Review: Sundance TV's 'State of the Union'

 

I didn't hear about “State of the Union” during its first season (I was in a bad place mentally then.) but saw a preview for the current season with Patricia Clarkson (one of my favorites) and Brendan Gleeson, and decided I should check it out.

Sundance TV's “State of the Union,” is a short-form series written and created by Nick Hornby and directed by Stephen Frears. It consists of 10 10-minute segments featuring couples discussing their problems right before going to a marriage counseling session.

Chris O’Dowd and Rosamund Pike played Tom and Louise during the first season and were discussing whether their marriage could and should be saved after she cheated on him. Through their humorous but serious conversations we learn why she cheated and what got them both to that point. We also learn about how they met and much, much more. I was amazed at how much could be jammed into 10 minutes.

Clarkson and Gleeson are a very different couple and are seeking counseling for a different reason, although they don't realize it at first. They end up trying to figure out the best way they can stay in each other's lives if they get divorced. She is a liberal activist Quaker who seems to be just finding herself in her 60s. He is everything younger people think of when they say “Boomer.” Although they are so different, and want different things, they still love each other and you can feel their pain as they realize their marriage isn't going to work any longer.

This season also had a third major character, Jay the asexual manager of the coffee shop where Clarkson's and Gleeson's characters meet, who actually steals several of the scenes.

The only bad thing I can say is that it's so easy to binge without feeling guilty for wasting time that I went through it too fast and now I want more.