When
High Maintenance debuted on Vimeo in 2012 its premise was simple. We
merely observed the lives of a series of complete strangers, through
the lens of the one connection they all share – an unnamed,
bearded, bike riding pot dealer. Ben Sinclair and Katja Blinchfled’s
show took the form of a collection of vignettes, some loosely
related, which explored the quirks, concerns and idiosyncrasies of
various New Yorkers in episodes ranging in length from 5 to 12
minutes. During its time on Vimeo, which totalled 19 episodes, High
Maintenance introduced us to a plethora of characters such as Scott
(a highly motivated workaholic with a strange belief system), Ellen
(a middle aged women undergoing chemotherapy) and Colin (a writer
prone to procrastination who likes to wear women’s clothes). When
High Maintenance hit the mark, as it so often did, it could be
heart-warming, life affirming, hilarious or melancholy and often all
at the same time. Though marijuana was a theme central to every
story, much like it’s proprietor who was the only character to
appear in every episode, it never stole the show. For High
Maintenance, pot was a gateway into the lives of everyday people,
who’s reasons for smoking were as varied as they were. In this way
High Maintenance can potentially be seen as the antidote the current
public perception of marijuana, where
most would associate it with schizophrenia and Seth Rogan comedies. On April 20th (likely not a coincidence) HBO announced that it has ordered a 6-episode series to premier in September 2016, leading fans of the show to worry about how the loose, free form style we had seen up until then would fare on network television. However, 18 months later Sinclair and Blinchfeld have shown that High Maintenance can not only make the leap to cable whilst keeping all the effortless charm that gained it a following in the first place, but develop its particular strain of brilliance even further.
most would associate it with schizophrenia and Seth Rogan comedies. On April 20th (likely not a coincidence) HBO announced that it has ordered a 6-episode series to premier in September 2016, leading fans of the show to worry about how the loose, free form style we had seen up until then would fare on network television. However, 18 months later Sinclair and Blinchfeld have shown that High Maintenance can not only make the leap to cable whilst keeping all the effortless charm that gained it a following in the first place, but develop its particular strain of brilliance even further.
From
the offset, High Maintenance continues its trend of showing us a
behind closed doors look at the lives of New York’s natives, often
hilarious, occasionally sad but always enthralling. In their adaption
to network television Sinclair and Blinchfeld structure the show, for
the most part, in two acts. Episode 1 – Meth(od) – begins with
the dealer stuck in a hilariously awkward transaction with a “Vin
Diesel type motherfucker” and his silent companion, before
switching to Max, a character previously explored in the episode
Olivia, and his attempts to separate himself from a toxic friendship.
Subsequent episodes place us in the midst of a swinger’s party, a
nursery for adults and a legal battle over intellectual property. One
standout episode (Grandpa) is framed almost entirely from the
perspective of a dog. As this might suggest, High Maintenance takes
some risks during its HBO run which largely pay off. The show thrives
when it steps into wackier territory and, despite employing some
techniques for storytelling purposes not previously used in the
show’s Vimeo days (such as a lengthy dream sequence in Grandpa) the
DNA remains distinctly recognisable as that of the original web
series. The common humanity shared by High Maintenance’s subjects
remains an integral part of the formula. Whilst no two characters
share that much in common, they all have hopes and fears, and this is
what the show focuses on. From a technical standpoint High
Maintenance stands up fine without pushing the boundaries out too
far. During its run on Vimeo each episode was produced for less than
$1000 however, despite HBO’s notoriously large budgeting, the
production values appear on the surface unchanged. However High
Maintenance isn’t the type of show which requires flashy production
and expensive effects work. The show is set in the already surreal
New York and the camera captures enough magic to bring the city to
life without any enhancement needed. The editing is sleek and the
music (especially the original score by Grizzly Bear drummer
Christopher Bear) fits perfectly. Though the shows focus is on
multiple characters, giving each character limited screen time, could
prove an impediment to the sizable cast, performances are subtly
excellent and fleshed out enough to facilitate the character studies
High Maintenance sets up. Every person we meet throughout the show
feels like a real person. Peter Friedman as Jim; an oap eager to
adopt the language and technology of the millennial generation, is a
standout, as is Michael Cyril Creighton as Patrick; an agoraphobic
man attempting to escape the self-imposed prison if his apartment. In
a show that revolves around the people who make up New York’s
diverse society performances like these are what makes up the core of
High Maintenance.
Where
High Maintenance falls down slightly is in its tendency to leave its
stories open. The snapshot view we are given of people’s lives,
though a large part of what makes the show feel organic, lack the
closure we might get from more conventional, contrived shows. Though
this is barely a criticism as the grounded nature of High Maintenance
is what sets it apart, the unfortunate side effect is that a handful
of episodes leave the audience wanting the events to tied together a
little more neatly than they are.
Overall,
High Maintenance has not only survived its transition to network
television, but outdone itself. Everything which made it great in the
first place remains, whist Sinclair and Blinchfeld use the new format
to take to show in directions it’s never gone before. High
Maintenance represents a welcome breath of fresh air on HBO and
comfortably asserts itself as one of the best and most interesting
new shows of 2016.
Hope you have enjoyed this blog post.
Joe!
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