Pamela Adlon creates not merely a look or a tone but a worldview.
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Best Direction isa new category in the Vulture TV Awards.
Adlon is the shows star, writer, executive producer, co-creator, and (now) sole director.
Its proof that a show doesnt need a lot of money to feel big.
But it truly excels at moments where it shows us something in a way we didnt anticipate.
its hard to imagine a scenario where it would be a more logical fit.
And shes as great at it as anybody whos ever worked this way.
A Closer Look atBetter Things
1.
Corrina Repp performs Lightest Light in the bar where the women are drinking and talking.
First-person-point-of-view close-ups put us inside the perspectives of both women.
Time seems to blur.
When TV is discussed, the wordcinematicoften gets treated as a synonym forexpensiveorepic.
Were following some sort of internal clock thats tuned to emotional rather than circadian rhythms.
This is a show that doesnt always attempt to explain why a character is doing something.
Depending on how you look at it, it could be a relapse, or an exorcism.
Was this hotel deliberately chosen for its glitzy-trashy-sexy aesthetic?
Are we seeing what actually happened, or how it looked and felt to Sam, or some combination?
The dawning attraction is sheer joy for Max, who recently endured a bad breakup.
Ollivier is attracted to Max not just because shes pretty, but because of her drive and competence.
It also calls to mind another strong moment, which is at the end of the third-season premiere.
The Other Contenders
Style is the great budgetary equalizer.
How will Adlon present it?
(For an example, see the recent controversy over the recutting of season two ofBig Little Lies.)
It feels as handwritten as its title font, a statement straight from the heart.
Eligible contenders had to have premiered between June 1, 2018, and May 31, 2019.
