VENICE aired its final episode of Season One on Friday night complete with soapy cliffhanger. Now that the first 12 episodes have been released, it's time to look back on what worked, what didn't work, and what could use some work.
What Worked
Jessica Leccia's Ani. Ani was the most appealing character from VENICE. It's not that Jessica Leccia was underappreciated on GUIDING LIGHT, but anyone working opposite the magnificent Crystal Chappell has a chance of being overshadowed. But on VENICE, Leccia really shined. Ani had a depth that was missing from some of the other characters and the episodes she was on were much more entertaining than those she where she didn't appear.
The scenery. The show was set in Venice Beach and there was never any doubt about that at any time. The setting was gorgeous and it felt like we were there. From the beach to the restaurants and other settings, we got a feel for what Venice was like and it served the show well to capitalize on the locale.
The Music and Theme Song. "Venice Beach" by Jen Foster is a brilliant theme song. All the music used on VENICE worked well and fit in with the mood of the show (thus the Indie Soap Award recognition for Best Use of Music).
Guya. After her first appearance in the second episode, I was sure this character would fall into the "What Didn't Work" bucket but somehow, thanks to Hillary B. Smith, she won me over. I'm interested to know more about her and hope we find out in Season Two.
Sami. We only got two scenes of the brilliant Gina Tognoni as Sami, but she left me wanting more. It would serve the show well to flesh this character out a bit more.
Michelle N. Carter: I wasn't familiar with her work prior to VENICE, but really enjoyed her appearances as Michele throughout the season.
Nadia Bjorlin. Bjorlin does not get a lot of credit from some fans for her acting ability on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, but she was quite appealing on VENICE. And is there a more beautiful, physically perfect human being in the planet? Ani and Lara drew me in thanks to Bjorlin and Leccia.
What Didn't Work
The Colonel. This character felt like a bad cliché from the first moment we saw him. He seemed like either a typical homophobic father, one that you would think a character of Gina's age would have dealt with by now, or a closet case. Based on the finale, it could be the latter. Either way, it was disappointing to have to watch this type of relationship on such a gay positive show taking place in Venich Beach.
Tracy. I have been a huge Lesli Kay fan for over a decade but by the time we got to the finale and the "British" accent was in full force I was totally confused. Maybe I wasn't listening close enough on previous shows but the accent seemed to go in and out.
Gina. This one really pains me to type. Crystal Chappell has earned her "Goddess" stripes and I have always said she could make anything work. But Gina was kind of unappealing. She was too hard, and not that likeable. Chappell did her best but the writing could have made this character more sympathetic. She hated her father, jerked Ani around, didn't like Sami for some unexplained reason and seemed rather controlling and self-involved. Hopefully we'll see some of her softer side in Season Two.
The F-ing Profanity. I am not a prude and can "cuss like a sailor" when I need to. But the profanity on this show felt a bit like a kid who just learned how to swear and is trying to work a cuss word into every sentence. It diminished some of the scenes for me.
The Editing. At times it felt like this show was edited out of order. Ani disappeared for several episodes and returned as if no time had passed. The Tina Sloan scene in episode two seemed thrown in out of place and I'm still not sure I understand it or why it was there.
What Needs Some Work
Gina and Owen. On paper this brother-sister duo should have worked better. But something was off. Perhaps it was because they seemed to act like 20-year-old siblings versus their real ages. I want to enjoy this relationship.
The Writing. Season One felt like a mish-mosh of characters and stories and perhaps the editing impacted my feelings on the writing. The lead character, Gina, needs more appeal that just the talents of Crystal Chappell. I want to like her and root for her even if she's screwed up. This seems like the most crucial element to improve for the next batch of episodes.
Other Thoughts
Subscription Model. Having produced indie projects myself, I am not going to diss anyone's business model. If any of these web soaps are going to sustain they have to be profitable. A subscription model was obviously what the VENICE team felt gave them their best chance. But it would be nice if VENICE could figure out a way to make the episodes available to the general public even if it was a few weeks later that subscribers see them. It was hard to promote the show without being able to embed the episodes each week and it somewhat limited the show to diehard fans who were going to watch no matter what.
Alan. It is always great to see Michael Sabatino in anything, but as with Sloan's Katherine, there wasn't much point to the character in Season One. We don't really need to include every possible type of character if they don't add value.
Premise. The first episode was very promising and set up what seemed like the ongoing Gina and Ani story. Then Ani completely disappeared. On a show of this length perhaps focusing on those two characters and their lives would be better for the show in the long run.
Conclusion
This review was meant to put out my honest thoughts about Season One. I hope the negative doesn't overshadow the positive. Anyone who cares enough to produce an ongoing web soap opera is a winner in my book. Congratulations to Crystal Chappell, Kim Turrisi and Hope Royaltey for getting this show out there and wanting to continue it. We would not likely see a show like VENICE on television and it is fantastic to see gay relationships portrayed just like straight ones, flaws and all. The show meant an awful lot to thousands of fans. When you strike a chord like that, you must be doing something right. There are always going to be elements to work on and improve, but in the grand scheme of things enough worked on VENICE to consider it a success.
Now that I've had my say, what did you think? Please grade Season One in our poll below (A being the best and F being the worst) and share your thoughts in the Comments section.
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