Secret Crew Steam Back
The Age
Thursday February 20, 2003
IT'S busy by the beach in the early episodes of the 2003 season of The Secret Life of Us. People are shifting into different apartments, interviewing prospective flatmates, starting new jobs, embarking on university courses, training for treks in Nepal and grappling with health issues. There's love in the air, a sense of change in the wind and a freshly refurbished FU Bar. In addition to the familiar soccer sessions in the park, there's lots of energy being expended all round.
Dr Alex (Claudia Karvan) and Dr Rex (Vince Colosimo) have moved in together. Author Evan (Samuel Johnson) has landed a job at an advertising agency and temporarily decamped upstairs to share a flat with Gabrielle (Sibylla Budd). Actress Miranda (Abi Tucker), fresh from the triumph of her one-woman show in Edinburgh, has come home broke and found work in a call centre. Christian (Michael Dorman) is dealing with a diagnosis of epilepsy and, judging by the events in this week's episode, You Can't Always Get What You Want, not coping too well.
Former soap star Richie (Spencer McLaren) is preparing for a big trip, with bar owner Simon (David Tredinnick) egging him on. Kelly (Deborah Mailman) has enrolled in a university psychology course and is alternately terrified and exhilarated at the prospect. Perpetually grumpy lawyer Jason (Damian de Montemas) is struggling with the news that the mother of his beloved baby boy is going to get married.
Following a fairly lacklustre, even lackadaisical, second season, Secret Life has kicked off with a welcome flurry of activity and a renewed sense of vigour. Thank goodness. Watching the listless comings and goings of these characters through the bars and bedrooms of St Kilda in 2002 was enough to turn even a devotee to apathy.
Inertia gripped the show. There was a worrying lack of plot and character development through the 22 hours of television last year. It felt as if the writers had run out of steam, or enthusiasm, for the characters they had so vividly carved out in the debut season.
With a couple of notable exceptions, everyone mooched around, moaning about their lives, boozing through sorrowful sessions at the FU Bar, immersed in self-absorbed naval-gazing. Will (Joel Edgerton) left, returning briefly to party and fight and make up with Richie. Miranda put on a show. Richie's puffed-up ego lost him his TV gig. Christian arrived, blond and bland, slept with Alex and grinned a lot. He failed to fill the space left by Will's departure, with the writers initially fumbling the chance to inject a colourful new character into the proceedings. An esteemed colleague aptly likened Christian to a Smurf: smiley and plastic.
The interminable affair between Gabrielle and her married boss became an insufferable saga of tears, recrimination and reconciliation. It went on so long that any shred of sympathy for Gab and her pain well and truly evaporated. I started wishing she would just shut up. And, apart from relishing his new role as a dad, Jason seemed to sulk through most of the season.
Through it all, Evan appeared to move further and further away from the perceptive musings of his narration. While his words were supposed to create a sense of informed observation, his actions loudly declared that Evan was a jerk: a petulant, puerile Lothario whose understanding of his own behaviour was so limited that it was hard to accept as insightful his comments about others. It's possible to believe that Evan is a gifted writer and observer who is less adept at life, but last year the gap between the man and his musings stretched to a chasm.
Lives go through periods of limbo, interludes where not much happens, times when people might drink and doubt and worry, but the depiction of such stasis doesn't make for riveting television.
And while Secret Life is built around subjects such as trust, love, lies, change and chaos, which might not need to be teased out through a lot of action, they do require some character progression, scriptwriting nuance and plots that are compelling.
Too few storylines were developed with verve, complexity or imagination last year. The notable exceptions were the ones involving Alex's pregnancy and abortion, and the vexed romance between Kelly and her Jewish boyfriend, Nathan (Todd MacDonald). In both instances the cast members were given meaty material to work with and an opportunity to show their range and subtlety, and the writers worked through complicated emotional issues with honesty, courage and sensitivity. Here's hoping we see more of that this year.
With its Monday night berth, Secret Life occupies one of the most competitive slots of the week, a time where there's an abundance of choice (24, Four Corners, South Park, Who Wants to be a Millionaire).
It will have to perform strongly to retain its audience, but given the high casualty rate among local series of late, it is gratifying to see that this one might be regaining some of its lost vitality.
The Secret Life of Us screens on Mondays at 8.30pm on Channel Ten.
© 2003 The Age