Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Room 104 might not be what you’re expecting from creators and executive producers Jay and Mark Duplass. Known for their previous HBO show Togetherness and a slew of indie films, including The Puffy Chair, Safety Not Guaranteed and Blue Jay, they’ve tapped into their mysterious side for the new anthology series.
Starting tonight on HBO, each episode takes place in the same room of a motel, and for these guests, a random stain on the bedspread is the least of their worries. Every installment feels like its own short film, each bringing weird new elements to the series, but all serve as a half-hour mind trip. You’re not sure if you should be scared or laughing and there’s no way to decipher who you should or shouldn’t trust until the end, and sometimes not even then.
Making unique appearances in the show, and doing things you’ve never seen many of these actors do, from bleeding to dancing, includes Melonie Diaz, Keir Gilchrist, Philip Baker Hall, Orlando Jones, Amy Landecker, James Van Der Beek, Mae Whitman and Nat Wolff. But even more interesting to note are the faces behind the cameras. Mark and Jay have brought in a talented slew of directors, including many females, to bring these stories to life, further allowing an array of voices, visions, and skills to shine through in the industry.
As Sarah Adina Smith, who recently directed the Rami Malek mind-bender, Buster’s Mal Heart, and is responsible for two Room 104 episodes, explained, “I really love the two episodes that I got to direct. I think that it’s a wildly creative concept. In some ways, it feels to me like self-contained one act plays. The rule that we were given is that they all have to be within the same hotel room, in 104, completely contained. As a result, it’s this really wonderful restriction for a director to get to play around in. Both of the scripts that I was given were just so wonderfully weird and twisted, so they were right up my alley.”
The 12 episodes that make up this season span eras and ethnicities, but they all share a feeling of the unknown, a suspense and even an excitement in what would typically be a rather mundane moment, causing the viewer to tensely wonder what could possibly happen next. From captivating to crazy to comical, the series is sure to cause a few puzzled expressions throughout its run, but one thing is for sure, there is nothing else like this on TV today. The Duplass brothers continue to tell distinctly human stories, centered around topics from technology to religion, and for these specific tales, the appetizer-sized installments are the perfect way of doing so. It’s excellent Friday night viewing, because you’re sure to be replaying some of the events in your head throughout the weekend and appreciating the subtleties in storytelling as time goes on. Mark and Jay Duplass have not only changed the independent film landscape, but now they’ve simply made it into prime HBO programming.
