked at city corruption through the different layers of the city itself, Brotherhood looks at what it does to families, and in particular the family of the main characters. In my opinion, it does a grand job at it.

Also a mention here should go to the interesting use of episode titles. The first season's episodes are entirely named after passages in religious texts, particularly the Bible. It is thus up to the viewer to go and actually look them up - or at least read it where it has been copied down on the handy Wikipedia episode list. The second follows up by similarly referencing Bob Dylan lyrics. And in the third season, the episode titles are, to a one, Shakespeare-quotes. To me, this was highly interesting, and so I found I should make a note of it in this review.

The third and final season ends on a lovely note, with an ending that both tied up the main plots and left the viewer wanting more. As such, while I deeply resent the lack of a renewal for this show, it is an ending better than what most shows get.

If you will only watch one new TV-show this year, you can find those that are better, and I would be happy to recommend something else for you. But if, like me, you will try out two, three or maybe even four or five new TV-shows as the summer and autumn slides by, I seriously recommend you consider picking up the Brotherhood-DVDs. Because if this review made it sound like you'd like them, you probably will.