Joanna McGuire

The show's premise is that a good profit can be made despite reno-type staging. Uh-duh. There is NO WAY even these talented twins can buy new appliances, countertops, high-end tile for backsplashes and bathrooms, kitchen & bathroom sinks, lighting & plumbing fixtures, flooring, shelving, paint for inside & out (plus deck floor) AND PAY A CONTRACTOR (((all for a grand total of $34K))) or $6K under the guesstimated $40K budget. (See Season 2, Ep 5 "Nest Egg Reno" 04/27/21.) IT SIMPLY CANNOT BE DONE. And that's pretty much how their stories unfold: extraordinary "staging" based on unrealistically low numbers. Even if they're not including the cost of props like furniture, dishes, baskets, throws, etc., the numbers simply do not jive. I was initially pulled in because they're the polar opposite of amazing Christina Haack, and as crazy as her reno bottom-lines are, at least they're realistic. (Granted Haack's focus is southern Cali, but these Seattle bedroom communities' locales are not exactly Nowheresville.) I'm happy the twins are doing what they're doing because it's a noble endeavor to help others along our respective journeys, but not divulging accurate numbers -- like how much everything they bought for the project cost and then fleshing out what will become part of their future staging arsenal -- is, bottomline, a disservice to viewers.

If you're a Lauren Ambrose fan, you're gonna love this. If you're not, you may wind up loving it anyway. The script plays out like a bouncing ball on a sing-along which teeters on maddening at times but is also part of its charm. Because it's engaging. If you can follow that. Don't get me wrong: it's not that it's too deep. But. Just when you're pulled in by it's cleverness it will unapologetically deliver a 180-degree sucker punch. It's a style prevalent in 21st century writing, and with a cast as talented as this one, you grin and bear it. Or not. Um, the f-bombs really do get old.

Although Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem definitely earned their Oscar nominations for this film, the script feels long-winded and ofttimes redundant. At times I could literally feel Lucy through things like Kidman's well-practiced syncopation and gestures, and Bardem's posturing while simply standing there (his nightclub scene banging the Conga with his head thrown back was divine!) channeled Desi. J.K. Simmons earned his Oscar nod as well nailing William Frawley. As a longtime fan, little in the way of new information was offered, and what I had surmised confirmed that Lucy was of course lovable but also as brassy as her hair color forewarned. It didn't help Lucy & Desi's relationship that despite his US Sergeant military service (which I didn't know about) and formidable contributions to both their record-breaking show and the television industry at-large his "Spanish" fueled undying prejudice. The script's approach to offering insight about their dynamic by allowing the audience to watch them navigate independently quite often on behalf of the other proved engaging. Through just a few lines, the closing remarks allowed the well-honed Kidman/Bardem duo to heartbreakingly convey how Lucy's ongoing agony over Desi's lifestyle choices was unfortunately justified.