Taras Welten

The first positive feelings that United States of Tara gave me belonged to the realm of heavy nostalgia. I was terribly nostalgic for the times about a decade ago when Showtime was supplying viewers with one quality dramedy after another, and with all the ones I tried, I was hooked until the end, no matter how the quality had diminished over time. Perhaps that's why it doesn't hurt so much that Diablo Cody's series was only granted three seasons. All of them are full of humor, emotions, and, above all, perfect acting performances. I actually have to laugh at the fact that I used to consider Toni Collette's acting annoying, because her Tara, with all her "alters", is one of the best performances I have ever seen, not only in television. The switches to Buck, T, or Alice are breathtaking displays of the subtlest facial muscle changes, and therefore seemingly an inexhaustible source of entertainment. Other characters competed for the position of the favorite, including the emotional Marshall, the unbearable (yet completely irresistible) Charmaine, and the contender for best TV dad, Max. However, they were all overshadowed by the adorable, spoiled, cake-destroying, and often career-changing teenager Kate, who paved the way to fame (and years later, an Oscar) for her performer, Brie Larson. The Gregsons are simply a family I felt like I truly lived with, whether it was getting to know them in the first season, deepening the relationship and exploring possibilities in the second, or fearing for the fate of everyone involved in the third year. A week after watching the finale, I remember them with emotion, and I am very sorry that even seven years after the last episode was aired, the Kansas gang still has such a negligible number of (and even on average, sadly low) ratings. (08.02.2018)