The yellow brick road to hell is paved with good intentions, and Tin Man had plenty of them (good intentions, money… what’s the difference?). But as it has been the unfortunate case with so many Sci Fi Miniseries before it, Tin Man didn’t quite achieve the greatness its budget, cast and exposure should have guaranteed – it just sucked. Six hours of handsomely scored, beautifully shot bullshit that I could have spent sleeping.
Let’s be clear that this is not The Wizard of Oz. In fact, the wizard dies about halfway through. For the first half hour or so, it seemed like a retelling of sorts. This tornado is about becoming a woman! Look, little people! Three companions with metaphors where organs should be! No surprises here… just bizarrely named allusions to the more familiar characters and lots of CGI. Until we learn that our would-be Dorothy’s parents (no Aunt Em or Uncle Henry in this one) are actually robots programmed to raise her. I’m not sure if she was shocked by this revelation because Zooey Deschanel’s unblinking eyes looked wild with confusion every moment she was on screen. It got even weirder from there. Something about deposed royalty, secret sisters, demonic possession and a reference to to the original story in convoluted genealogy of “the O.Z.” I’d offer a more thorough recap, but I was multitasking while I watched.
There was fun to be had though. Kathleen Robertson (The Business) is one of TV’s most unsung heroes, so it was nice to see her in a highly publicized role – and Azkadellia was a glorious one at that. I can’t help but feel that Kathleen knew how ludicrous her character was, so every time the flying monkeys flew out of her boobs, I swear I could see her winking at me. She could probably be faulted for the monotone voice, but there wasn’t a whole lot of excitement from anyone in Tin Man.
The biggest problem was that it just shouldn’t have been a miniseries. It might not have been unbearable if they’d cut out the third, fourth and fifth hours, because all of the content in that massive chunk was repetitive and forced. I was dying to let go by then, but I can’t give up on even the worst television if there’s an end in sight.
I have to disagree with you. I thought the concept of the three night arc fit the story very well. I never once lost interest.
That said, I absolutely loved Tin Man. Thank you Sci Fi!
Wait, Robbie, seriously? If that’s true, you may have been more interested in the “Tin Man” then the people actually starring in “Tin Man.”
Failed to meet its potential.
i love this show yay!:D