Episode Title: “Pilot”
Writer: Bryan Fuller
Director: Bryan Singer
After months of name changes, re-cast roles and general speculation about the rationale behind NBC’s decision to reboot a nearly fifty-year-old black and white sitcom, Bryan Fuller’s “Mockingbird Lane” pilot aired last night, just in time for Halloween.
To call Fuller’s quirky reboot of the already quirky original “polarizing” is an understatement. After all, “Mockingbird Lane” asks you to be on board with a show about the likes of Dracula and Frankenstein living in modern day suburbia, to begin with.
The pilot (or “TV movie” as some are calling it; it certainly felt like one with all the slick special effects) focuses on the Munster family as they settle into their new digs on Mockingbird Lane. Like any suburban American family, the Munsters are dealing with normal everyday stuff, like helping their son, Eddie (Mason Cook) ease into adolescence. Except, in Eddie’s case, he’s a budding werewolf who’s unable to control his beastly impulses.
Father, Herman (Jerry O’Connell) and mother, Lily (Portia de Rossi) spend a good part of the pilot debating how to let their son know exactly what kind of hairy freak show he really is. Eddie knows he’s not “normal” but when Herman breaks the news to his son, he laments the fact that he can’t be “a vegetarian werewolf.”
While Eddie struggles with Munster-hood, Herman’s dealing with a broken heart of sorts. A caring father and loving husband, Herman’s heart, which was installed by Grandpa (Eddie Izzard), is going on him because he “loves too hard.” Grandpa insists on replacing it as soon as possible but Herman’s worried he won’t feel the same with a new ticker.
After a failed attempt at swiping a neighbor’s heart, Grandpa targets Eddie’s wilderness scout leader, Steve (Cheyenne Jackson). Herman tries to warn Steve of Grandpa’s intentions but in the end, Grandpa transforms into a gargoyle-like creature, spooking Steve, who falls down into the secret lair hidden under the stairs. Grandpa fixes Herman up with a new heart while sucking down Steve’s blood through a tube.
Plot-wise, the pilot offers up little to hold onto. By episode’s end, Herman’s got a new heart and Eddie learns to accept his werewolf side, with a little help from the new pet dragon, Spot his parents give him. While the premiere does a good job of introducing the Munster family, it’s unclear where they go from here.
What does work is the show’s somewhat dry morbid humor. Like the scene where Marilyn (Charity Wakefield) explains the circle of life to Eddie as they watch a deer get eaten by a lion which is then devoured by Grandpa – who is also naked. Like its source material, “Mockingbird Lane” isn’t trying to be anything more than it appears to be: a dark campy comedy about a family of monsters. And Singer’s modern-day “Munsters” includes plenty of humorous nods to current pop culture. Like the Apple start-up sound from his iPad as Grandpa prepares to go to work on Herman’s heart, Lily’s obvious MILF-status and Eddie’s vegetarian leanings.
The pilot itself is a wondrous spectacle with beautiful special effects, terrific costumes and a set full of gothic horror eye candy. While kids will be drawn into the premise, “Mockingbird Lane’s” violence might be too much for younger viewers. I was a bit surprised when the pilot opened with a bunch of boy scouts getting snatched up by a werewolf in the woods. Which makes me wonder: who exactly is the intended audience for this show?
Having watched the original “Munsters” as a kid, “Mockingbird Lane” stirs up a certain amount of nostalgia, particularly with its repeated use of the original “Munsters” theme song. Jerry O’Connell and Portia de Rossi aren’t exactly who I’d expect to see playing their respective roles, but both were fine. Although most of the really fun stuff was reserved for Eddie Izzard. And of course, Izzard is right at home as Fuller’s devious and bloodthirsty update on “Grandpa.”
But whether an actual television series lies beyond the pilot is hard to say. Aside from a neighbor couple and poor scout master, Steve, we don’t meet anyone outside the Munster clan. We’re not really sure what they want or where they’re headed. To that end, the pilot doesn’t really set up any kind of season-long storyline. Rather it showcases the main characters and the macabre oddball world they inhabit.
“Mockingbird Lane” is certainly creative and with Bryan Fuller at the helm there are tons of potential. As someone who’ll get behind any TV show that’s not about cops, doctors or lawyers, I’m hoping NBC pulls the trigger and takes “Mockingbird Lane” to series. It pairs nicely with “Grimm” and though the pilot was a bit messy it was also super entertaining. But I’m just not sure this first episode did enough to make viewers want more Munsters.
