American Gothic

[selenak]

I'm in Yoda-esque "old friends, long gone" mood. One show I loved, which never got more than a single season, was American Gothic. Considering that writing and cast were superb and the premise original, I never understood why it got cancelled. Emotionally, that is. Rationally, I suppose one obvious reason would be the complete lack of square-jawed heroes and cute sidekicks to identify with.

The main character, magnificently played by Gary Cole, was Lucas Buck, Sheriff of Trinity and possibly the devil. (My own theory about Lucas was that he was human, but not completely so.) Of course Stephen King (and others) had done the evil-Southern-Sheriff gig before, but in a hero versus villain scenario. It's a little bit more complicated in American Gothic. Lucas' opposition consists of decent-but-haunted-by-his past doctor Matt (whom he manages to drive insane), journalist Gail (whom he seduces) and Matt's replacement, Billy, who joins the show at a late point. His real opponent, however, is a girl whom he kills in the show's premiere, Merlyn; throughout the show, Lucas and Merlyn, much more powerful as a ghost than she was alive, battle it out about Merlyn's half brother and Lucas' illegitimate son, Caleb. It appears to be quite the medieval Everyman scenario, with Lucas as the devil and Merlyn as the angel on Caleb's shoulders, both trying to win him for their side… except that Caleb isn't exactly Everyboy, and Merlyn discovers a potential of ruthlessness in the name of good that in one episode borders dangerously on Jasmine of AtS fame.

Characters like Lucas' deputy Ben, who witnessed him murdering Merlyn and as a result is full of self-loathing and guilt because he can't break with Lucas (out of a mixture of fear and some genuine affection mixed with the hate), or Caleb's teacher Selena Coombs, who is Lucas' long-term mistress, get their own mini-arcs as far as character development goes in the course of that one, great season. The crucial relationship of the show, between Lucas and Caleb, is the most interesting father-son drama I saw till we got grown-up Connor and Angel, and the kid who plays Caleb is the most gifted child actor this side of Haley J. Osment. Their scenes together really spark, and when it all comes to a head in the season's finale, it takes your breath away.

We'll never get an American Gothic movie, or sequel. But I keep hoping for DVDs…

Comments

[asta77.livejournal.com]

Blast from the past - an American Gothic discussion. I adored this show when it was on, but, sadly, knew it was doomed to failure. Several things worred against it. Bad time slot, bad promotion, and constant pre-emptions. Showing episodes out of order and screwing up the continuity. And perhaps being far too complex and thought provoking for an audiance looking for mindless entertainment.

I never found Lucas Buck evil. (At the same time, neither could anyone in the cast be seen as truly good. Merlyn's dark streak has already been mentioned. Gail willingly became involved with a man she believed to be evil and who had murdered members of her own family. And even Caleb took a walk on the darkside at the end.) That seemed to be more of a perception of those that were around him. After all, a lot of his crimes we heard about but never saw him commit. As the show progressed, I was even beginning to question wether Caleb was a result of a rape?

As mentioned earlier, Buck may have set a lot of things in motion, but how much was his actual doing? I recall my mother and I having a discussion about the episode where Ben discovers his ex-wife and son are being abused. For various reasons Ben is unable to do anything. We see Buck paying the new husband a visit. Lucas never leaves his car, yet the man, fearful of just the sight of him, is distracted enough to trip and fall into his electric saw, severing his arms. Now, is Lucas responsible? Wouldn't most of us consider this 'poetic justice'? And what does that make us?

In another episode, two criminals, handcuffed, are trapped in a burning car. Lucas throws the one man a knife. He won't be able to saw through the cuffs, but he could cut off his own hand and escape. It's sadistic, but he is providing the man with a choice and allowing him to use his free will to decide his own fate.

Most of Lucas' 'victims' were not what we'd consider good people. All of them, in way or another had sinned - for lack of a better term. In many ways he provided justice and punishment to those who would not have otherwise received it. Then again, I think back to Buffy's statement to Giles "You can't fight evil with evil".

He's not evil, he's just written that way.*g*

[selenak.livejournal.com]

To misquote Jessica Rabbit.

Well, unless Merlyn lied to Caleb with what she shows him in the pilot (and while Merlyn has her own dark streak, there is no other evidence of her lying), Lucas Buck did rape their mother. Otoh as I pointed out elsewhere, this is pretty much outside of Lucas' usual m.o. for which the exercise of free will is crucial.

(Another interesting question: considering there is apparently something about the Cross women Lucas needs - bearing Judith Temple and Gail in mind - why did he never try to use Merlyn to sire his "spare heir" when Merlyn was alive? The fact that she was unable to communicate while still living is neither here nore there; biologically, she should have been able to become pregnant. In fact, Lucas killing Merlyn rather than choose the "Holly" solution of putting her in an asylum - if he had to remove her at all the better to gain access to Caleb - is odd.)

While we usually see Lucas providing opportunities and enjoying himself as people create their own punishments, there are some examples where he isn't above some personal malice and pettiness. Mostly involving Matt, but also an episode where he causes Selena to nearly burn up from the inside, only to cure her in the last minute and have the satisfaction of slapping the door in her face in the end, the entire exercise being a punishment because of her affair with Billy.

By and large, though, Lucas reminds me of nobody as much as Neil Gaiman's version of Lucifer, complaining in the Sandman volume Seasons of Mist about the incessant whining of mortals who blame him for their fate when it's really them who are making the choices.*g*