Somebody Somewhere
Created by Hannah Bos & Paul Thureen
★★★½
Bridget Everett
HBO
Somebody Somewhere
Season 1 - Episode 4
Sam (Bridget Everett) is your average beer-drinking, small town Kansas woman, who comes back to her tiny town of Manhattan to care for her sick sister and stays for the judgement of her family and old high school acquaintances. From having an old rumor about her solidified in a tiny book written by an old classmate, we follow her journey of self discovery and finding her own power. Shana Hagan (cinematographer of 6 episodes) and Jim Frohna (cinematographer of 1 episode) add to the reality of this show by going mostly handheld. The shakiness lends itself to the actors to show that real life isn’t perfect, so why fake it.
As far as the acting goes, Bridget Everett plays Sam in such a believable and relatable way, that it is impossible not to love her. Bridget doesn’t carry this show on her own though, there are plenty more actors who help make this show engaging. Jeff Hiller (Joel) plays a quirky dreamer who was in show choir with Sam in high school. The two form a quick friendship that is unbreakable. Additionally, the standout character Fred Rococo (Murray Hill), is such a defined character who knows exactly who he is and what he wants and has so much to teach Sam and Joel about finding their own place in the world. They all find a commonality at “choir practice” where all the misfits of Manhattan come together to sing, read from diaries, and just hang out in a space of no judgement. Growing up in a small town myself, even if you’re minding your own business, there will always be someone lurking. For all of these people to have their own space to just be themselves is something I wish everyone was able to experience.
Inspiration can be hard to come by, especially when success stories only discuss young people in their twenties or younger. So seeing Sam, Joel, and Fred in their forties still trying to figure things out is relieving. We get to watch them experience new difficulties as well and just the mundane daily tasks of grading testing essays. It’s never too late to start something new, and this show recognizes that.
Not everything can always come to fruition, but dreams are only a vision board and a boat away. If you are struggling to find your place in this world, maybe you too can find comfort at choir practice in Somebody Somewhere.