reviewed by Shardae Jobson
So this week’s season finale of HBO's How to Make It In America started out the same as last week: Ben (Bryan Greenberg, who many will recognize from One Tree Hill) wake up in bed with a girl, obviously, nekkid. So Ben not only had sex with the new chick he likes a day before, he also happened to have an "accidental" bang bang boom boom session with his ex Rachel (Lake Bell). I gotta stop watching these shows about struggling to make a living the easiest way possible and while still getting laid in your twenties. It’s starting to feel redundant, and yes, I'm already pleading the fifth.
Is Ben a man whore? Playa? Should I just be happy that someone's out there getting it poppin’ even though he got fired last week? Oh, alright, when you put it like that...and no I don't think is either one of those obvious, non-controversial labels. Ben's just trying to get by. He's a lot more normal than that introduction implies.
That same morning, Cam, played by Victor Rasuk (of Raising Victor Vargas fame) is on his grind from get go in wanting to discover what the hell or better yet who stole the Rasta Masta truck that contained the fresh silk screen T-shirts for his and Ben's clothing line. Anyone whose been watching the series since its Valentine's Day debut, knows that the aspiring fashion design duo of Ben and Cam wouldn’t get anywhere if it wasn’t for Cam’s determination who really wants to make it in America and doesn’t just bitch, whine, and give up as Ben does in every episode. Cam is the one that's really desperate on not getting a manual on how to flip burgers.
Rapper Kid Cudi, who plays Domingo, minutes later shows up in a scene to offer Ben some uplifting advice, and actually gets to recite more than one sentence this time which felt slightly odd. Though only the eighth episode, I was used to this overtly small role with lines that made his character sound straight out of a happy go lucky therapy session, or happy go lucky...anything. The marketing for this show had a nerve in using his face in the advertisements because poor Cudi was regulated to having only to study half a page of a script an episode! Hmmmm, next season I suppose, it would have been nice to see him more...but hey! He is featured on Snoop Dogg's re-release of Malice N Wonderland for the song "That Tree", and his part is worthwhile there. We'll jam to that!
After that, Rachel has a random, professional and personal wake up call by quitting her job an an interior designer and getting rid of her douche-y, gotta be gay (that’s not why he’s a douche) boyfriend Darren (Jason Pendergraft) who is one of the biggest self-ecentered yuppies seen on television in recent memory. While it’s definitely possible to date two people back to back who on the surface seem completely different yet share similar qualities, this guy looked like no fun, especially after dating someone downtown and chill like Ben. She tells Darren she had sex with Ben and walks away, not ashamed but unsure of what to do next. Rachel was one of few characters on the show who had a steady job which likely secretly meant she also hated it. This job bashing, self-reflection scene here actually made Rachel a lot more likable as she was pretty settled up until she waited for Ben at his stoop from last week's episode.
Luiz Guzman, as always, a great scene-stealer in whatever film or TV role he plays, turned all Scar (from The Lion King) on us when Cam thinks his own cousin stole their T-shirts. And when Cam lets him have it by screaming with expletives to give back his shirts, the scene takes a comedic turn when Rene (Guzman) calms himself down in prayer and deep breathing in an almost weirdly hummed melody. He nearly kicks Cam's ass, but doesn't. At least I'm being kept entertained.
Damn, anybody seen Cudi? There’s only ten minutes left…
Eventually Scar, I mean Rene, comes around and gets his Mufasa on by letting Cam know he'll get his T-shirts back, but there’s a favor to be done first. Late at night, away from the city, he asks Cam to be set the Rasta Masta truck on fire, so the authorities will never catch wind of Rene pulling a fast one in order to make a quick buck (a lot of quick bucks for his "stolen" truck. Yep, he was the one that took the truck for a ride, leaving cam bewildered at a diner). The scene ends up being underwhelming during the fire, and "underwhelming" is the considerable motif of the entire show. There was always ten minutes within this half-hour set of legit TV-land amusement every Sunday for this how, but along the way it would always get a little drippy and safe. How to Make It In America never really had the chutzpah of Entourage or True Blood, which is weird, since it take place in New York City. NYC is capital of the world for a reason! While I can understand the five boroughs can be just as mundane as all other metropolitan cities (as quoted from Sex & The City, "New Yorkers are the most jaded people on earth"), for those of us that don't leave here, keeping the Big Apple spirit alive is imperative. At times, the series could have used a little more life.
So after a couple more scenes (you'll have to watch!) of this lukewarm end of season one, Ben and Cam essentially do make it in America, at least this time, as we see their graphic T-shirts getting ready for shipment to Japan for oversea consumers. Even though the show slagged at times, as a soon to be college graduate myself, even I felt a wave of giddiness from seeing the wads of cash in that small manila envelope when Ben opened it. I subsequently dreamed of the day I would get my own envelope and I suppose that risen feeling of final success is what the show was aiming for. Not bad.
Is Ben a man whore? Playa? Should I just be happy that someone's out there getting it poppin’ even though he got fired last week? Oh, alright, when you put it like that...and no I don't think is either one of those obvious, non-controversial labels. Ben's just trying to get by. He's a lot more normal than that introduction implies.
That same morning, Cam, played by Victor Rasuk (of Raising Victor Vargas fame) is on his grind from get go in wanting to discover what the hell or better yet who stole the Rasta Masta truck that contained the fresh silk screen T-shirts for his and Ben's clothing line. Anyone whose been watching the series since its Valentine's Day debut, knows that the aspiring fashion design duo of Ben and Cam wouldn’t get anywhere if it wasn’t for Cam’s determination who really wants to make it in America and doesn’t just bitch, whine, and give up as Ben does in every episode. Cam is the one that's really desperate on not getting a manual on how to flip burgers.
Rapper Kid Cudi, who plays Domingo, minutes later shows up in a scene to offer Ben some uplifting advice, and actually gets to recite more than one sentence this time which felt slightly odd. Though only the eighth episode, I was used to this overtly small role with lines that made his character sound straight out of a happy go lucky therapy session, or happy go lucky...anything. The marketing for this show had a nerve in using his face in the advertisements because poor Cudi was regulated to having only to study half a page of a script an episode! Hmmmm, next season I suppose, it would have been nice to see him more...but hey! He is featured on Snoop Dogg's re-release of Malice N Wonderland for the song "That Tree", and his part is worthwhile there. We'll jam to that!
After that, Rachel has a random, professional and personal wake up call by quitting her job an an interior designer and getting rid of her douche-y, gotta be gay (that’s not why he’s a douche) boyfriend Darren (Jason Pendergraft) who is one of the biggest self-ecentered yuppies seen on television in recent memory. While it’s definitely possible to date two people back to back who on the surface seem completely different yet share similar qualities, this guy looked like no fun, especially after dating someone downtown and chill like Ben. She tells Darren she had sex with Ben and walks away, not ashamed but unsure of what to do next. Rachel was one of few characters on the show who had a steady job which likely secretly meant she also hated it. This job bashing, self-reflection scene here actually made Rachel a lot more likable as she was pretty settled up until she waited for Ben at his stoop from last week's episode.
Luiz Guzman, as always, a great scene-stealer in whatever film or TV role he plays, turned all Scar (from The Lion King) on us when Cam thinks his own cousin stole their T-shirts. And when Cam lets him have it by screaming with expletives to give back his shirts, the scene takes a comedic turn when Rene (Guzman) calms himself down in prayer and deep breathing in an almost weirdly hummed melody. He nearly kicks Cam's ass, but doesn't. At least I'm being kept entertained.
Damn, anybody seen Cudi? There’s only ten minutes left…
Eventually Scar, I mean Rene, comes around and gets his Mufasa on by letting Cam know he'll get his T-shirts back, but there’s a favor to be done first. Late at night, away from the city, he asks Cam to be set the Rasta Masta truck on fire, so the authorities will never catch wind of Rene pulling a fast one in order to make a quick buck (a lot of quick bucks for his "stolen" truck. Yep, he was the one that took the truck for a ride, leaving cam bewildered at a diner). The scene ends up being underwhelming during the fire, and "underwhelming" is the considerable motif of the entire show. There was always ten minutes within this half-hour set of legit TV-land amusement every Sunday for this how, but along the way it would always get a little drippy and safe. How to Make It In America never really had the chutzpah of Entourage or True Blood, which is weird, since it take place in New York City. NYC is capital of the world for a reason! While I can understand the five boroughs can be just as mundane as all other metropolitan cities (as quoted from Sex & The City, "New Yorkers are the most jaded people on earth"), for those of us that don't leave here, keeping the Big Apple spirit alive is imperative. At times, the series could have used a little more life.
So after a couple more scenes (you'll have to watch!) of this lukewarm end of season one, Ben and Cam essentially do make it in America, at least this time, as we see their graphic T-shirts getting ready for shipment to Japan for oversea consumers. Even though the show slagged at times, as a soon to be college graduate myself, even I felt a wave of giddiness from seeing the wads of cash in that small manila envelope when Ben opened it. I subsequently dreamed of the day I would get my own envelope and I suppose that risen feeling of final success is what the show was aiming for. Not bad.
The acting on the show wasn't bad at all, and the characters are likable enough, but what this HBO show needed was simultaneous thoughtful and bad-ass dialogue, a little less display of a psuedo hipster lifestyle (with the Last Night's Party esque photo shots), and (along with Cam) let's hope next season there'll be more of Gingy (Shannyn Sossamon) and David "Kappo" (Eddie Kaye Thomas), the two characters who seemed the most fun and like New Yorkers out of everybody (and the most priviliged, go figure). And while I can't remember her character's name, in the first episode, Samaire Armstrong played a party girl that if included on the show, could have provided some comedienne moments, but she hasn't been seen since. New York City rocks, and this could've been shown more, but maybe the more low-key vibe pertains to the real struggle of making it in a city where if you can, you just might be golden, but getting there sure is a process, and a topsy-turvy one at that.
Now will I buy How to Make It In America on DVD? No, probably not, but I’m glad I got this three month free trial of HBO to watch it, or I would've been obsessing over it until I saw each episode, searching all over YouTube for an illegal upload. The first episode was very good, which was available for a time on the above website, and season as a whole was worth it for it gave us the (theme) song "I Need A Dollar", sung so earnestly by Aloe Blacc. Now, I don't know if this is a "new" song or not, but the lyrics totally get the idea behind the show, and in this day and age, I'm pretty sure it gets everybody, and it sounds wonderfully old school. I can see this song becoming a hit among young people who are always in need of a break in their lives.
To make it in America, there's a little Ben and Cam in us all in wanting to get rich quick, be self-enployed, and make a living on your own terms as much as possible. On the surface, this show is very relatable as there's a whole generation out there, regardless of a college degrees or not, that just don't want to work a basic 9 to 5 either. We'll be around to watch next season, you already know.
But wait! The ending scene shows Ben and Cam all jolly and walking the streets of Manhattan with their wads of cash! They still couldn't add Cudi in there somewhere, waiting for them in a coffee shop or something? We're rooting for you to get a storyline next time Domingo. Sigh...
But wait! The ending scene shows Ben and Cam all jolly and walking the streets of Manhattan with their wads of cash! They still couldn't add Cudi in there somewhere, waiting for them in a coffee shop or something? We're rooting for you to get a storyline next time Domingo. Sigh...
photo from ctothejl.com
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