UMC's “A House Divided” Has Potential But Needs Something More

A House Divided follows the Sanders family wealthy descendants of a woman named Letty who used to be a slave and blah blah blah amp160None of that really matters tho amp160Theyamp8217re rich the father and grandfather run a bank one of the sons is a rapper I think and the other is pretty much on his way to the NBA amp160Thereamp8217s also the daughter amp160She has apparently been living in Paris amp160Sheamp8217s also a photographer amp160What does she take pictures of amp160You guessed it amp160Paris amp160Actual lines amp8220I love Paris amp160I love photography amp160I love taking pictures of Paris amp8230amp8221 Ugh amp160Long story short these four somewhat divided relatives are all brought together by the maybe murder of the mother who while confronting some professional gold digger she caught circling her husband choked on some food and died while said gold digger kept a glass of water away from herIamp8217ll bet youamp8217re thinking amp8220This sounds like perfect TVamp8221 amp160I know right amp160Itamp8217s not thoughFirst of all Iamp8217m no DP director of photography and I have great respect for those people but I probably wouldamp8217ve shot a great many things differently amp160This was supposed to be a scandalous daytimeesque urban drama so give me some more close ups amp160There are plenty to go around Establishing shots are cool though I wouldamp8217ve changed a few of those too but in those supposedly intense moments it felt as though we were all too far away amp160A good few seconds right up in the principle actorsamp8217 faces does a lot to sell emotion which is especially important when the writingamp8217s a bit lightSecondly the writing amp160From a logic standpoint how is the momamp8217s semimurder not the most solvable crime ever amp160These people are supposed to be super rich amp160Like private community guardatthegatetype rich amp160So how would there be no record of this meeting between the familyamp8217s matriarch and an easily researchable succubus amp160The meeting in question took place in the Sanders home amp160At the Sanders family dinner table amp160Was there not a single servant to lead this woman in amp160Thereamp8217s a stable on this property and their property overlooks the ocean but no one has ever had a single camera installed amp160Thereamp8217s no sign in sheet at the front gate amp160Who the hell buzzed this lady in amp160The guards amp160Oh there are no guards either amp160Huh amp160OkayHonestly Iamp8217m not even sure that I was supposed to care about Mama Sanders at all amp160Yeah her death is the catalyst for the events of the show I guess but she was also underwritten underdeveloped and dead within about a minute of her introduction amp160Also fun fact Choking is inaudible amp160If she had actually been choking she would have been silent because her airway would have been completely blocked by whatever the hell was killing her amp160She definitely wouldnamp8217t have been making whatever noise she was making before she died amp160Just sayingAnyway Iamp8217m not going to get into everything writing related but I will say this amp160Being secretly gay is no longeramp160a valid subplot amp160One of the main characters turns out to have a secret same sex lover which is supposed to be some kind of big reveal at the end of the episode and itamp8217s pretty weak sauce if you ask me amp160I really feel like that whole idea is played out amp160He could have and should have been openly gay and it could have and should have had absolutely no bearing on his or anyone elseamp8217s narrative whatsoever amp160That would have been a million times better because and please hear me on this we shouldnamp8217t still be normalizing an unhealthy interest in who everyone sleeps with amp160His sexuality shouldamp8217ve been a passing detail the way that every straight characteramp8217s sexuality always isSo whereamp8217s that potential I spoke of earlier amp160Well it makes a quick yet effective appearance during a scene between the aforementioned ratchet Parisian photographer the one who takes pictures of Paris if that wasnamp8217t clear and her aunt just after the motheramp8217s funeral amp160Did I mention the photographer is sleeping with her own cousinamp8217s husband whoamp8217s a stable hand on the Sanders property amp160Yeah amp160Anyway right before homegirl plays herself by trying to drunkenly confront her cousin who isnamp8217t the bad guy mind you her auntie pulls her aside They have a sincere and eyeopening hearttoheart about Mama Sanders her past and the subject of struggle amp160Itamp8217s an organic moment that allows for naturalfeeling exposition amp160It shows not tells who the daughter and aunt are while also painting a positive postmortem image of Mama Sanders amp160It was framed well got in pretty close on the singles and conveyed exactly the vibe it was meant to amp160It was an absolutely shining testament to what the rest of the show could have and should have beenI know I have many many criticismsamp160 So to sum them up Iamp8217ll put the rest out there in the form of simple questionsWhy are the Sanders rich enough to live in supposed opulence but Papa Sanders has no windows in his office amp160Itamp8217s way too small an office for someone as powerful as heamp8217s supposed to be amp160It feels like the office of the manager at an insurance companyHow big is this large boatyacht that the rapper son lives on amp160Does he live on it amp160That part legitimately wasnamp8217t clearAlso where are everyoneamp8217s cars amp160I get that it may not be imperative per se to have an expensive car or two on set but when one is pretending that these people are rich as theyamp8217re supposed to be renting one or two Lamborghinis or Rolls Royces wouldamp8217ve really helped sell that dreamLastly why wasnamp8217t the entire foundational plot laid out in the first episode amp160I mean the showamp8217s called A House Divided but by the end of that first episode it seems pretty clear that the motheramp8217s death literally just reunited all of them amp160They donamp8217t seem that divided to me so whatamp8217s the drama amp160Did she leave one more money than another amp160Would that even matter Theyamp8217re all already wealthy amp160Is her death being investigated as a murder amp160Iamp8217m pretty sure they all still think it was an accident which it weirdly kind of was amp160Is the drama supposed to be that Papa Sanders has a side chick amp160I honestly donamp8217t know and thatamp8217s a huge part of the problemIt may seem like Iamp8217m being harsh and trust me I can hear the little voice in the back of my head telling me to just shut up and support amp8220my peopleamp8221 but I have a pretty high standard to which I hold just about everything I watch regardless of who itamp8217s made by or for amp160Letamp8217s be honestamp160this show clearly wanted to be something it didnamp8217t end up being amp160I wanted it to be good but I feel like it made the moves that it thought a show like Empire or The Haves and the Have Nots would have made instead of making moves that benefited its own overall narrativeI needed creative risks striking visuals and a sound palette that felt familiar yet specific to the vibe and style of the showamp160 I got none of those thingsA House Divided isnamp8217t flatout terrible but it definitely could be straightup betterThe first episode of A House Divided will be available July 18 on UMCamp160 New episodes will be added every Thursday through August 22Click the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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UMC's “A House Divided” Has Potential But Needs Something More

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Ainsley Andrade

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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UMC's “A House Divided” Has Potential But Needs Something More

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Ainsley Andrade

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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