This isn’t an easy program to watch, but it’s a necessary and natural evolution of sex in media.
"Tell Me You Love Me" has been stereotyped as "the sex show when, in reality, it turns out to be so much more. Yes, the central theme is sex, yet the images on screen never come across as gratuitous. Sex is used to tell a story as opposed to a tangent to the story. In many ways, sexuality is the premise of the series. Seeing how different people relate to one another on the most basic and primal levels. The simple act of intercourse guides all of our lives, bringing us closer together or tearing us apart. As Dr. Foster says, we use sex to avoid talking about our problems. It´s a powerful function which makes each of these characters feel closer to their partners, yet also drives them apart.
Each of the couples appeals to a different segment of the audience. People in relationships where sex is no longer first and foremost will gravitate to Katie and Dave; the older, sexually active demographic falls in with Arthur and May; people trying to overcome the limitations their bodies impose to Palek and Carolyn; and those in society who seem to crave sex for no discernable reason other than to have sex should find Huge and Jamie the most palatable.
VIDEO:
Presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio, the first season episodes come across just as Cynthia Mort wants them to: realistic, unspectacular, ordinary. Shot entirely on handheld Super 16 cameras, any imperfections in the technical look of the series is intentional, right down to the layer of film grain most evident in Palek and Carolyn´s white walled home. The screen never really pops like most videophiles will expect a brand new series to, yet it never really makes much of a difference. With a concept reliant on the acting and dialogue, there´s no need for a splashy visual look. This is what was intended by the creator. Far be it for me to criticize.
AUDIO:
Oddly, the English audio track presented (5.1, along with a Spanish 2.0) seems to provide more than the subject matter requires. There´s simply no reason for a 5.1 mix to be included. I´m not knocking the fact it was put on here-it is free of any defects and brings the all-important dialogue across crisply-but if the series is trying to present reality, wouldn´t a simple 2.0 version have sufficed? Be that as it may, this is a very nuanced mix, bringing in all manner of source music, further creating the illusion of reality. It´s hard not to admire it for everything it does right. (English, Spanish and French subtitles are also included.)
EXTRAS:
The ten episodes are presented on four discs (with a 2-3-3-2 format), telling the story of four couples. Therefore, it should be no surprise there are four commentary tracks, as already alluded to. Creator Cynthia Mort takes the reins on the first and, truth be told, she could use a little help. Mort is a wealth of information, though listening to the same voice drone on and on for 50 minutes tends to be just a little boring. She´s very open and honest about the process of bringing the concept to series form and deals with the technical details.
Episode 4 sees Ally Walker and Tim DeKay take over in the most enjoyable commentary on the set. The two laugh, make fun of each other and are jovial through the entire segment while talking about the show and their real lives. Walker in particular is self-deprecating when she says her best side is when she´s on her back: the wrinkles disappear.
Next up are Michelle Borth and Luke Farrell Kirby on Episode 7. This one turns out to be the most boring of the tracks. Borth is forced into talking the most since Kirby doesn´t seem to quite know what to say at any given moment. I never got the impression they were embarrassed to be talking about their "sex show," only that they were more mesmerized with the action on screen than in the commentary.
And then there´s Adam Scott and Sonya Walger bringing up the following episode. In truth, they start in much the same way as the preceding duo, yet something kicks in to make them open up just a bit. They spend time chit chatting about a prosthetic penis for Palek, among other things, as well as a mention that the commentary is being recorded before the show premieres.
In true HBO style, each episode includes a synopsis screen as well as the "previously on…" recap segments, though no episode trailers.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
"Tell Me You Love Me" takes an episode or two to fully become invested in. It wasn´t until Episode 3 with the expansion of the fictional universe (otherwise known as secondary characters) I found myself fully immersed in all four storylines. This seasons tells a complete story with all the individual plots wrapped to some extent in the season finale in case a second season is not forthcoming. This isn´t an easy program to watch, but it´s a necessary and natural evolution of sex in media.
Each of the couples appeals to a different segment of the audience. People in relationships where sex is no longer first and foremost will gravitate to Katie and Dave; the older, sexually active demographic falls in with Arthur and May; people trying to overcome the limitations their bodies impose to Palek and Carolyn; and those in society who seem to crave sex for no discernable reason other than to have sex should find Huge and Jamie the most palatable.
VIDEO:
Presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio, the first season episodes come across just as Cynthia Mort wants them to: realistic, unspectacular, ordinary. Shot entirely on handheld Super 16 cameras, any imperfections in the technical look of the series is intentional, right down to the layer of film grain most evident in Palek and Carolyn´s white walled home. The screen never really pops like most videophiles will expect a brand new series to, yet it never really makes much of a difference. With a concept reliant on the acting and dialogue, there´s no need for a splashy visual look. This is what was intended by the creator. Far be it for me to criticize.
AUDIO:
Oddly, the English audio track presented (5.1, along with a Spanish 2.0) seems to provide more than the subject matter requires. There´s simply no reason for a 5.1 mix to be included. I´m not knocking the fact it was put on here-it is free of any defects and brings the all-important dialogue across crisply-but if the series is trying to present reality, wouldn´t a simple 2.0 version have sufficed? Be that as it may, this is a very nuanced mix, bringing in all manner of source music, further creating the illusion of reality. It´s hard not to admire it for everything it does right. (English, Spanish and French subtitles are also included.)
EXTRAS:
The ten episodes are presented on four discs (with a 2-3-3-2 format), telling the story of four couples. Therefore, it should be no surprise there are four commentary tracks, as already alluded to. Creator Cynthia Mort takes the reins on the first and, truth be told, she could use a little help. Mort is a wealth of information, though listening to the same voice drone on and on for 50 minutes tends to be just a little boring. She´s very open and honest about the process of bringing the concept to series form and deals with the technical details.
Episode 4 sees Ally Walker and Tim DeKay take over in the most enjoyable commentary on the set. The two laugh, make fun of each other and are jovial through the entire segment while talking about the show and their real lives. Walker in particular is self-deprecating when she says her best side is when she´s on her back: the wrinkles disappear.
Next up are Michelle Borth and Luke Farrell Kirby on Episode 7. This one turns out to be the most boring of the tracks. Borth is forced into talking the most since Kirby doesn´t seem to quite know what to say at any given moment. I never got the impression they were embarrassed to be talking about their "sex show," only that they were more mesmerized with the action on screen than in the commentary.
And then there´s Adam Scott and Sonya Walger bringing up the following episode. In truth, they start in much the same way as the preceding duo, yet something kicks in to make them open up just a bit. They spend time chit chatting about a prosthetic penis for Palek, among other things, as well as a mention that the commentary is being recorded before the show premieres.
In true HBO style, each episode includes a synopsis screen as well as the "previously on…" recap segments, though no episode trailers.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
"Tell Me You Love Me" takes an episode or two to fully become invested in. It wasn´t until Episode 3 with the expansion of the fictional universe (otherwise known as secondary characters) I found myself fully immersed in all four storylines. This seasons tells a complete story with all the individual plots wrapped to some extent in the season finale in case a second season is not forthcoming. This isn´t an easy program to watch, but it´s a necessary and natural evolution of sex in media.
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