Are there ways to solve ‘Transparent’s’ Maura problem? Yes, plenty.
WHAT would Transparent look like without Jeffrey Tambor?
Imagining it seems like an impossible task for a show that relies so deeply on its main character and star. As Amazon investigates complaints that Tambor, 73, sexually harassed a colleague on the set during the show’s second season, the actor announced Sunday that he won’t return to the series. He disputes the allegations made against him, but, he said in a statement, “Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to Transparent.”
For four seasons (the most recent of which was released on Amazon Prime in September) Transparent has brilliantly and beautifully followed Tambor’s character, Maura Pfefferman, as she transitioned to life as a woman.
The show, of course, was never only about her. Maura’s adult children — Sarah (Amy Landecker), Josh (Jay Duplass) and Ali (Gaby Hoffman) — quickly accepted their father Mort as their “moppa” Maura, but are mostly absorbed with their own personal and relationship issues and hang-ups. Maura’s ex-wife Shelly (Judith Light) is a study in masked pain and self-delusion, arguably the most complex and entertaining character on the show.
But before we go further, the question is should Transparent go further? Amazon (which is owned by Jeffrey P. Bezos, owner of The Washington Post) announced plans for Season 5 several weeks ago. It can still pull the plug, if it decides to, and the obvious solution (kill Maura off) seems harsh. For creator Jill Soloway and the show’s crop of talented, sensitive writers, there’s plenty of opportunity here, especially because they’ve already lifted Transparent into an intellectual space that transcends the usual narrative of the transgender process.
With great thought and arftful execution, Transparent has become a master class on gender and sexuality as experienced by just about anyone, but especially by those in the Pfefferman orbit. Although the show has focused on Maura’s discoveries from Maura’s point of view, it has diligently chronicled all sorts of awakenings and self-awareness in other characters, with story lines that track, metaphorically, with Maura’s change.
Along the way, Transparent became one of the finest works (including novels) on the experience of being Jewish in modern America. One way to reboot Transparent might be to delve into the Pfefferman family’s complicated past, which we’ve seen glimpses of in flashbacks and which include examples of gender questioning and persecution, with the Holocaust as a backdrop. An entire prequel series is possible in the Pfefferman ancestry, which could occasionally flashforward to the present day.
Another option: Make it a show about Ali Pfefferman. Season 4 already laid the groundwork for the idea that Ali is finally finding her truer self — and Hoffman’s performance is strong enough to become a focal point.
Or maybe Transparent could just find someone else to play Maura. It’s not as crazy as it sounds — soap operas used to do it all the time when actors or actresses moved on.
Transparent’s message is that we can all become someone better. It is full of empathy and love and new information. — Washington Post