Depicting Politics on television often involves the use of exposition and exaggeration for one distinct purpose, to keep the viewer interested. Shows like ABC’s Scandalsensationalize the topic, generally using politics as a dramatic plot point rather than the overall theme. Netflix’s House of Cards tries to show politics from a realistic sense, at least in how political groups function in D.C., but its murder and sex plots often destroy the political realism. Even The West Wing, perhaps the most in-depth political show ever written, had a serialized format where political situations were mostly just a setting for developing characters and relationships. Every political series I can think of follows this format for one simple reason: politics bores audiences.
But David Simon is a man who eschews television conventions, so when he signed on to develop Lisa Belkin’s 1999 nonfiction book Show Me a Hero into an HBO miniseries, his aim was to depict the events of the book with as much accuracy as possible while retaining the dramatic elements of the story.
Acolytes of Simon know him as a former Baltimore Sun police beat writer who spent decades manning a Metro desk before writing his own nonfiction book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, which was developed into the NBC police drama Homicide: Life on the Street, on which he served as a writer and producer. From there, Simon created the cult HBO series The Wire, garnering him international acclaim, and his knowledge of the inner workings of city politics and racial issues makes him the perfect man to develop Belkin’s Show Me a Hero. Simon co-wrote the script along with William F. Zorzi, another Baltimore Sun writer who collaborated with Simon on The Wire.HBO also tapped Hollywood director (and former Scientologist) Paul Haggis to join the project. Haggis is best known for his depiction of a city struggling with race in his 2005 film Crash,which he both wrote and directed (a movie I’ll attempt to not denigrate throughout the course of my reviews, but I can’t promise success).
Show Me a Hero stars Oscar Isaac, perhaps the finest young dramatic actor today, well known for his appearances in Inside Llewyn Davis, Ex Machina, Drive, and the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Isaac portrays the protagonist Nick Wasicsko, a former police officer turned Yonkers City Council member. Alongside Isaac the ensemble cast includes Catherine Keener (The 40 Year Old Virgin), Alfred Molina (Boogie Nights, Spider-Man 2), Jim Belushi (best known for being the brother of John Belushi who was in The Blues Brothers) and Winona Ryder (Black Swan, Saks 5thAvenue security camera footage).
The first episode of most shows is an attempt to draw viewers in with a dramatic “hook” in order to secure interest, but Show Me a Hero chose to follow a languorous trek through the minutiae of Yonkers politics. We learn that Nick Wasicsko is the youngest member of the Council led by Mayor Angelo Martinelli (Jim Belushi), a 6-term incumbent who Nick attempts to dethrone in the 1987 Mayoral election. Meanwhile, the Federal government, in the form of New York Southern District Judge Leonard B. Sand (played by Bob Balaban), has mandated that Yonkers must allocate 200 units of low-income housing under a desegregation order, and no one on the city council is particularly willing to build the units in their home district. Judge Sand is threatening to hold the city in contempt with the potential of being fined to the point of bankruptcy if they don’t build the housing.
Despite his tenure and popularity, Mayor Martinelli ran into electoral trouble when he agreed to build the housing, a decision staunchly opposed by his constituency. Nick generally agrees with Martinelli on every topic but this one, and this hot-button issue propels his campaign to success, leading Nick to become the youngest mayor of a major American city. Soon enough, however, Nick realizes that there’s no way around Judge Sand, and when he takes this news to his constituents they turn on him, believing he lied to secure their votes. So the newly-minted Mayor Wasiscko is left with a city council unwilling to comply with the Judge’s order and a city demanding that he repeal the decision, which could lead to bankruptcy.
Viewers of Show Me a Hero should be aware that the show is a slow burn, at least for the first two episodes. A lot of backdrop is presented, including a few seemingly random stories of a young Black couple and a Dominican family. When Episode 2 ends, it’s unclear how these storylines will intersect with the main political storyline. The same can be said for Catherine Keener’s portrayal of Mary Dorman, an elderly Yonkers homeowner who was thrown out of Nick’s council meeting. Keener’s stance in Hollywood as a comedic and dramatic actress would indicate that her inclusion in the cast will go beyond the first two episodes, and Winona Ryder’s similarly sparse appearances as City Council member Vinni Restiano also indicate she’ll get more air time in future episodes.
Fans of NBC’s Parks & Recreation will remember how vividly they showed the neutered purpose of local politics, with Ron Swanson being the perfect foil for ensuring that nothing ever gets done at City Hall. And despite Haggis’ attempts to give us realism, his city council meetings did remind me a little of the insane Pawnee, Indiana citizens screaming their lungs out at Amy Poehler and Aubrey Plaza. But in Show Me a Hero,municipal politics is of vital importance, and each council scene has the tension of a law drama. Haggis has managed to create a wonderful vehicle for portraying the rabid, racist antipathy of the Yonkers citizens as well as the increasing frustration of Waciscko and his city council members.
I look forward to more city council fireworks in the upcoming episodes, because overall the show has great potential. The acting is phenomenal, and the writing style is classic David Simon from his days on The Wire. And that in itself will make me come back for more.
-Sean
