Movies

Last week, I was in Abuja in Nigeria for the Going Global Africa 2024 conference and I had to take three flights to go there (Mauritius to Johannesburg, to Addis-Ababa and then to Abuja). On one of these three flights, I came across United States of Al, a TV show which ran for two seasons from 2021 to 2022. I watched the first two episodes and I really liked it.

When I returned to Mauritius, Christina had to leave for Senegal for one week for her own conference and I decided to spend my lonely nights binging on the United States of Al. During the week, I finished the two seasons.

United States of Al is about “the friendship between Riley, a Marine combat veteran struggling to readjust to civilian life in Ohio, and Awalmir, the Afghan interpreter who served with his unit and has just arrived to start a new life in America.” While the dynamics between the two friends is interesting, many times it seemed too forced. Parker Young (as Riley) is fine as the relatively stupid G.I. Joe but I felt that Adhir Kalyan (as Awalmir / Al) sometimes was too hyper. Maybe the script could have been toned down.

Riley’s dad, Dean Norris (as Art), is really funny and I like the way he treats his kids: nice, but not always nice (especially when they are doing dumb things). Farrah Mackenzie (as Hazel) was an interesting choice as an actress. She is Riley’s daughter and is supposed to be around 10. But the actress chosen was actually around 16. Apparently, she was picked because the filmmakers wanted Hazel to be very direct in the way she speaks. This worked many times but not all the time.

But, I have to confess that my two favourite characters on the show are Elizabeth Alderfer (as Lizzie) and Kelli Goss (as Vanessa). Both are adorable.

Lizzie is Riley’s sisters and Art’s daughter and she is a beautiful geek. She loves painting and doing graphic design, has fancy hairs and always wears baggy trousers. She is the voice of reason even though she loves partying too. In some ways, she reminds me of, ahem, me. I also tend to be the voice of reason in my family and really love to party. I would love to see her in a full movie, maybe For When You Get Lost, which was released in 2023?

Vanessa is Riley’s (divorced) wife and Hazel’s mum. She had to raise Hazel by herself while Riley was fighting in Afghanistan. When Riley came back, he suffered from PTSD and a lot of other issues and Vanessa decided to separate from him (while Hazel going back and fro every few days). Vanessa is hot (Riley’s word!) and is probably a model in real life. But she might also be the perfect mum, always thinking ahead of what might happen. I wonder whether she reminds me of Christina?

Anyway, the TV show, while interesting, was not great because of the script. If this was a touch toned down and the show made more relaxed, while exploring the important topics of integration, post-war mental issues, cultural differences, family dynamics, etc., it might have fared better. Unfortunately, this was not the case and United States of Al was cancelled after two seasons. I think there’s is an opportunity for a much more serious version of the United States of Al.

Anyway, I got to discover Elizabeth Alderfer and Kelli Goss, two wonderful actresses, and, maybe, Parker Young who definitely has potential. Maybe I should watch him in The Image of You (2024) and make up my mind.

I also need to mention two Afghan born actresses in the show. Azita Ghanizada (Ariana, Al’s “girlfriend”) is a political refugee and asylum seeker who has broken many cultural barriers in Hollywood. Sitara Attaie (Hassina, Al’s sister) spent her early years living in Afghanistan, India, the Netherlands and the United States.

Christina and I discovered The Orville a few years ago. While this TV show, created and written by Seth MacFarlane, could be seen as a funny parody of Star Trek, for us, it goes a bit further than that.

From IMDB: “Set 400 years in the future, the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continue their mission of exploration, navigating both the mysteries of the universe, and the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships.”

The interesting part is “navigating […] the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships”. The show explores tolerance between different species, gender relationships, love, authority, trust, etc. in a lighthearted way.

The main cast of Seth MacFarlane (as Capt. Ed Mercer), Adrianne Palicki (as Cmdr. Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (as Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (as Lt. Gordon Malloy), J. Lee (as Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr) and Peter Macon (as Lt. Cmdr. Bortus) was a joy. I especially loved the dynamics between Seth MacFarlane and Adrianne Palicki.

Another important cast member during the early seasons was Halston Sage (as Lt. Alara Kitan), replaced by Jessica Szohr (as Lt. Talla Keyali) in later episodes. I also liked Chad L. Coleman (as Klyden) and Anne Winters (as Ensign Charly Burke).

Christina and I always felt that the show, while funny, was also very intelligent. And it also looked gorgeous.

The TV Show ran over three seasons from 2017 to 2022. Technically, it has not been cancelled yet so it is possible that we’ll have the pleasure to watch a fourth season one day.