It’s a case of the mysterious neighbors living across the street. They are friendly but keep to themselves. They are always hiding something. On the Showtime original series United States of Tara, there is definitely something abnormal about the Gregsons. Step aside, Addams family, there’s a new crazy family in town.
Here lies the Gregson family: They seem like a typical American family on the surface. Tara, Max, and children Marshall and Kate Gregson live in Overland Park, Kansas, what one might call a suburban wasteland. Mom is a painter and Dad is a landscaper. However, there is one small glitch: Tara isn’t always herself to put it mildly. She has to deal with six — and counting — different “alters”which are a caused by Dissociative Identity Disorder(DID), more commonly known as multiple personality disorder. Whenever she feels stressed or upset Tara transitions into another version of herself as a way of dealing with the situation. She has very little recollection of when she transitions and has no control over what her alters might say or do. Her alters are things of amazement no less. There’s Alice, a typical 50s housewife who is never without red lipstick and a pastel-colored apron. She is the most rational and sensible out of the motley crew, and she is usually in the kitchen baking or organizing the house. Then there is Buck, a self-proclaimed Vietnam War vet who speaks with a southern accent and mostly drinks beer. Buck is most unlike Tara, but he does have a softer side. Tara’s 16-year-old alter “T” does her darndest to look, act, and speak like a teenager. She gets along with Kate well, and loves to defy the rules. Gimme, an animalistic alter; Shoshanna, Tara’s “therapist;” and Chicken, Tara’s kid self, come in later. Sounds like a lot to handle, right?
Toni Collette is wonderful as Tara and all of her alters. She is able to convey every extreme emotion, from depression to all-out craziness. She is not only able to nail one character, but six, a mark of any great actor. John Corbett plays Tara’s loving and very patient husband Max, who despite dealing with everything still cares for Tara deeply. Keir Gilchrist and Brie Larson play Marshall and Kate (you may recognize them from It’s Kind of a Funny Story and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, respectively). Naturally they have issues of their own, with Marshall struggling with his sexuality and Kate’s, well, typical teenage angst. Joining this stellar cast is Rosemarie DeWitt, who plays Tara’s younger self-absorbed sister Charmaine who is skeptical of Tara’s disorder.
Developed as an idea of Steven Spielberg’s, United States of Tara debuted in 2009, and just premiered its third season March 28. The show’s executive producer and writer Diablo Cody (of Juno fame) writes each character with his and her own quirks and oddities that make this show so worthwhile. It fits in snuggly with Showtime’s signature dark comedies but stands out from the rest, providing both humor and a big dollop of pathos. As crazy as DID seems, it is a day-to-day battle for Tara and her family. The question that always lingers is “who will she turn into next?” On this show, crazy never seemed so good.
United States of Tara airs Mondays at 10:30 pm on Showtime
