On DVD: Tell Me You Love Me Season One

 

 

Directed By Cynthia Mort

Starring Jane Alexander, Ali Walker

 

This is definitely our typical sort of thing to cover but hey never let be said that we don't give other kinds of shows and films a chance.

The Season

 

Typically a show like this, a handful of couples from different age groups 20's, 30, 40's, and even one couple much older having problems in their relationships centered on their sex lives or lack their of, is the realm of a female audience.  This series those displayed sex in a fairly graphic way which probably brought in many male viewers to the Showtime series.  The creator of the series, a female, says that she wanted the relationships to feel real and she wanted the sex to feel the same, which is why the sex scenes were shown in such an intimate and graphic way.  She also managed to diversify her audience and gave the series a reason for being on Showtime too.

 

Three couples in the mentioned age groups motioned above are all in therapy trying o deal with their sexual issues.  The "and older" is represented by the therapist and her husband.  A series like this could easily veer into formulaic territory such as T&A laden melodrama or Hallmark movie of the week melodrama but the series actually succeeds at being a serious and realistic drama that doesn't feel exploitative.  The series is completely voyeuristic in it's look at these people's lives and the sex scenes simply feel a part of that and the scenes help define who these people are and why they make the decisions they make.

 

The sex scenes can be "sexy" when they are good but if you enjoy the series you are so invested in these people that the scenes are dramatic when they happen.  For instance one couple has stopped having sex all together.  They love each other but for reasons eventually covered in their therapy they haven't had sex in a very long time.  When they eventually do have something it's not as sexy as it is pivotal in the success of this family.

 

Another couple is struggling over having a baby.  The husband doesn't want a baby and the wife wants one.  Their sex becomes very clinical and goal oriented rather than out of love.  I know this sounds like a dramatic girly story but believe me the man's perspective gets some representation and if you're in a couple many of the issues in the show are real enough to spur some real conversation.  In fact the women are the real problem in these relationships, they're selfish or just mental and most often their husbands or boyfriends are clueless of how to help them.

 

This isn't my typical type of series but I was surprised at how I got hooked into it with my wife.  It's deep and realistic, the acting is spot on, and the sex scenes aren't shot like Red Shoe Diaries they're much more realistic.  If there is an issue I have with this series it's that the show is completely joyless so it can be a bit of a downer.  If there were some sappy joyful moments in the show it would have taken away from the realism of the drama.  That's why I'm gonna say this is a single watch series.  The finale of season one does offer an opportunity for some light at the end of the tunnel, at least for one of the couples.  This is at least worth a rent for fans of good drama.

 

8/10

 

The Video

 

The anamorphic widescreen presentation here do a great job of representing the original vision of the creators of the series.  The episodes are shot with mostly natural light and handheld cameras in order to create a voyeuristic almost documentary-like atmosphere.  With that in mind colors look great but detail can be a little low here and there but I believe that is more due to the production style rather than the DVD authoring.  It's not a demo disc but it does a good job of showing the series in the way it was meant to be seen.

 

8/10

 

The Audio

 

The series is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and overall it sounds great.  The show is dialogue heavy so it doesn't really take true advantage of the surround environment but the dialogue comes through crisp and clean and the scant few times there is music or ambient sound it comes through the surrounds just fine.  The presentation does exactly what it's supposed to do.

 

7.5/10

 

The Packaging and Bonus Features

 

The ten episodes are spread across four discs packaged in a standard digipack and a cardboard slipcover.  I don't know if the artwork will bring in new viewers but fans of the show will definitely recognize it from a distance.

 

There are four audio commentaries with the first from the creators being the best.  The other three are from cast members and they offer some interesting comments but overall they aren't as deep as you'd hope they would be.  That's really all there is.  There were interviews with a group of real couples sharing their thoughts on each episode that aired on Showtime after each episode that should have been uncut and included on this set.

 

3/10

Not typical stuff for us and probably for you but it's good drama, definitely worth a look.

  

Overall (Not an Average) 7.5/10

The Review

The Movie 8/10

The Video 8/10

The Audio 7.5/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 3/10

Overall (Not an Average) 7.5/10

 

-Stephen Lackey