One December Night
Reviewed by L. Sue
First let us set up this stellar cast, to be fair the
initial draw is no less than Agent Grant Ward himself who is becoming an annual
fixture at Hallmark. Followed by Evil Dead’s Ash himself Bruce Campbell, as
well as THE OC Dad Peter Gallagher. To set this story up, Ash and OC Dad were
in a famous band Bedford and Sullivan. In a bit of a twist of casting, you might
expect Ash to be the one to go drunk up on stage and break up the band, but you
would be wrong. So Sullivan retreats into a recluse, and eventually gets sober leaving Bedford as a solo act, with interest in Bedford alone quickly
drying up. What the people want, nay demand is a Bedford and Sullivan reunion!
How famous did Bedford and Sullivan get you ask? Well, there is now the
obligatory daily bus tour that drives by Sullivan’s home affectionally named
Big Red. And things are so bad that Sullivan has a special knock, so not as to
risk opening the door for the truly dedicated fan. Bedford on the other hand seems to take the
fame and celebrity in stride, always signing records and making time for the
fans. Because as he said, if they make time to see him, the least he can do is
show up. It is an interesting commentary on fame- do you take the Sullivan
route, that the artist owns the material and should control every aspect and
refuse to bend to the whims of pesky things like audience demands? Or do you
embrace the audience, that so warmly embraced your material and make compromises
like Bedford? I take Bedford’s side; that while the artist does own the initial
material (in this case song) what happens once it is put into the ether is often
beyond their control. And if the artist embraces that, without losing themselves
in the process, I think the audience and creator can form a beautiful
partnership. Unlike say George Lucas, who claims if he wants to paint his house
green, what business is it of anyone’s? Whelp, much like a house color other
people have opinions as we don’t live alone on a deserted island. And in this
case the opinions of the audience matter because they often determine how
successful the artist is.
But you aren’t watching a Hallmark Christmas movie for their
hot take on how much ownership does an artist have. We’re here for the love
story and that is between the children of Bedford and Sullivan who are thrown together because everyone needs this Christmas special to happen. The
daughter Quinn needs this to work, because if she can get her recluse dad to
show up and make this reunion real, she can get a struggling new singer the big
tour she deserves. If the special happens, then Agent Ward can get his dad a
residency in Vegas, but again it is all contingent on the big publicity of the
Christmas special happening However all eyes are on the volatile and unpredictable
Sullivan, who so far has stayed true to form and not shown up for promos or
even rehearsals. But turns out even Sullivan has reasons he needs this special
to happen. Being unrelenting to your principles and being a hermit doesn’t pay
the mortgage and he’s about to lose Big Red without the payday of this
Christmas special. Plus he wouldn’t give Bedford the satisfaction of being the
one to ruin this special.
There’s a lot of baggage amongst this group. Quinn hasn’t
seen her dad much since her mom died. He wasn’t there when she needed him the
most, so she’s learned to move on with life and never depend on Mike Sullivan. Agent
Ward is the manager for his dad, but even though they spend a lot of time
together, there is much left unsaid and there are secrets between them. To top it off,
lest you think only the older Bedford and Sullivan have creative differences, Quinn finds out it was Agent Ward, acting as his dad’s manager, that got her dad
to sign over his half of the song rights. But Quinn, while
initially harboring so much hate for everyone and everything in Pineville, winds up hating her dad even more than this particular betrayal. Even dad
Sullivan owns that he wasn’t really tricked into signing away his songs, in fact he was
almost happy to do it “Because the songs have brought him nothing but
headaches” Or was it heartache? Either way you get the set up of the impending disaster
that is the Christmas Special at Big Red in the small town of Pineville.
There was a week in which B&S were on the same page,
which was accomplished through some trickery by the kids doing a parent trap swap.
While Quinn has many negative things to say to and about Bedford and Sullivan,
she can’t say no to Uncle Steve and vice versa. And while Quinn is at a loss how
to rebuild her relationship with her dad to say nothing of getting him to
rehearsals, Agent Ward fishes with Uncle Mike and gets him to rehearsals with
minimal teeth pulling. Things are going better than expected and it looks like
the Christmas special is a go, until it comes down to the set list. Sullivan
won’t play their number one hit, One December Night. Bedford, correctly points
out, that is like Mariah not doing All I want for Christmas. We know Mimi
wouldn’t do us like that, as of Nov 1 it is Mariah season. Deal with it. Bedford promises Sullivan they won’t do
anything until they hear back from the network, which of course the network
brass replies that without One December Night there is no Christmas special.
Sullivan relents, he may have principles but ultimately he’s just a hurting
grieving widower who still needs time to process. In the meantime, Bedford, in an
attempt “to save Sullivan from himself” tapes the song without him. Now that
sends Sullivan spiraling, because that would push many a more stable
person over the edge, so how to untangle and save this mess?
Well through a Christmas Miracle of course! I mean, as far
as I can tell, the main people involved just had to be reminded that
while they may feel hurt and betrayed, ultimately, they all have their own
reasons for needing the Christmas Special and most are monetary. So we are
treated to the wonder of One Christmas Night, which frankly is no All I want
for Christmas. B&S put their differences aside, Sullivan is there to help
Bedford face the dementia coming with Alzheimer’s and Quinn’s relationship with
her dad is on the road to repair. There were earlier montages worth noting that
saw Agent Ward in an ugly Christmas sweater and Christmas sunglasses, who knew
that was a thing? I mean in all the seasons of Agents of Shield, in all the
incarnations that Agent Ward went through (hero, villain, super villain zombie
to body floating out in space) not once were we graced with an ugly sweater
until now. And I think this show tried to highlight the various Christmas
themed eyewear- not only are Christmas sunglasses a thing but so are reindeer
sleep masks. So pro shopping tip for anyone out there looking for unique and
novel Christmas gifts. In the end Quinn gets her man, because of course she
does. Agent Ward does get the contract changed so that Sullivan gets back his
publishing rights and all is right with the world again. Because nothing is
more important at Christmas than…FAMILY.
Comments
Post a Comment