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VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Wonderfalls
QQQQ1/2
If ever there were a candidate for the Trio network's Brilliant
But Canceled series celebrating shows too good for television, it would
be this wonderfully inventive but agonizingly short-lived creation from
writer/director Todd Holland. Dismissed as another Joan of Arcadia
because of Niagara Falls gift-shop worker Jaye Tyler's (Caroline Dhavernas)
penchant for talking with inanimate animals, Wonderfalls sidestepped
Joan's religiosity for a more mystical approach. When a misshapen
wax lion begins offering Jaye cryptic orders, the first of many such unnerving
encounters, the smart-alecky slacker learns that her talkative new friends
are actually setting the universe right. There's a frequently hilarious
subplot involving a lesbian character but you'll have to watch it to find
out more. The show was canceled after only three episodes; this set includes
an additional nine that not only achingly show off Wonderfalls' potential
but also, fortunately, tie up most of its loose ends. Well-written, well-acted
and well-made. Hmm, maybe it was too good for TV. The DVD includes episode
commentaries, making-of and visual effects featurettes, a music video and
widescreen format.