May, 31 2008

What do you get when you mix a documentary filmmaker with a vivid imagination, a young musician, two pet accessory businesswomen and a woman that can’t commit to anything? You get five friends that help each other through thick and thin and… oh just happen to be lesbians. Throw all of that together with a dash of humor and more lesbians than you can shake a stick at and you get Exes & Ohs: The Complete First Season.

Exes & Ohs, currently getting ready to start its second season on Logo, is the first-ever scripted half-hour dramedy about lesbians and their own struggles through life. The show which is set in Seattle, follows the ups and down of these five friends. The story however focuses on the life of Jennifer Butler played by Michelle Paradise, as she searches for Ms. Right. But finding the women of her dreams is not as easy as she plans as she must learn the rules of lesbian life.

By her side is ex-girlfriend Sam, the commitment-phoebe played by Marnie Alton, who flips women quicker than her attempts to flip a condo. There is also the Kris’s played by Megan Cavanagh and Angela Featherstone, Chris and Kris who are trying to expand their pet business and their personal life together. And last but not least is my personal favorite character Crutch, played by Heather Matarazzo, the young musician that wants to be taken seriously.

At first look, I thought that there was no way I was going to like this show. The only thing that I thought that the show would have going for it was Megan (A League of their Own) and Heather (The Princess Diaries), both which I think are good actresses. But I was wrong, dead wrong.

Exes & Ohs is an interesting mix of comedy, drama and an artistic style that is reminiscent of Lizzie McGuire. If you don’t know what, I’m talking about I’ll try to explain. It’s that moment when the main character steps out of the world around her and talks to you the viewer. This technique was used in Lizzie, but with a cartoon version of herself.

Exes & Ohs: The Complete First Season contains all 6 episodes from the show and I actually look forward to what is in store for us in season two. In the first episode “There Must be Rules …” Jennifer’s life is shattered when she finds out that the women that she is in love with is cheating on her with their therapist.

The second episode entitled ” Roads Previously Not Taken” finds a women that she likes while she is researching material for her documentary on sex. She soon finds out that the woman she likes has a child and must decide on the proper decision. After finding homes for stray animals, Kris and Chris decide that it is time to enrich their life with a child.

Episode three “Cutthroat” pits Sam and Jennifer against each other and brings up old problems. The doggie duo tries their hands in baking while fretting of the responsibility of parenthood. Crutch is kicked out of her home by her roommates and is forced to find a new place to call home.

“Love, Money and a Six Olive Martini” the fourth episode, has Jen looking for a sponsor for her documentary and finding more than she bargained for. Kris and Chris must find a way to rekindle their relationship and Crutch starts interviewing for a better-paying job. While Sam is looking into flipping a condo she must confront her father’s issues with her sexuality.

The fifth episode called “Pole Dancing and Other Forms of Therapy” while sounding vaguely naughty finds Jen taking a pole-dancing class and feeling a little bit less inhibited with the rest of her life. The Kris’s finally start looking for the ideal man to father their wanted child. Crutch learns that she has a fan that needs guidance about her sexuality.

In the final episode of Exes & Ohs, “What Goes Around...” a newly extreme version of her formal self speaks her mind and her friends think that it may not be a good thing. Sienna after a big fight with her married partner shows up looking for a shoulder to cry on even after being told off. The Kris’s begin their insemination process. Sam matures a bit more about her through a therapy and gets a little closer to her father. Crutch learns that she has more fans that she thinks while Jen wakes up to a rude awakening.

There is also a fair bit of extras loaded into this single DVD presentation. The actual running time of the episodes totals out at about 132 minutes. On top of that you have 6 extrasodes that give you a little bit more insight into what is going on in the show.

Filmmaking: 8
Exes & Ohs: The Complete First Season is directed by Lee Friedlander who incidentally directed the film “The Ten Rules” on which this show is based upon. Having the same director for both projects was probably a blessing in disguise as this show is pretty good for its subject matter.

Graphics: 8
Visually Exes & Ohs is pretty good. Most of the girls in this show are actually pretty hot. Not exactly what this category is intended for but I had to mention it. This show has an amazing cast and a certain style that I find appealing. I can’t really explain it , I just know I like it.

Sound: 8
The score is pretty decent, nothing fancy but pleasant. The music video featuring Marnie was actually very nice and she has a nice voice. Crutch’s musical endeavors start out being somewhat of a laughing point, but as the episodes progress, she really blossoms into a fairly good singer.

Value: 8
Value wise, I have to give this area a decent score. I found the extrasodes interesting as well as the interviews from the 5 main actors. The rest of the special features including a cool music video by Marnie Alton are very entertaining. I particularly like the “Gutterball” segment featuring the two Kris’.

Overall: 8
Like I said earlier on in my review of Exes & Ohs, I said that I didn’t think that I would care for this show, let alone watch it. I was definitely wrong in my opinion and found that it was a really enjoyable show. I’ve seen episodes of “The L Word” and this show, while the subject matter is similar, is far better than anything that the “The L Word” has. I actually look forward to seeing what will happen in season two.