6 Years Ago, Bob Odenkirk Was Perfect From Start to Finish in This 98% RT Sci-Fi Series You Definitely Missed
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Bob Odenkirk has had a long and interesting career. He started off as a sketch writer and wrote for Saturday Night Live for eight years, which naturally led to acting on the shows he wrote for, like the cult classic The Ben Stiller Show and his own series Mr. Show with Bob and David. While his dramatic turn as Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul might seem like a big departure from his sketch roots, Odenkirk has stated that showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould thought of him for the part because they were fans of Mr. Show.
The success of Better Call Saul gave him more opportunities to flex his range, including having a movie star turn in Nobody and Nobody 2. Surprisingly, one of his most rich, complex roles post-Breaking Bad was also one of his most overlooked. Odenkirk gives a heartbreaking performance in the Prime Video series Undone, created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy (BoJack Horseman). Despite being a critical success that won a Writers Guild of America Award, the stunning series has sadly flown under the radar.
What Is Prime Video’s ‘Undone’ About?
Undone stars Rosa Salazar (Brand New Cherry Flavor) as Alma Winograd-Diaz, who is unhappy in her life and struggles to connect with her mother Camila Diaz (Constance Marie) and her sister Becca Winograd-Diaz (Angelique Cabral). She pushes them away and sees their concern for her well-being as disappointment and judgment. Alma’s life is turned upside down when her deceased father, Jacob Winograd (Odenkirk), visits her to ask her to investigate his death. Jacob and Alma are both gifted with the ability to move through time. At first, Alma worries her mental health is deteriorating, but Jacob convinces her that he’s real and that he can train her to control her powers.
Sci-fi/fantasy fans will love Undone‘s premise and how it explores the possibilities of this unique world, but regardless, it’s also just a great drama. As Jacob guides his daughter through harnessing her new powers, the two bond in a way that they previously missed out on because Jacob died when Alma was a child. But, as they get closer, Jacob’s dark secrets are also exposed. Undone blends humor, mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, and family drama brilliantly. It’s very similar to Russian Doll in the way it uses time travel to show a young woman uncovering and dealing with her family’s past. However, Undone is completely unique because of its perfectly executed animation style.
‘Undone’ Is a Visually Stunning Sci-Fi Series
Undone utilizes a combination of motion capture and rotoscoping, giving it a similar look to Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly. This means that, although it’s animated, Bob Odenkirk’s performance isn’t just a voice role, as he also lends his facial expressions and mannerisms to his character. The gorgeous animation style is perfect for telling an often surreal sci-fi/fantasy story that also includes more grounded, dialogue-driven scenes. The fantastical scenes are huge in their scope, but the quiet, dramatic scenes feature intimate, expressive performances from the actors.
Because of the production style, acting in Undone presented unique challenges for the actors. While Salazar had already experienced somewhat similar filming methods on Robert Rodriguez‘s Alita: Battle Angel, it was a totally new way of performing for Odenkirk. The show filmed using green screens in empty rooms, rather than on locations or sets. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, filming in Season 2 became even more logistically difficult because only two or three actors could be together at a time. Bob-Waksberg told IndieWire that Odenkirk had to do a lot of his work for Season 2 alone. When he was finally able to film with Salazar and Cabral, it was such a relief that he grabbed their arms and said, “I need you! Please help me!”
Bob Odenkirk Gives One of His Best Performances in ‘Undone’
Despite the production challenges, Odenkirk gives one of his best performances. His work as a deeply flawed father who’s still trying his best to connect with his daughter is, in its best moments, as moving as his performance in Better Call Saul. Like his guest performance on The Bear, this role allows Odenkirk to play out a tense but nuanced family relationship. As Jacob introduces Alma to a fantastical world, he also reveals emotional failings like narcissism and emotional detachment.
Alma loves Jacob but understands that he is sucking her into a life of being, literally, on a different plane of reality from other people. Odenkirk is able to portray Jacob as a decent man trying his best to connect to his daughter even while imbuing him with flaws and a sense of danger. If you want more Bob Odenkirk after seeing Nobody 2 in theaters, Undone is a near-perfect binge, and is one of Odenkirk’s deepest, most nuanced roles. Salazar’s performance is equally adept, and they play off each other quite well. Whether you’re an animation nerd who’ll admire Undone‘s technical accomplishments or just looking for good family drama, it’s one of the best shows of recent years.
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