I tried searching for an old thread, but got a database error and didn’t feel like waiting 300 seconds to try again…
I just finished the season one finale of Showtime’s “Brotherhood”, and I have to say that this is one of the best series I’ve ever watched on television. I think it’s nearly as good as “The Wire” and “Deadwood”, and actually better than “The Sopranos”.
I can’t believe this show doesn’t get more attention from awards shows. It’s immensely better than either “Dexter” or “Weeds”, but I’m not sure if we’ll even get a fourth season (season three just ended and was cut down to only eight episodes).
The acting by everyone in the cast is outstanding. The writing is terrific. The show is well-directed, and the story arcs are really engrossing.
I really like the actor that plays Michael Caffey and can’t believe he’s the same guy that plays Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. The guy that plays Tommy is also really good. As far as the women in the show, the Mom character is fantastic and Annabeth Gish is brutal and amazing as Tommy’s wife.
No open spoilers here, please. Spoiler boxes would be appreciated for anything that you think might need the treatment. I’m anxiously awaiting my season two dvd’s from Netflix and can’t wait to find out what happens.
So… Any other Brotherhood fans here? I can’t be the only one.
Yes Brotherhood is awesome, and the most recent season seems to have wrapped it up. It’s a very solid show, and you’re right doesn’t get enough credit. Showtime for some reason doesn’t get as much play as HBO. Another showtime show that was great that not many people watched was ‘Sleeper Cell’.
I don’t watch Brotherhood (though I would if I had Showtime), but I had to chime in and say, YES, Jason Isaacs is fucking brilliant. Go through his filmography and watch all of the films in which he’s played a villain (and there are many), and you’ll see a different man in each role. Hell, compare Lucius Malfoy to Col. Tavington in The Patriot – both 1-D, moustache-twirling villains on paper, but he’s made them into two completely different people. Or watch him play both Mr. Darling and Capt. Hook in Peter Pan. He’s a ridiculously good actor.
Plus, I know one of the historical advisors who worked on The Patriot, and he said Isaacs was friendly, down-to-earth, very interested in the history, and an all-around pleasure to work with.
He is a fabulous actor and his role of Michael Caffe is pretty well done. Both he and the guy who plays Tommy are quite good, hell the entire cast is quite Good. Definitely on a par with The Wire.
Count me in as one of the fans of Brotherhood. This past season I was especially impressed with the actor who played Freddie Cork. The end of this season went pretty much full circle to the beginning of season 1. It’ll be interesting to see where they take off from in the next season (presuming there’s gonna be one…because if there isn’t, it was a good way to cap off the series as well).
I just got the first disk of Season Two in the mail today. I’m excited to see how the Season One cliffhanger gets resolved.
Either the 2nd to last or 3rd to last episode of Season One was the best I’ve seen. The one where Freddy Cork confronts his dead son’s boyfriend. You’re sure he’s going to kill him, as revenge for his son’s suicide - but then he just talks to him and you relax a bit…and then he strangles the kid anyway… . That was one of the most intensely emotional scenes I’ve ever seen on television.
I watched Season 1 and really enjoyed it. After watching the first few eps of season 2, I lost interest. Something was off, though I can’t really put my finger on it. For a show called Brotherhood, there really aren’t many scenes between the two brothers themselves. I’m also watching The Wire at the same time, and it doesn’t help that everything pales in comparison.
Michael Caffee and Eileen Caffee are the two most interesting characters. I’m still curious about what happens to them.
The main great thing about this show is Jason Isaacs. For a guy who’s mean to his house elf and rocks a cape like no other, he is the perfect blue collar Rho Duylandah. The accent, the look, the attitude are all spot on. Nobody else on this show gets it anywhere near as right. It’s all shot on location so that’s pretty cool too. The store where they threw that Cambodian kid off the roof is right near my husband’s office and down the street from the house my sister lost to the bank. It’s not actually Providence though - it’s EAST Providence. Even the insides of the houses are right. Those are totally Providence houses.
RI stuff aside, the plot lines are pretty intense, just like in the Sopranos. We just haven’t had enough time to get sucked in and, let’s face it, Michael aside, the characters aren’t as awesome as, say, Paulie or Silvio, and the dark lighting isn’t doing the show any favors, either.
I am still waiting to watch Season II. I somehow got the third episode first from Netflix, so it’s time to try again. I’m dying to see how Michael recovered from that beating he took at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet.