But, I'm sort of a fan. Go figure.
Perhaps what intrigues me most about this series is its innate ability to capture the daily grind of a major league baseball team. For most fans, the life of their favorite baseball team begins with the first pitch at 710PM. But, indeed, there is so much more that goes on. For a night game, I am guessing the manager arrives at noon. There is a routine and a surprising monotony to the world of major league baseball. Yet, a fascinating slice of life.
"The Franchise" captures all of it as it profiles the San Francisco Giants from Opening Day 2011 to whenever their season will end. Admittedly, I've enjoyed the later episodes more because they coincide with the Giants' second-half swoon and fall from first place in the National League West. But, the human drama from the clubhouse and the players' home life is a rare look into arenas we rarely see. Baseball players, managers, and coaches are real people. Can you imagine?
Of course, I'd quibble with Showtime's original concept. If they want to follow a baseball team through an entire season, the easy route is to do so with last year's World Champions. That's a safe bet for an exciting plot line. I'd counter that it might have been much more interesting to track perhaps a team not expected to go anywhere. The Pittsburgh Pirates, for instance, who actually would have provided a fascinating tale the first half of 2011. But, when it comes to creative film making, you can always count on producers to take the more predictable direction.
The tone of "The Franchise" also goes awry from time to time. The producers, who just might be longtime Giants season ticket holders, are so in love with the team that there is a tendency to glorify their heroes. I mean, just look at the promo ad above. Baseball players transformed into comic book characters or perhaps even Greek gods. Add to this a rather over-the-top narration that might be better suited for a History Channel documentary on the D-Day invasion of Normandy and you wind up with an aura that certainly contradicts the daily consistency that is being captured.
Another glaring misstep is the producers' reliance on showing us the antics of Giants closer (and touring company Tevye) Brian Wilson. He's the bearded idiot who is just so madcap with his annoying battle cry, "got heem." Personally, the less anyone sees of Brian Wilson, the better. Some might see an eccentric character. I see somebody who might be just a little bit clinically insane. At the very least, he has some serious psychological disorders that need treatment. After all, one episode spotlighted on Wilson's youth and the fact that his father died when he was 16. That would be enough to push a normal person to the brink.
At a minimum, Wilson is a complete jerk. But, deep down, there is something really wrong going on with his mind. Focusing on him just might be the show's downfall. Somebody should talk to Bravo about that Beverly Hills housewife husband who hung himself.
Those complaints aside, "The Franchise" is still fascinating enough to get my DVR going every week. And, as the San Francisco Giants continue to go further south in the month of August, I may just be giddy with delight as I watch the very last episode of the season.
Dinner last night: Meat loaf and corn succotash.
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