Aquarius – Season Two Premiere Screening

By starrymag | June 23, 2016

By: Taylor Gates

 

“The theme of this show is the futility of good intentions. This sets the tone of a decade that came apart,” says John McNamara, creator of gritty 1960s drama “Aquarius,” which centers around famed serial killer Charles Manson. Season Two, McNamara promises, will crank the death toll up from season one.

 

Some might think the fact that Season One didn’t even start showing the killings was an odd pacing choice—that’s what the network said, after all—but McNamara went with his gut and refused to give into demands, instead choosing to show the 18 months leading up to the bloodbath during the show’s premiere season.

 

In terms of narrative choices, “Aquarius” gets even more interesting in Season Two, often fracturing time and telling stories in an untraditional, non-linear way. Sometimes the exact same scene is even shown twice from the point of view of different characters. But McNamara isn’t worried about losing viewers due to his unorthodox methods; he has the utmost faith in his audience. “Audiences are so sophisticated and smart,” he says, unconcerned about the impact his experimental nature of storytelling might have on ratings. Executive Producer Marty Adelstein agrees, confirming they are both fans of the progressive shooting style.

 

It makes sense that “Aquarius” is a unique show, as it started out in a unique way. Originally, McNamara was going to write a quintet of novels about crime in 1960s Los Angeles, but Adelstein convinced him to turn it into a TV series instead. The reason? Music, which serves as a central part of the show, quickly sets the tone and time period of the material. Adelstein and McNamara had fun selecting the tunes, knowing early on hits like “Miles and Miles” had to be included and stumbling upon the music of lesser-known, one-hit-wonder LA bands and songs like “I’m a King Bee,” which was featured in the pilot.

 

Because it’s set in a the past, the show is research-intensive. McNamara says that learning about women’s rights, particularly the protocol for female police officers, was especially fascinating. He recalled one instance when he found out women officers used to have to tote their guns around in a purse.

 

Claire Holt, who plays Charmain Tully, says playing a female cop in this decade has proved both infuriating and educational. “It made me really angry at men. I would go home and not make my husband a sandwich,” she joked. “Gender quality is still a huge issue today, but we really have come so far. Women had no rights and were treated like second class citizens.” Holt is also proud of her character for believing in herself and going against the grain, stating, “She sees potential in herself. She has a confidence and fearlessness not common in her time. She sticks to her guns. I love playing such a strong, confident female character. Especially in a time when that wasn’t allowed.” That’s not to say her ambition won’t land her in trouble, though. Holt teases that there’s a very real possibility of Charmain getting too reckless and putting herself in danger.

 

Charmain isn’t the only gal who’s going to shake things up. McNamara assures us that Grace will also be subversive to societal standards. “Grace and Charmain emerge from a world where they’re defined by men,” he says. “It was brutally hard. They are very strong and they will not be defined by men.” The creator teases that the next couple seasons, which will take place in the revolutionary 70s, will have a big impact on how the show deals with gender roles.

 

Michaela McManus, who plays fiery Grace, also chimed in about her character’s arc this season. She noted for the first time in her life she’s going to follow her heart. “She takes a giant leap of faith, a huge gamble [with Hodiak], especially at this time when it was so important to be a good wife and mother. It’s such a tough road to navigate. But she’s tough. She can hold her own.” Adelstein adds, “She’s going to become this terrific, hard, unexpected force with a flowering personality.”

 

Grace isn’t the only unexpected force, though. Gethin Anthony, who plays the infamous Charlie Manson, had a few things to say as well. Unlike Charlie; however, Gethin is very humble and eager to spread the praise when talking about how he gets into character for such a dark, tricky role. “It’s a challenge,” he admits, but credits the writers and his fellow actors with doing all the heavy, difficult work for him.

 

David Duchovny, who plays series lead Sam Hodiak, refuses to let him be that modest, saying it takes serious balls to commit to a role such as Manson. Duchovny commends Anthony for putting his own twist on the historical serial killer and not merely trying to impersonate him. “It’s not a documentary,” Duchovny assures us, “it’s a brilliant interpretation.

 

So how does Duchovny get into character? “It’s the hairstyle,” he says. He goes onto describe Hodiak as a tragic character in a way—doomed due to being trapped in the 50s—which is why last season’s accidental acid trip was a treat to play. “It was fun because he’s usually a buttoned-up character. Him getting high was a pleasure.”

 

When asked to tease the cat-and-mouse relationship between Hodiak and Manson for Season Two, McNamara is generous. He promises that the two will eventually jam out together and that their shared concern for Emma (Emma Dumont) will always have them meeting. He even hinted at a lengthy, theatre-like confrontation scene between the two in the near future.

 

McNamara admits that these meaty scenes are some of his favorite to write, especially when each character is morally ambiguous and both partially right. None of the characters are black-and-white on this show, each of them sitting solidly in the grey zone, which is fine by everyone. “We don’t try to make the characters likable,” McNamara admits, caring more if they are understandable and interesting.

 

Duchovny agrees. “There’s a charisma to characters that don’t apologize,” he says, noting that, while that might not necessarily make them likable, they are at least watchable. Anthony weighed in as well, hoping that audiences can at least relate to the circumstances the characters are thrust into if not the characters themselves.

 

This shouldn’t be too difficult for viewers, as some events on the show set in the 1960s still eerily mirror situations in today’s society. Topics like racism, homophobia and sexism are prevalent in the series, and unfortunately, in today’s world as well.

 

“One thing I like about this show are the parallels to today,” says Grey Damon, who plays Hodiak’s partner Brian Shafe. Damon says that racism in the show will only continue to escalate, causing issues for his character’s interracial marriage. McNamara also says the show will tackle Martin Luther King’s assassination later in the season.

 

 

 

You can catch all the drama on NBC Thursdays at 10pm/9c.