Butterknife: Bongo Board

While I'm talking about things in a timely and topical manner, I've decided to go back and start catching up on the Butterknife episodes I haven't written about. At this point, Butterknife has announced itself as a very physical series. Plastic Hassle revolved around people sitting and talking to each other, but Sicilian Style and Key Witness use the physical awkwardness of Ronnie and Mary for great comic effect. This week's episode, in particular the second half with Ronnie and Mary, seems a combination of elements from all three previous episodes. Ronnie and Mary try to balance on the titular board and then talk about Mary's day at the hospital. Though the physical aspects of the episode aren't as funny as Ronnie having to use a 3 point turn to get away from the guy who has confronted him or Mary getting stuck under the bed, they continue to tell more about how close Mary and Ronnie are.

The first half of the episode is unlike anything we've seen before in Butterknife. In fact, the emotional directness of the conversation reminded me of the voiceovers from Eric Rohmer's first two moral tales. If Sean Williams had extended his discussion of how he treats his girlfriend, it could have served as the same sort of obsessive narration as in The Girl at the Monceau Bakery. This sort of discussion is fascinating to watch, especially juxtaposed with the physical nature of the second half of the episode. Though it isn't my favorite episode so far (I don't know if the series will ever quite beat Mary and the bed), this certainly indicates good things for the future of Butterknife.

Butterknife Monday: Key Witness

This week featured a very different episode of Butterknife than we're used to. This is the first we hear of Ronald's job as a profession for which he is paid, this is the first we see of any contact outside of his wife and his job, and this is the first time we have a scene featuring Mary without Ronald. Each of these makes for interesting viewing, yet it's Mary getting stuck under the bed that resonates. In fact, both segments which revolve around Ronald's non-professional life are more directly relatable than those of previous episodes. Who hasn't felt silently judged when reading in public? Maybe only the neurotics. Mary getting stuck under the bed is the funniest scene yet produced for the series, and the image of Ronald and Mary's feet hanging over the bed is a wonderful image to close the episode.

Butterknife Monday: Sicilian Style

This week's episode of Butterknife, "Sicilian Style" is a great improvement over last week's "Plastic Hassle". The episode begins with Ronald getting someone's address, and his cleverness proves a nice counterbalance to the inanity of last week's set-up. I can only hope that as the series progresses, an overarching plot can develop. Though the time we spend with Ronald and Mary is certainly captivating, it would be nice to tie Ronald's professional life with a purpose. It's interesting to see how Joe Swanberg and company show the minutiae of his job without any real purpose, but it feels aimless at this point. If we maybe saw someone who hires Ronald or if we get a real sense that his job has a point, then the series would become must see material. As it is, the show's improving, but it still has some way to go.

Butterknife Monday

For those of you who don't know, today is the premiere of the first episode of Butterknife, Joe Swanberg's latest web series over at Spout. It stars Ronald Bronstein of Frownland fame and his wife Mary. If this first episode is any indication, then things will certainly be interesting. I say interesting because it's not quite good, but it's on its way there. It's nice to see a domestic life of a private eye not in ruins, and real interaction between a husband and wife. Instead of only seeing things from our the perspective of our unnamed hero (Ronald), we hear about Mary's day working with children at a hospital. In fact, even though Ronald is the main protagonist, we barely see from his perspective. On the contrary, we see everyone's perspective of him. Every time that he has a conversation with someone, we see Ronald almost head on, which almost makes it seem as if he's addressing the camera. The fact that he never directly addresses the camera adds a feel of a documentary to the proceedings, as if this is a talking head commentary on his everyday life. It certainly has me intrigued.

I was thinking of making Sundae Monday into Butterknife Monday as long as it's running, with video goodness interspersed throughout the rest of the week. Is that a good idea, or should I simply let chaos reign over Mondays?

BUTTERKNIFE 1: Plastic Hassle

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