I wanted to watch Transparent for two reasons. First, I love Jeffrey Tambor. Second, I have tremendous respect for the transgender community and am aware of my societal privilege as a cis woman. As a Christian, I am supposed to be counter cultural and be an ally to those whom the majority ignores or ridicule. Despite the encouraging response to Caitlyn Jenner, I can’t ignore the vast statistics that reveal that life for a transgender individual is not an easy one. I know that Transparent is entertainment, not educational, but I believe that cis people need to support cultural products with trans characters so the entertainment industry will continue producing those TV shows and movies, and trans people will see themselves reflected in popular culture. I know that it is problematic that Jeffrey Tambor is not a trans woman, but the trans community is represented behind and in front of the camera in Transparent. It was only a bonus to discover that Jill Soloway created Transparent since I enjoyed her book, Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants: based on a true story.
Transparent consists of ten half-hour episodes so you could finish it in one sitting. Transparent is about the Pferffermans, a Jewish family in California facing diverse identity issues regarding who they are and what they want. Unfortunately Transparent’s characters are not as well-developed or interesting as Maura, formerly known as Morton, a trans woman played by Tambor. Transparent occupies that special socioeconomic world of independent cinema and television where money isn’t really an issue for any of the characters so individual quirkiness or narcissism levels are at an all time high, which is consciously acknowledged by Maura thus makes it somewhat tolerable.
Sex is an inherent part of the human experience and should be a part of any narrative, but it is not really a substitute for plot or character development. It felt like every short episode of Transparent consisted of two to three sex scenes. They were realistically shot and not porny, but the sheer number in comparison to longer shows with more episodes felt excessive. If that is a turn off, then I would discourage you from watching it. Also I’m personally tired of tv shows or movies that depict a character as playfully interesting or fun by showing the character taking drugs-again, it is realistic since people take drugs, but it does not tell me a lot about them as a person.
Transparent has more in common with Togetherness and a more prosaic The Leftovers. Transparent has a nostalgic melancholy as it toggles between the present and the past to show how Maura’s early struggles as a father and husband affected the family’s life now. Transparent is more enjoyable than Togetherness and The Leftovers because it retains a sense of normality and love in daily life as it explores identity issues that are less common. Transparent gains momentum around episode 4, and you won’t want to stop.
Transparent’s casting is uneven. Jeffrey Tambor is perfection and pairing him with Alexandra Billings, Bradley Whitford or Michaela Watkins is brilliant, but some of the cast was gleaned from Parks & Recreations and Portlandia playing according to type so it is hard to take them seriously as different characters in Transparent, NOT including Kathryn Hahn. Judith Light does a terrific job though I wonder if there was a better way to show the passage of time than giving her wretched wigs. Melora Hardin really nailed her character. Best supporting actor should definitely go to Lawrence Pressman, who plays Ed, an elderly character who is silent for the entire season, but brought something great out in Gaby Hoffmann, who does less than nothing for me.
I ultimately enjoyed Transparent, but I wanted to love it. If you adore anyone in the cast, it is a must see, but if you came for Maura, you’ll have to be patient and slog through an uneven beginning before you will start tolerating and gaining interest in the other characters, whom you may never like. Transparent isn’t for everyone, is far from realistic, but has enough emotional resonance to get through its freshman year with a passing grade.