Transparent Review: Season One

If there’s one thing that Netflix has proven, it’s that original programming for streaming services cannot be ordinary. Instead of pumping out run of the mill big-network dramas, we instead are treated to shows such as Lilyhammer, Orange is the New Black, and House of Cards. These high-class dramas currently outshine nearly anything else on network television, being successfully risky in the issues they can present. And forget about any cheap or cheesy sitcoms; the company has already taken under its wing two of the greatest and most influential sitcoms ever produced: Trailer Park Boys and Arrested Development.

Amazon Prime has finally realized this, stepping up its content game with the thought-provoking comedy-drama Transparent.

Retired professor Mort Pfefferman has been living as a closeted transgender for his entire life, until he decides to come out to his three children. His oldest daughter, Sara, is unhappily married with two children. Son Josh is a lonely, struggling music executive who jumps from woman to woman attempting to find solace. Ali, the youngest sibling, is a child genius grown up to be jobless and penniless, frequently engaging in drug-fueled escapades. Shelly, Mort’s ex-wife and mother to his three children, lives unhappily in a retirement community with her senile new husband.

Assigned to be a male at birth, Mort has lived his life acting through the societal expectations of a male, while identifying internally as a female. Coming out to his family, he begins to dress, act, and live as woman, adopting the name of “Morah”. In respect to the character, she will from this point forward be referred to with her preferred female pronouns.

In the same vein as Orange is the New Black, Transparent provides a brutally honest approach to Morah’s story. It doesn’t sugarcoat anything, nor does it try to force a lesson in our face. It simply presents reality as it is, which makes for a fascinating story. Also unusual is the portrayal for a practicing Jewish family. There’s a bar mitzvah, a Shabbat dinner, and a rabbi, and they are all accurate without bending to stereotypes. The show isn’t trying to teach anybody about Judaism; the Judaism is just there, as it would be in real life.

Obviously, we are not only going to follow how Morah’s life changes as a result of her coming out, but also how her children react. Most interesting is the insight that their reactions give us into the backgrounds of the various characters. For example, Josh is barely able to handle the news, not being able to understand the father’s decision. The betrayal he feels provides valuable back commentary about the lack of father figure that was in Josh’s life as he grew up. The resentment from that is now escalated as he loses what little of a father he had left.

This is where a lot of the realism about a transgender character comes into play. When many shows attempt to deal with issues such as this, they tend to put too much emphasis on just the issues themselves. The Pfferferman story isn’t only about a father who is suddenly revealed to be a woman; it is about seemingly unrelated elements that come into play because of this revelation, and even the smallest changes it makes to the status quo.

Because of this direction, Morah’s three children are each given nearly equal screen time to Morah herself. The beauty of this ensemble is how connected everybody’s lives really are. The entire family is on a struggle to find happiness in their lives, after living through lies. In the same way that Morah had to live a lie about who she really was, Sara has lived the lie of being in a happy relationship, as how Josh has been living a lie of a perfect dream life, and so on.

This connection has the added benefit of giving normalcy to Morah. It would be very easy to “freak show” her, make her into an exotic character that we cannot possibly figure out. By pointing out the parallels between Morah and her family, we see that she is not much different from the wider cis-gender community. Instead of focusing on her transexuality, we are able to simply focus on a great story.

Major credit must be given to the actors who bring this story to life. I was a tad worried about how I would be able to take Jeffrey Tambor seriously; as a huge fan of Arrested Development, I am so used to seeing him in his George/Oscar Bluthe dual role (one that has had him cross dress on occasion). But you immediately forget about this as soon as he enters the screen here. Tambor completely embodies the role of Morah, beautifully executing every complex emotion of a transgender woman beginning her journey.

As the three children, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, and Gaby Hoffman all do excellent job of honestly portraying the flawed nuances of their characters. What impressed me the most, however, was the sibling chemistry that they all had with each other. From the casual banter during a quick meet up, to some intense fight scenes, you get the feeling that these three have actually grown up together for the past thirty years.

In terms of visual production, the show is a beauty. The cinematography is gorgeous, with coloring and framing that is both artistic and based completely in realism. The directing is, once again, going for a sense of realism, going from fast and fun to harsh and cold when needed.

In a television market severely lacking in truthful depictions of the LGBT community, Transparent is a welcome, refreshing, and well-needed addition to the current television lineup. Perfectly nailing all the issues of transexuality in combination with a top-grade production, you are treated to a gripping, emotional, and sometimes comedic story. Yet to break into the mainstream, Transparent is poised to become a groundbreaking classic.