The Tangled Web Team Reviews Dear Son

2.5 CLICKS 
(out of 5)

A found footage comedy in which an expectant father records life lessons for his unborn son as his marriage collapses around him. Watch Dear Son here…

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“Sarah is written as unapologetically slutty and mean, and we can only assume that our anti-hero is dumb or delusional to have been with her so long.” Read Anne’s full review…

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“Berson proves to have absolutely no shame but even this feels put on and not quite scratching past the surface. The awkward pacing doesn’t help either and the moments that are actually supposed to be unbearable become boring instead.”  Read Danielle’s full review…

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“While his stage of life makes him an empathetic character (who doesn’t feel sorry for the average joe getting screwed over by the hot slutty girl, right?). His behavior unfortunately makes him less likable.” Read Lorelei’s full review…

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Dear Son- Anne Brashier – 2.5  Clicks

Dear Son seems sweet at first, but things quickly turn sour for Daniel, an excited father-to-be, when his pregnant wife, Sarah, dumps him for a guy she met a bar the night before.

The premise of the show is touching and endearing, as Daniel tries to stay positive and give advice to his future son. In the first episodes, his wife leaves him for his doppleganger (a hilarious visual gag), his friends abandon him, and he ruins his chance with his hot, friendly neighbor. Through it all, Daniel addresses his future son directly into the camera, which painfully lingers on him dealing with loss, rejection, fear, and anger.

Shot in a neighborhood with 2 “camera crew” members and minimal sets or lighting, the show feels natural and real. This works well when Daniel tries to cheer himself up at the batting cages and the park. The more he tries to conquer his rage by goofing off and cracking jokes, the more hilariously sad he becomes. Even the upbeat theme song is a painful reminder of how unhappy he is.

But the show runs out of steam because the relationship between Daniel and Sarah is not fully fleshed out. Sarah is written as unapologetically slutty and mean, and we can only assume that our anti-hero is dumb or delusional to have been with her so long. It’s hard to root for that guy, even when he’s a sweet, earnest father-to-be. Read more reviews by Anne…

Dear Son – DANIELLE BAUMAN – 3.0 Clicks

I’m all for submissive men and pregnant sluts but in the case of Dear Son, some of my favorite archetypes have been bastardized. Despite creator and star Daniel Berson’s sincere efforts, he just doesn’t take his performance or the writing far enough over the edge. While the subject matter (I like to call it pregger whores and the punching bags they marry) has all the promise that comedic shock value can offer, very little of it is delivered with enough commitment to make it funny.

Paul (Berson) proves to have absolutely no shame but even this feels put on and not quite scratching past the surface. The awkward pacing doesn’t help either and the moments that are actually supposed to be unbearable become boring instead.

Another major hindrance to this shows success is the amount of suspension of disbelief that the documentary device demands. And while we’re on the topic of believability, it’s also a huge stretch to believe that Sara’s character would actually date let alone marry a Zach Galifianakis knock-off .

Berson occasionally hits on something mildly humorous such as his request to have a man on the street beat the living shit out of him or his admission to the camera that he is a cuckhold. But for the most part Dear Sonis just another example of a solid concept that mutated into mediocrity. Personally, I’d abort this baby and grow a new set of comedic balls because these are busted. Read more reviews by Danielle…

Dear Son – LORELEI IGNAS –  2.0 Clicks

The experience of watching Dear Son mirrors what I’ve heard about the experience of parenthood parent inasmuch as it’s a journey filled with uncertainty.  The pilot clearly delineates the structure and purpose of the piece: a yuppie dad making pedagogical videos for his soon-to-arrive son — but the events of the series work against the structure.  Our heroic dad’s smoking hot pregnant wife leaves him for an eerily ironic doppleganger, then he finds out she’s slept with half the state, then endures the crushing blow that the baby he’s been making videos for isn’t in fact his baby at all.

Perhaps because of this, the 4th and 5th episodes have no main event and are purely character-driven and joke-driven rather than the other webisodes, which effectively build momentum up to a penultimate explosive event that proves game-changing for the main character.

Another factor not working in Dear Son’s favor is its Main Character himself.  I’m not sure the writers are conscious this happens, but every person he’s nice to on the show is male and everyone he’s a dick to is female: he screams obscenities at the female pharmacist over the phone and is rude twice to his pretty neighbor with the dog — at the end, still not even remembering her name.  While his stage of life makes him an empathetic character (who doesn’t feel sorry for the average joe getting screwed over by the hot slutty girl, right?), his behavior unfortunately makes him less likable. Read more reviews by Lorelei…

FYI: The Tangled Web We Watch is ending its review team. This will be the second to last review posted by the team. You can still find interviews with the creators of series that Stephanie features in her LA Weekly column on this site as well as digital series news and the occasional guest feature piece.