Review: It's Official — "United States of Tara" Has Jumped the Shark

Michael J. Willett as Lionel and Keir Gilchrist as Marshall

There are two big problems with Showtime's United States of Tara: it has too many completely unlikeable characters, and too many situations that are completely unbelievable, even within the wacky, exaggerated tone of the show.

These have always been the two problems with United States of Tara. But the show also contained a good performance by a wonderful actress, Toni Collette, and a really different and unique gay teen character, Marshall, played another terrific actor, Keir Gilchrist, so I was mostly able to overlook the show's other obvious excesses and flaws.

Until now. In the third season, which premieres Monday, March 28 on Showtime (and four episodes of which were made available for preview by the channel), the show has completely given into its worst impulses. We've also seen it all before. At the same time, Marshall's storyline is extremely slight.

Does this mean United States of Tara has jumped the shark? I'm voting"God, yes!" but keep in mind that I've thought this show was mid-shark-jump since the middle of Season Two.

What's new for Season Three? What's disappointing is how little has changed. Tara is determined to go back to college to finally finish her degree (the first time, her illness prevented it). I suppose it goes without saying that Tara's alters weren't going to stay gone for long.

Meanwhile, Marshall and Lionel are vaguely trying to figure out their relationship (are they "boyfriends"?), sister Charmaine and sorta/kinda boyfriend Neil are soon to be dealing with a new baby, and Kate ... well, why bother even telling you what Kate's storyline is, because it requires her to do wildly inconsistent things and mostly makes no sense anyway?

At first it seems like there are several promising plot developments in the new season: Eddie Izzard appears in a season-long arc where he plays Tara's college psychology professor who doesn't happen to believe that multiple personality disorder exists (there is a legitimate debate). Izzard is terrific with a weary drollness that a frustrated (and petty, small-minded) college professor might well have.

Eddie Izzard

But within an episode or two, he starts to do things that no person would ever actually do, unless we're supposed to believe he's some kind of sadist or sociopath, which we're clearly not.

Meanwhile, at first there also seems to be a very interesting development where Tara decides she can use her alters as a source of strength, not weakness, controlling them rather than letting them control her. This could've been a wonderful "reboot" for the show, opening up all kinds of dramatic possibilities. But it's almost immediately squandered in place of "wacky" alter hijinx that we've already seen way too many times before.

As for Marshall, there are occasionally intriguing moments, like when Lionel asks, "Would we still be together if we weren't two of the only out gay teens in Kansas?" But as usual, nothing is developed, so the show can instead pursue one of its "Look at me! See how quirky and irreverent I am!" tangents, as when Lionel and Marshall appear to have a threeway with one of the school's other gay teens (though this too is completely undeveloped).

Then there are the problems with the characters, so many of whom are just as whiny and unlikeable as ever, maybe even more so — especially Kate (who literally seems psychotic at times) and Charmaine, but also gay perv neighbor Ted, loser Neil, and literally all of Tara's alternates, who I now find just annoying beyond belief.

Even Tara gets a little hard to take when, after destroying the lives of literally everyone around her, she throws a reoccurring pity party over the fact that people are starting to react warily to the possibility that she could transition at any time and create yet more total destruction.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did I like the play?

Well, the show has done away with its opening credit sequence, and I never liked their theme song, so I suppose that's one thing I liked about this upcoming season.