September 4, 2007
Could John from Cincinnati star, Austin Nichols, be following in the recent footsteps of despondent and troubled Owen Wilson? Hopefully not. The 27-year old actor got busted in Jackson, Michigan over the weekend for allegedly driving under the influence (DUI).
Austin Nichols, who plays the enigmatic and mysterious title character, John Monad, on HBO's John from Cincinnati, was spotted driving a silver Mercury Mountaineer in the wrong direction of a one-way street during the wee hours of Friday, August 24. Police stopped the actor on N. Jackson Street at the Louis Glick Highway around half past two in the morning.
August 14, 2007
HBO announced yesterday that it has canceled the dark surfer drama, John from Cincinnati. Prior to the first season finale on Sunday, creator David Milch talked to Tavis Smiley on his late night talk show on PBS, saying that whatever decision the network makes, he will continue working.
John from Cincinnati, which debuted in June, followed the story of dysfunctional surfer family and a mysterious stranger named John Monad. Often labeled by critics as “strange,” “weird” and “unlikable,” the series showcased many religious themes, due mainly to Milch's interest in “faith as a regenerative and reorganizing principle for the community.”
August 13, 2007
Now that the first season of John from Cincinnati is over, it's time to look back and try to understand any of it. Viewers who stuck with HBO's latest drama series were understandably confused by the enigmatic dialogue and imagery that often left fans scratching their heads.
I won't pretend to have all the answers, or even any. I doubt anyone, creator David Milch included, fully understands everything this show has done. However, I will propose three possible theories to explain what this show means. Either one is correct, none are correct, or the truth is cobbled together in several parts.
August 12, 2007
Episode Overview: John and Shaun return from wherever they were. Linc Stark, through his surfing company, decide to throw a parade announcing the signing of the whole Yost clan.
It's the season (and likely series) finale of John from Cincinnati, which means one of three things will happen. 1) It will miraculously answer all our questions and those who doubted the show's genius will be proven wrong. 2) Nothing will be answered, and those of us who watched all 10 episodes will be furious that we wasted our time. 3) Questions will be answered, but it won't be that satisfying and we'll still be kind of upset. I'm hoping for 1, fearing for 2, and expecting 3.
The opening scene shows all the major characters, interspersed with shots of something zooming above the clouds, then down through them onto the water. Butchie and Kai, asleep on the beach, wake up to see the missing John and Shaun surfing towards them wearing army fatigue wet suits. It's a very promising start.
August 5, 2007
Episode Overview: Shaun and John are missing, and everyone is going crazy looking for them. Mitch returns with a former mentor, and those weird stick figures start showing up everywhere.
As this penultimate episode of John from Cincinnati begins, Shaun's gone, and his grandmother Cissy responds with the level head you'd expect from her. After going nuts running around the house and alarming everyone on watch (Freddie and Bill, whose psychic bird Zippy is also missing), she calls up Tina and verbally accosts her. Tina has no clue, and Linc is out jogging. She heads over to Butchie at the motel, who promises to check on Cass.
On a beach in Mexico, some stranger is walking up to an old man. Oh wait, it's Mitch Yost, finally back after a three-episode absence. The man is an old mentor (Howard Hesseman) nicknamed the Chemist from his drug days, and Mitch lays the weirdness on him. They plan to head back to Imperial Beach together to see what's what.
July 29, 2007
Episode Overview: John sends the message "Shaun will soon be gone" out into the world via e-mails and dreams, and everyone is terrified by its possible meaning. Bill, Freddie and Cass all question him, but none get very far. For the third episode in a row, Mitch Yost is wholly absent.
Cryptic John from Cincinnati is back, telling Cass they made a tape. She asks if it was a sex tape, he confirms it, but then she acknowledges that he just repeats words and doesn't understand what he says or what he does. He then lets out three nuggets of wisdom. "I will be murdered twice. ... Shaun will soon be gone. ... We do not remember my Father's words." I can think of several characters on this show willing to help with the first one. He takes her to a tower, they look out at the water, the moon and a helicopter. She smiles. Yes, it's that surreal. Cass gets home and stares bewildered at some video on her computer. It appears to have that shape John has been drawing with his foot since episode one.