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The tagline for season two of the unclassifiable HBO series Enlightened is "Peace Had Its Chance." Not that there was much peace in the 10 episodes of season one, but in this even more remarkably observed collection of eight half-hour installments, battle lines come into clear focus and Amy Jellicoe's scheming moves inexorably forward. Created by costars Laura Dern and Mike White, Enlightened is the meandering, unhurried story of Amy (Dern) and her mission to bring truth and beauty to the world--enlightenment, if you will--usually at the expense of everyone around her. She thinks she's helping them and the universe ex
The tagline for season two of the unclassifiable HBO series Enlightened is "Peace Had Its Chance." Not that there was much peace in the 10 episodes of season one, but in this even more remarkably observed collection of eight half-hour installments, battle lines come into clear focus and Amy Jellicoe's scheming moves inexorably forward. Created by costars Laura Dern and Mike White, Enlightened is the meandering, unhurried story of Amy (Dern) and her mission to bring truth and beauty to the world--enlightenment, if you will--usually at the expense of everyone around her. She thinks she's helping them and the universe exist in better harmony, but her actions are often as self-serving and uncharitable as the wrongs she thinks she's righting. Sadly, the eight episodes of season two are the end of the show. All of them were written (and many directed) by White, who exhibits remarkable sensitivity and grace in his nuanced consideration of human behavior. After her meltdown and moral awakening in season one, Amy is now toiling away in a doomed data entry department of the evil Abaddonn Industries, conspiring with her reluctant new friend Tyler (White) and a quirky cast that includes her mother Helen (Diane Ladd, Dern's real mother), her ex-husband Levi (Luke Wilson), and a hunky reporter (Dermot Mulroney) to expose the criminal behavior of Abaddonn's charismatic chief (James Rebhorn). The outcome is not nearly as important as the study of these people's lives and the compassionate, funny, heartbreaking, disjointed events that befall them, with or without their active participation. The episodes take time to look in other directions and consider alternate perspectives about doing the right thing and what that means to each individual in the cast. In one we seemingly break away from the story to follow Levi on a trip to rehab; in another Tyler's lonely life is explored along with his chance for redemption. Overall, Amy has become more skilled at manipulation even though she believes her motives are pure. She hurts people and gets hurt, not always recognizing the difference. Laura Dern is a wonder in perhaps the best performance of her career, and the fine work Mike White has done in the past as a writer and actor is fully surpassed with his deeply affecting portrayal of life and philosophy that rings so true. A viewer campaign to save Enlightened did not crack the cold hearts of HBO executives, but the 18 episodes of its two seasons represent another astonishing entry into what television can be and its power to affect us like no other medium. The two-disc set contains limited features: a few episode commentaries and short observations on each one in interviews with Mike White. --Ted Fry
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Manufacturer: HBO Studios
Release date: 13 August 2013
EAN: 0883929331673 UPC: 883929331673
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