A television show is a fragile
object dependent not entirely on its own legs to stand, but on the fickle
nature of an anonymous audience. It can lure in audiences in with flashy production
values, an exciting cast, or simply with engrossing storylines; yet in the same
vein it can also alienate said group and simply be categorized as being weird.
There are many critically acclaimed series that were cancelled for failing to
find their niche audience. Some of these series got a reprieve in the form of
un-cancelation and delivered on their target viewers’ hopes. Most just never
see the light of a second season or even a complete showing of all its
episodes. The show Wonderfalls is one of the latter odd objects. It was applauded by
connoisseurs, beloved by its fans but just plainly too strange to connect with
mainstream viewers. This show was extremely innovative in the way it subverted
many television tropes and archetypes challenging audiences and dazzling
critics; it ultimately failed to connect with audiences for reasons outside of
its creators reach like constant time slot changes and competition from other
networks.
Wonderfalls
was produced by the team of Brian Fuller and Tom Holland. It was originally
scheduled to premiere in the fall of 2003 on FOX. But due to the debut of a similarly themed program called Joan of Arcadia at the same time it was
moved to March 2004. The show is about a young woman called Jaye Tyler, played
by Canadian actress Caroline Dhavernas, who is a recent Ivy League graduate with
no real life goals and a generally nonchalant attitude towards the world who
starts to suffer what she believes are hallucinations that force to get
involved in other peoples’ lives (Rubinoff). Jaye is a twenty something
underachiever who has the unfortunate luck of belonging to a family of overachievers
with a successful pair of parents and siblings; she is a sarcastic,
antiauthoritarian, sneering slacker who seems content with a menial retail job
and hanging out with her best friend at a Niagara Falls, NY dive (Heldenfels).
These hallucinations come in the form of animated wax lions, toy monkeys, teddy
bears, and other inanimate objects which all deliver cryptic messages
instructing her to intervene in random events in the lives of people around
her. The supporting cast also deserves mention, delivering strong performances.
It includes actors and actresses such as: Kattie Finnernan, William Sadler, Lee
Pace, Tracie Thoms, Tyron Leitso, and Diana Scarwind. Some of these performers
like Finnernan, Pace, and Dhavernas herself appear in more than one of Holland
or Fuller’s other projects. The era of the auteur in television started a third
golden age, where the word show runner became shorthand for god on the small
screen effectively diminishing the contribution of the scores of people working
behind the scenes to build a functioning product (Fehrman). It is important to
note that since most of a lot of the same teams wind up working together in
other shows, the creator or creators will always be identified with a particular
visual look. And this is not only about the technical staff, but also
performers who constantly choose to work with certain creators or directors. So
while the show presents an aesthetical and structural style that repeats itself
in other works of the creator and director, in this case the auteurs, these are
not the only ones with creative input. Just the better known to the general
public and therefore more easily identifiable with the finished product. With
this small introduction to the more general aspects of the show, its cast, and
technical team; next is a more in depth analysis of the tropes, vision, and
structure mentioned earlier.
These days audiences are much
savvier when it comes to clichés and archetypes that constantly surface on
television. What the shows creative driving force did was take a series of
archetypes and truisms, subverted them with irony and a distinctive visual
style, to create a unique product. The programs main creative input came from
Fuller’s production and Holland’s writing and directing. It injected into the
show variations of the common themes such as the genius kid on a fast track to
nowhere like on Malcolm in the Middle,
previously directed by Holland, and the slacker twenty something with a
weariness beyond her years as in Dead
like Me created by Fuller around the same time; this particular quirkiness
and subversion would later also resurface in Pushing Daisies and Hannibal
both created by Brian Fuller (Heldenfels). The blend introduced to viewers a
revision of the Joan of Arc archetype which is central to the whole premise of Wonderfalls. The archetype refers to the
French heroic figure who was besieged by visions and voices in the form of the Archangel
Michael, Saint Margaret and Saint Catherine that convinced her of her destiny.
That destiny was to lead the armies of France during the Hundred Year War with
England and to return the throne to the rightful ruler Charles VII. After a
series of impressive victories, she was captured by the English, put on trial,
and burned at the stake accused of being a witch. So in essence we have a young
woman, a mystical element with a prophetic quality to it, triumphs due to
following these instructions, and eventual defeat. The character of Jaye serves
as an effective Joan proxy and yet the series plays with the archetype by
introducing a number of tropes to subvert it and make it identifiable for
Generation Y. This change in the archetype makes her character identifiable by
giving it some of the same social and economic issues that people born between
the years 1980 to 1990, a general disconnection from their parents’ generation
and a difficulty climbing in the work place or lacking of general direction in
life. So by extracting certain essential
characteristics of the Joan archetype like a young female, in this case Jaye,
who is in contact with a greater power she does not completely understand which
communicates with her in the form of voices only she hears, she is persecuted
for heading these edicts, but eventually finds redemption in following these
visions; the creative team fashions a world of magical realism where the lead
character is forced to grow up (Rubinoff).
Wonderfalls
also borrows from Jungian faerie archetypes, where a female derives her power from
denying herself to the lust of men (Hernandez). Jaye offers a updating of this
by refusing to get into romantic relationships with men thereby holding on to
her independence, which is gender role inversion because usually men are the
ones who fear commitment and women actively seek it. The archetypes of the
Father and the Mother following this gender role analysis are switched around
completely, so while Jaye’s father is nurturing and soothing, her mother on the
other hand is controlling and stern with daughters (Jung). This actually
updates the program with the premise of a world where old notions of gender status
quo and traditional roles is ever changing, which itself offers an answer to
Jaye’s uncertainty about forming romantic relationships. This gender role reversal
also affects her brother and sister, the former is a scholar slow to act and
prone to overanalyzing situations, yet the latter is temperamental and quick to
act out of anger or as a show of strength each showing more characteristics of
what is considered common for their opposite gender. These subversion can seem
to just be skin deep, but by adding themes such as just wanting to be normal,
the black sheep of the family, being a cosmic plaything, sisters’ rivalry, and
prophecy twists; but Fuller and Holland create a nuanced object which can be
digested superficially yet layered enough that critics can delve into it
further. While Joan of Arc is an archetype of virtue which would be extremely
difficult for audiences to truly empathize with, all of these tropes turn Jaye
into a relatable imperfect vessel for young adults. Her visions affect her
intransigent behavior forcing her into action and every episode reflects her
desire to return to normalcy or in her case a life of drifting aimlessly. In
that way she considers herself a plaything for a greater cosmic power powerless
to its whims, even going as far as saying, "I'm fate's bitch" (“Caged
Bird”). She is the youngest of her siblings, and with a pair of successful
progenitors. Despite having all of the advantages of this upbringing including
access to Ivy League education, Jaye just cruises through life unwilling to
compete with her more successful older brother and sister. This strained
relationship with her family is especially noteworthy when observed through her
interaction with her older sister, a successful attorney who also happens to be
a lesbian. This affects both daughters’ relationship with their mother, who
views both daughters as disappointments each in their own way; it is a
reflection of the matriarch’s role as a Father archetype rather than a Mother. So
by changing an established archetype and combining it with many common tropes
or themes, the series challenges stereotypical gender roles reflecting the ever
shifting reality of these roles in the real world and its effects on a
generation.
This subduing and subsequent
subversion of the archetype could have resulted in a convoluted show, but by
using a conventional three act model most modern serials work with, it remained
legible to viewers and critics alike without affecting its particular quirkiness.
Starting with an expository first act, followed by a second act twist to
leverage the audience’s involvement and increase the stakes, to finally a
resolution third act that served to tie up most loose ends (Lavandier). Typically
an episode is structured in three acts to facilitate viewing and to offer a
compelling pace. The first act has Jaye shown in her usual abject dejection of
the world only to be confronted with difficult people. The act ends by the
first commercial break with the intervention of some fateful words Jaye heard
from a trinket and her look of confusion as to what to do. The second act opens
with her deliberating if she should act upon these words, only to be accosted
by other objects if she fails to do so. Once she has acted upon the prophetic
words, the twist comes into play. That means that at first her actions just
seem to cause more problems than they solve. This signals the end of the second
act as Jaye reflects upon the futility of following or ignoring these words. This
is one aspect where the dark humor of the shows creative duo’s previous work in
other shows can be seen in full, with the prophecy twists. As the protagonist
battles trying to avoid fulfilling the prophecies she hears from everyday
curious items, she ends up forced to heed their words to avoid insanity. By
following their instructions Jaye burrows deeper into the world of other
people, by doing things that seem to hurt people on the surface, end up being
good for her and those affected. This forces Jaye to interact with the world
she desperately tries to shut out, helping her and the other person. That resolution in third act was generally a
satisfactory ending but delivered in a convoluted way, if not for those
affected by Jaye’s actions for her own view on the world around her. Sometimes
these solutions would end up affecting other peoples’ view in the same positive
way, strengthening their relationships with others or with Jaye. All of this
made Wonderfalls a darling for
critics and a niche fan favorite, yet it failed to deliver on a tangible but
very important area for networks, the Nielsen ratings.
Even with the accolades of the
medium’s critics, the show failed to garner enough support for a second season.
In fact it had a rather ignominious exit, being consistently moved around FOX’s
schedule, and not even being aired in its entirety. There were many reasons why
the series failed to connect with audiences. It started with competition from Joan of Arcadia, a show with a similar
idea but a completely different execution. The problem was compounded by constant
time slot changes decided by the network heads without ever really trying to
keep the audience informed of said changes. And as posited previously, it was
weird enough that it failed to find more than that niche audience that would
have kept it going or at the least give it a chance for a second season (Elber).
Being weird or having a relatively small niche audience in itself is not a
death knell for a program, with a few receiving the call of un-cancelation. Two great examples of this are Family Guy a show that was not only
canceled once, but twice, and revived only after the staggering number that DVD
sales of the first two seasons produced (McKinley). Another is Arrested Development which failed to
connect with viewers despite experts’ praises and Emmy awards, only to be
revived years later thanks again to booming DVD sales and an agreement with
Netflix (Itzkoff). While the first case reflects upon weird shows, the latter
demonstrates that quirky can be critically acclaimed and the importance of
timing. Timing referring to the aid of the nascent online original programming
wave started by Netflix and Hulu. But ultimately acclaim does not count when
Nielsen numbers do not reflect what a network hopes to lure with its offering.
Sadly for the fans, Wonderfalls did
not fall into this category of the un-canceled. While it has a faithful
following, its creators have long ago moved on to different endeavors while
fortunately for fans, not losing their particular artistic vision.
In
conclusion, with a unique visual style and an aggressive, almost deconstructive
subversion of familiar archetypes, like Joan of Arc; interchanging of gender
roles; the complications of familial relationships; and a theatrical structure
that enables strong tension while allowing for this tension to be both comedic
and dramatic for maximum effect; Wonderfalls
delivered a unique vision of a generation. With a strong central characters
portrayed by talented actors and a behind the cameras team with a proven
vision, the series had all the elements needed to succeed. Unfortunately, the
issue of timing, a competing program with the same premise, and bad executive
decision by the network are what finally doomed Wonderfalls to the category of the untimely cancelled critic
darling.
Work Cited
“Caged Bird.” Wonderfalls.
Prod. Brian Fuller. Dir. Todd Holland. FOX. December 2004. Television. April
2014
Elber, Lynn. "'Wonderfalls' Gets Canceled By
Fox." AP Online, April 2004. Newspaper Source
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Fehrman, Craig. "The
Show Runner Fallacy". New Republic,
June 2013. Web. April 2014.
Heldenfels, R.D. "If You Like Joan Of Arcadia,
You Might Like Wonderfalls." Akron
Beacon
Journal
(OH), March 2004. Newspaper Source Plus.
Web. April 2014.
Hernandez, Prisco R. "Jung’s Archetypes as
Sources for Female Leadership." Leadership
Review, Kravis Leadership
Institute, Claremont McKenna College, Vol. 9, Spring 2009 p.
49. Web. April 2014.
Itzkoff, Dave. "New ‘Arrested Development’
Season Coming to Netflix on May 26." The
New
York
Times, April 2013. Web. April 2014.
Jacobi, J. Complex,
Archetype, Symbol. London 1959. p. 114. Print. April 2014.
Lavandier, Yves. Chapter 5: Structure. Writing Drama: A Comprehensive Guide for
Playwrights and Scriptwriters.
Cergy Cedex, France: Le Clown & L'Enfant. 2005. Web. April 2014
McKinley, Jesse. "Canceled and Resurrected, on
the Air and Onstage." The New
York
Times. May 2005. Web. April 2014
Rubinoff, Joel. "Disparate Elements put Wonder
in Wonderfalls." Record,
The (Kitchener/Cambridge/Waterloo,
ON) n.d. Newspaper Source Plus. Web. April
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