Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (October 16, 2022)
No NBA team dominated the 1980s like the Los Angeles Lakers, as they won half of the decade’s championships – and were runners-up for three of the other five. For a look at how this evolved, we go to HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
Across three discs, we get all of Season One’s 10 episodes. The plot synopses come from the official HBO website.
The Swan: “Businessman Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) bets it all on the lackluster Los Angeles Lakers - and rookie phenom Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson (Quincy Isaiah).”
Given how many characters the series needs to introduce, one should expect to need to absorb a lot from “Swan”. Directed by Adam McKay, this material goes down painlessly, as the episode moves along at a brisk pace.
This means tonal inconsistencies and a lack of clear focus. Nonetheless, we get an entertaining opening that hopefully will come together more concisely in the future.
Is That All There Is?: “After giving Jerry West (Jason Clarke) carte blanche with the Lakers roster, Buss attempts to charm Celtics owner Red Auerbach (Michael Chiklis). Meanwhile, Earvin's efforts to impress the women in his life fall flat, and Claire's (Gaby Hoffman) mandate to get creative brings conflict with Buss' daughter, Jeanie (Hadley Robinson).”
With “All”, we get nibbles toward deeper character involvement, as the series invests more in the backstories of Earvin and Jerry. The episode still feels fairly superficial, though, so don’t expect lots of substance behind the flash.”
The Good Life: “Leaving the Lakers to deal with the fallout of Coach West's shocking announcement, Buss travels to Las Vegas, and soon becomes entangled with a dangerous foe. Back in LA, Earvin finds himself alone in a new city, while former Laker Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) seeks out a new place within the team.”
On one hand, Pat Riley can say “hey, they hired an Oscar-winning actor to play me!” On the other hand, Riley was 34 in 1979, and the weathered 48-year-old Brody looks his age and then some.
Beyond that casting choice, “Life” continues Time along the same path established previously: fairly entertaining, fairly superficial. I kind of like the series but don’t find myself as involved as I’d hope.
By the way, what’s the wig budget for the series - $17? At least the bad wigs aren’t discriminatory, as actors of all races suffer from atrocious fake ‘dos. Indeed, the hairpieces look so bad that I start to wonder if it’s intentional as a gag.
Who the F**k Is Jack McKinney?: “As the Lakers head to Palm Springs for the start of training camp, Buss finds himself in over his head financially, and the team's new coaches struggle to prove their vision for a groundbreaking method of play. Meanwhile, Jeanie works to bring her father's flair to the Forum.”
“F***k” becomes the best episode to date because it feels like it brings actual insights about the Lakers of the era. With a new coach involved, we see the origins of the fast “Showtime” Lakers, and this adds a level of excitement not yet seen in the series.
I like the view of attempts to enliven the non-game presentation as well, so that side works. I remain a bit annoyed that Time claims the Forum was a stagnant arena pre-Buss, though, as the claim that no superstar acts played there for three years was patently false – and so easy to disprove that it’s bizarre the series stated this.
Pieces of a Man: “As the Lakers prepare for their season opener against the Clippers, an increasingly frustrated Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) begins to doubt his place on the team, allowing Coach McKinney (Tracy Letts) to stoke his growing rivalry with Earvin. Jeanie courts star talent for newly minted ‘Laker Girls’ cheer squad, including a promising young dancer named Paula Abdul (Carina Conti).”
Kareem hasn’t been a major part of Season One to date, but as probably the most complex “real life” person we find in the series, he’s been intriguing when we saw him, so I appreciate his elevation here. The oil/water mix of the brash, sunny Johnson and the moody, taciturn Abdul-Jabbar makes this a solid show.
Memento Mori: “Assistant coach Paul Westhead (Jason Segel) adds to the Lakers' growing list of problems when he finds himself dealing with a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Increasingly courted by corporate sponsors, Earvin consults a newfound financial advisor.”
“Pieces” ended with a shocking occurrence that would seem hard to believe – if it hadn’t really happened. That motivates some of the drama for “Mori”, but plenty of other threads emerge as well. While not as deep and exciting as “Pieces” – and Johnson’s relationship drama makes the episode sag - “Mori” nonetheless pushes along the season well.
Age-related casting distraction again: West and Westhead were essentially the same age, but Clarke is 11 years older than Segel, and it seems tough to view them as peers. Perhaps that was intentional to make Westhead seem more “in over his head”.
Invisible Man: “While Buss clashes with West over the coaching staff, Paul calls in a favor from Pat Riley. On the road for the first time, Earvin attempts to reconnect with loved ones in Lansing, before heading to Boston to square off against longtime rival Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small).”
While Michael Jordan became a massive star in that decade, the Magic/Bird rivalry really defined the 1980s – and became a major reason the NBA exploded in popularity. I don’t like that Time treats Bird as such a villain, though I get it from the series’ POV.
Given that Time got renewed for a second season, one assumes we’ll get more layers to this theme later. However, LA and Boston didn’t actually face each other in the finals until 1984, so Time would need to last five seasons to get to that event.
In any case, “Man” depicts the first Magic/Bird NBA confrontation in an exciting manner. It moves along the narrative well.
California Dreaming: “As the Lakers continue their successful run, Paul and Pat are forced to reckon with the tenuous nature of their positions. Then, Earvin meets his childhood hero at the NBA All-Star game, where he receives some sage advice. Jessie convinces Jeanie to help shield her father from a devastating truth.”
With only three episodes left, S1 needs to rush toward the NBA season finals, and this means amped-up drama. We get tension related to McKinney’s return as well as some other domains. Some of this feels melodramatic, but the general impact remains positive.
Acceptable Loss: “As the Lakers prepare to enter the playoffs, Buss struggles with the team's tenuous coaching situation and his mother's failing health. Later, Spencer Haywood (Wood Harris) receives an ultimatum from Kareem.”
Like “Dreaming”, “Loss” can lean a bit melodramatic. Given that it needs various interpersonal domains to crescendo soon, though, that fails to become a notable flaw. While not one of the season’s most dynamic episodes, “Loss” pushes us toward the finale in a reasonably positive manner.
Promised Land: “Down two men and with the 1980 NBA Championship on the line, the outnumbered Lakers look to an unlikely source for inspiration. In Philly, Earvin faces off against his role-model-turned-rival Julius Erving (James Lesure), while in LA, Haywood grapples with his own worst enemy: himself.”
S1 concludes with the expected Lakers victory – expected since it actually happened. “Land” finds some intrigue nonetheless due to the character stories involved, and it acts as a solid finish to the season.
A surprisingly good season – at least based on how I viewed the first few episodes. Winning Time took a little time to get into gear, but once that happened, it worked very well. I look forward to Season Two.
