Perpetual Grace, LTD season one recap and review

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Perpetual Grace, LTD-Luis Guzman as Hector-Courtesy of Epix /

The Acting (cont.)

Dana DeLorezno was in complete control of her every emotion at all times. Her timing was great, too. She was given a of of juicy dialogue and she never whiffed on any of it. I mentioned it before, but her performance made me see Valerie as a perfect mash-up of Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) from Fargo and Gloria Trillo (Annabella Sciorra) from the Sopranos. Hana Mae Lee had a limited amount of screen time to show us how stifled and empty Scotty was as a character. It’s subtle, but when she make herself part of the Paul Allen caper, you can see her turn on. All she does is accept who she is, which is a lot of what Perpetual Grace, LTD is about.

Luis Guzman rules. I spent a lot of time in my recaps gushing over his character and performance. He has what he always wanted in his family, but found it restricting and boring. It wasn’t until his run in with the Browns, Valerie, and James that he realizes a boring, quiet existence is what he always wanted. His fictional character Luke Steel literally became his form of talk therapy in the finale.

Terry O’Quinn and Kurtwood Smith had real tasks in the plot. They needed to ask the questions the audience was asking and stand in the way of the Paul Allen Brown character. They were never given straight exposition. But they had drive and purpose. You could see the wheels turning and emotions passing in both Wesley Walker, Texas Ranger and Uncle Dave.

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Jacki Weaver was the soul of the ensemble. Ma was the audience. When a character needed to provide a clear reaction to all that was happening, Jacki Weaver was up to the task. The biggest example of this is when she is stunned and paralyzed by Pa’s shooting of Hector in the finale. She looks at Hector. She looks at Paul. She gets in her feelings. Ma is the only character to have already figured out emotions and accepting yourself for yourself and she tries to tell everyone she can. I could feel her soul emanating warmly from her the minute we met her.

What We Want in a Season Two

Do we really need to know what happens at the funeral? Yeah. We do. But, that’s ultimately not this season’s story. Season one was about the characters becoming themselves. The Paul Allen caper is over. Now. There’s an aftermath. Even if a season two would pick up right at that moment where season one ended, that would be a different chapter of the story.

Personally, I’d like more Valerie and Scotty. Paul Allen and Valerie could be the young version of Pa and Ma. Scotty could take control over Half Acre and perhaps run it. I look for New Leaf to keep the peace more than wreak havoc.

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What I really want is a season two renewal from Epix. They haven’t said anything, yet. There’s no real way to know what that means. But here’s hoping that the executives take notice of how nuanced and original Perpetual Grace, LTD is. It’s the type of show that may need two seasons to build a sizable audience. Here’s hoping Steve Conrad and company get the change to continue this story.

Did you enjoy Perpetual Grace, LTD? What would you like to see if it gets renewed for a second season? Let’s discuss in the comments!

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