05 January 2018

I’ve had a cold and was fortunate to be able do the the whole thing on NyQuil, Netflix and sleeping. 

I’m not a cold soldier—one of those who carry on through the sickness. Whenever possible, I milk it and stay confined. I heal better and faster that way and don’t spread the shit around, either. So, there’s a strategy. 

A side benefit is it seems to be my one, true binging opportunity, every year. 

Among a bunch of other good stuff, I also caught “John From Cincinnati.” It’s a short-lived, HBO series from about ten years ago. It came and went quick, so I’m just catching up. Too bad.

I’m a sucker for stuff filmed in SAN and this one-season arc is all in Imperial Beach. Neat. 

It’s a David Milch show and features several actors who reprise similar characters they played in Deadwood, the other David Milch show HBO killed young, and it’s a treat to see and hear them perform his distinctive style again. 

JFC is about surfing, magical, mysterious visitors, redemption, family, relationships, resurrection, addiction and other weirdnesses. It takes a couple episodes to even get your bearings. 

In Milch style, characters answer questions out of order and speak inner thoughts aloud. It can be disorienting and when the visions begin, it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s just John. Among the show’s many appealing qualities is its sense of hope and love amidst despair and chaos. Something about that is timely.

So … a steady thumbs up from me, but it’s a distinctive taste. Very Milchy even for fans of it. Regardless, as a resident of South Bay, it’s great to see a magical IB.