TRANSPARENT follows the life of Maura, a trans woman and her journey of acceptance. The show also follows the lives of her three children Ali, Sarah, and Josh, who are all dealing with their own weird little quirks.
TRANSPARENT is much more than an original series for Amazon Prime. Much like the trans community this show cannot be defined as one thing, it can’t be labeled, or restricted by one genre, this show deserves more than that.
To call Jeffery Tambor’s performance anything but breathtaking would be an injustice to the brilliant words he brought to life scene after scene. Her innocent and naïve nature as she enters womanhood is almost like that of a kindergartener entering school for the first time. She’s afraid, yet excited.
Sarah Pfefferman played brilliantly by Amy Landecker is nothing short of mesmerizing. You want to hate her, you should hate her, but you don’t hate her. She is so selfish in the first couple of episodes, all you want to do is tell her it’s never going to work out with Tammy. It’s easy to see Sarah isn’t the type of person who takes advice; she has to do things her way. The one thing about Sarah that stands out is while she tends to be a bit selfish, she supports her father unconditionally, no questions asked. She is the glue of the family, and she doesn’t even know it.
Gaby Hoffmann. Wow. I could go on and on about Ali’s drug filled sex-capades, or her identity issues but I would rather talk about the boyish charm and elegance she exudes.
Jay Duplass is adorable. Josh is adorable too, and he’s also extremely complicated, and neurotic. It’s a privilege to watch him.
Scene Stealers:
Michaela Watkins: She brought a wonderful and sweet touch to Maura’s flashback at camp Camellia. The dancing scene the two shared was adorable and such a joy to watch.
Melora Hardin: No words. She is unrecognizable as Tammy and gives such a strong performance. When explaining her character to someone many hand gestures had to be used, and a couple of “it blew my mind how amazing she was” were mentioned.
Bradley Whitford: Mark and Maura’s initial meeting is one of my favorite scenes from the whole season. When he whispered to Maura about the magazines I just completely fell in love with his character.
* Can we talk about the mini TROPHY WIFE reunion?
Although I can’t see it happening in the near future (maybe at some liberal arts school in Manhattan) I feel as though this series should be shown in schools. This show could be used as a vessel into the complicated world that is identity and sexuality. It could help future generations of children born into non-traditional families know that their family unit is not only accepted but also celebrated. Laverne Cox of ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK is serving as our first major look into this community; this show deserves to be a part of that movement and this show deserves to be embraced. Jill Soloway created an addicting, groundbreaking, and a crucial series.
Is it too soon to start making Emmy predictions? This show deserves all the nominations it is eligible for.