An old, familiar blanket: comfortable, yet missing something.
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There is a strong possibility the behind-the-scenes drama which took place during the fifth and final season of "Martin" is more engrossing than anything contained in the two dozen episodes from the 1996-1997 television season. Allegedly, series star Martin Lawrence was inappropriate toward co-star and on-screen wife Tisha Campbell while taping the season's second episode. From there, the two would rarely share the screen for the rest of the year. I mention this not as a slight toward any of the actors or the series, but as background information, especially in light of the two-part series finale.
See, when a television program sails off into the great ether of cancellation-land, certain things are required of the last episodes. The return of beloved guest stars, one last true romp for the main characters, maybe even a tear or two. But when the leads won't appear in the same scene, it's obvious to the audience something is wrong. What would the series finale of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" have been if the seven principle actors hadn't played poker one last time? There's something missing when the actors don't "play nicely" for the welfare of their show and their audience.
Regardless of who shares the screen with whom, "Martin" remains aptly named. Every episode is designed around Lawrence's seemingly overinflated ego, allowing him to be the center of attention at all times. Perhaps rightly so, but perhaps a bigger performer would have allowed his castmates a chance to take the spotlight. You need not go very far into the season-five minutes into the first episode-to notice the actor's bigger than life character. There is a need to overact in every scene, every shot to such a degree the action is a turnoff. Is there a need for the character Martin to shout each of his lines, even the quiet ones? Whatever happened to be being a normal people with, dare I say it, an indoor voice?
I'll grant some of the situations demand Martin (and the other characters) to over react. Who wouldn't when confronted with the news of a possible baby? But when he begins to fight an elderly woman at the corner pharmacy, the show becomes ridiculous. I understand the point of situation comedy is to be over the top and some of the classics in the genre went there, too, but combining outlandish set pieces with annoying overacting turns into too much.
To be perfectly fair to the actors, I don't doubt they learned early on in the series that, in order to get any recognition, they had to match Lawrence's energy level. Campbell, Arnold, Carl Anthony Payne II and Thomas Mikal Ford are all in the same boat. Payne as slow-witted Cole is the easiest to sympathize with; he's rarely given to matching his co-stars word for word. Instead, he makes his mark by confusing a child's godfather with "The Godfather," for example, in the season premiere.
Pam remains every bit of Martin's foil, matching him shout for shout, insult for insult. Even more striking is the veracity with which she instigates the arguments, calling him all manner of names, mostly centering on his height. It is a turn from the "normal" gender roles in sitcoms and a welcome breath of fresh air. Their relationship is what makes Martin and Gina all the more perplexing. She is a modern woman, with a career, opinions and life outside of her marriage. Yet she's still constrained by Martin, oblivious to any logical character development over the course of five years. Campbell does a fine job hanging with Lawrence; she does fall into a trap of trying to keep from smiling when delivering her lines, though, bringing to mind Jerry Seinfeld, who always seemed to enjoy his jokes more than the audience did.
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