Standard Of Review: Examining The Visual Look Of 'Goliath'
Critic Harry Graff praises the show's distinctive visual aesthetic, specifically its on-location shots in Los Angeles.
(via Wikimedia)
Last week, I gave the first three episodes of the new Amazon drama Goliath a mixed review, pointing out its various strengths and weaknesses. This week, in reviewing the fourth, fifth, and sixth episodes of Goliath, I want to focus on one of the positives – the show’s distinctive visual aesthetic, specifically five specific on-location shots in and around Santa Monica and Los Angeles. While Goliath is certainly far from the first film or show to take place in the Los Angeles area, the fact that it focuses on Santa Monica rather than Hollywood gives the show a particularly unique look. One disclaimer: I have never even been to Los Angeles, and thus I am not able to identify each location with specificity. You will have to forgive my New York-centric perspective.
(This column will contain some very light spoilers through the sixth episode of Goliath. You can click on each image for a closer look.)
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Gina Larson’s House – Billy McBride has filed suit on behalf of Ryan Larson, a former employee of defense contractor Borns Tech. Ryan’s widow, Gina Larson, initially opposes Billy’s crusade, as she is convinced that Ryan committed suicide. In order to discuss the case with Gina and her son Jason, Billy makes frequent visits to Gina’s house, which is adjacent to a canal lined with palm trees and other vegetation. The calm and peacefulness of this setting, which includes perpetually ringing chimes, is both eerie in its tranquility and a nice contrast with the fast-paced and stressful world in which the other characters live.
Beach By Billy’s “Office” – As I mentioned last week, Billy works out of a drab motel near the ocean, and frequently does his work at Chez Jay, a local dive bar. Billy is also an alcoholic, and occasionally finds himself drunk on the nearby beach. The amusement park in the foreground and the downtown city lights in the distance bathe the entire scene in blue and purple, resulting in an absolutely gorgeous setting that underscores how far Billy is from his days as a high-powered name partner at Cooperman McBride.
Mountainous Terrain for Clandestine Borns Tech Meeting – One of my least favorite aspects of Goliath is the relationship between Borns Tech General Counsel Leonard Letts and CEO Wendell Corey. Wendell perpetually speaks in vagaries, and refuses to give Leonard (and thus the audience) even a semi-straight answer on anything. Nevertheless, I was was impressed by the location for one such meeting, which takes place at a high altitude, with barren mountainous terrain in the distance, giving the impression that Borns Tech is about to take over the world.
Callie and Michelle’s Rooftop Chat – Callie Senate and Michelle McBride are both extremely successful, having ascended to the partnership at Cooperman McBride. Unfortunately for the viewers, the vast majority of their conversations revolve around their love lives, namely the possibility that Michelle still loves her ex-husband Billy, the fact that both of them slept with Donald Cooperman in the past, and their newfound romantic relationship with each other. Putting aside how much I dislike how actors Molly Parker and Maria Bello are being disserved by the show’s writing, I did enjoy the office building rooftop that the two share during one of their arguments. As a New Yorker, my conception of Los Angeles’s aesthetic is basically some combination of Mulholland Drive and Boogie Nights – just an endless sprawl of opulent mansions with pools. Thus, it was refreshing to see Los Angeles’s business district portrayed on screen, particularly a business that has nothing to do with the film industry.
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Patty’s Party – Patty Solis-Papagian is quickly becoming my favorite character on this show, especially thanks to Nina Arianda’s excellent performance. In the season’s fourth episode, Patty attends a house party, all bathed in multicolored lights. The vibrancy of the party stands in stark contrast with Billy’s drab life. Even more amusing is Patty’s revelation that many of the guests at the party are the relatives of one of her ex-husbands.
Aside from these exterior shots, I had exactly the same reaction to the fourth, fifth, and sixth episodes as I did while reviewing the first three. The scenes involving Billy, Patty, and their team are excellent, while the scenes involving the employees of Cooperman McBride have problems. Donald comes off as even more of a cartoon in these three episodes as he romantically pursues Lucy Kittridge. Furthermore, in one particularly eyeroll-inducing scene, Donald rips up a subpoena that Billy has served on Donald’s secretary and quips, “Consider the subpoena quashed.” Sigh (unless, unbeknownst to me, that is a legitimate way to quash a subpoena, in which case I will retract my sigh).
In the sixth episode, Billy and Donald finally meet in person and discuss their relationship. Donald, in particular, is annoyed that Billy was too much of a loose cannon when Donald was trying to grow a serious business. It is unquestionably the best Donald scene of the entire first six episodes and proves that Hurt can still be effective when restrained. I really wish that Goliath would keep that restraint for every other scene involving Donald.
Next week I will review the final two episodes of the season. And hopefully my California-based readers won’t be too mad at me for my presumably terrible grasp of Los Angeles geography.
Earlier: Standard Of Review: Amazon’s ‘Goliath’ Is Half Of A Very Good Show
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Harry Graff is a litigation associate at a firm, but he spends days wishing that he was writing about film, television, literature, and pop culture instead of writing briefs. If there is a law-related movie, television show, book, or any other form of media that you would like Harry Graff to discuss, he can be reached at [email protected]. Be sure to follow Harry Graff on Twitter at @harrygraff19.
