I Don't Know Butchie Instead, or Thoughts on John From Cincinnati

Well, after watching the entire first season of John From Cincinnati intently, I can honestly say that I’m not sure what it was about, but I somehow feel like a better person for watching it. Ultimately, though, I think that may have been the purpose of the show. To not really provide any answers or give anything substantial, but more to be a sort of transformative experience. The whole show was about John slowly transforming these people, these “lost souls”, into whole human beings again, forging the relationships that will be necessary for these people to get to an inner peace.

And last night’s season, and most likely series, finale, since the show is low-rated, expensive, and kind of closed every story line last night, kind of perfectly summed up the experience of the entire show. It posed some more questions, provided very few answers, and showed these characters’s slow internal and interpersonal growth and established bonds that could only be described as positive growth. From the growing bond between the Harelip and Jerri the waitress, both of whom seemed to lack social skills at first but had grown slowly closer, to the tie between John and Shaun, which was ultimately the catalyst for the final changes made in the finale, these growing ties between the characters ultimately led to their redemption.

Shaun’s trip to “Cincinnati” and the chaos that resulted from Shaun being gone was what brought these disparate people together. Cissy and Mitch reunited because of Shaun’s return and Mitch’s floating, both brought on by John’s return. Tina was both there for Linc and there for the family. Cass and the zeroes and ones in her camera brought John and John’s Father’s words out in the mouths of the residents of Imperial Beach, like Linc and the owner of the Car Dealership, who may or may not have been the Father himself. And these are only some of the relationships that showed growth last night. I want to discuss the bond between Palaka and Steady Freddie, or the changes seen in Barry and Abogado Dickstein and Ramon, but I don’t want to ramble on here.

And after John, during the montage of footage of Cass’ Camera, tells us of the characters’ various futures, we get one final touching scene with one of the many fools of the show, Bill Jacks. Bill Jacks’ staircase has been a recurring montage of the show, the fact that Bill looks to it with reverence, and can climb it, but can never reach the top. Well, last night Bill Jacks finally did, and the result was probably the most touching scene of the entire series. It basically consisted of Bill Jacks talking to his dead wife, and essentially gaining closure. And, as a result, Zippy, who had disappeared with John and Shaun, most likely to “Cincinnati”, flies in and lands on Bill’s shoulder, reassuring him. And we end with Kai surfing, and the single line “Mother of God. Kai. Cass”, which perfectly sums up both women’s role on the show. John, who is clearly now a surrogate for God, was a lost child himself at the beginning, and the mothering of both Kai and Cass allowed him to find his Father’s words and relay them to the residents of Imperial Beach.

To summarize this post, I feel good after watching John From Cincinnati, almost like the words of John’s Father have reached through Cass’ camera and into my television. I know that I don’t fully understand it, but I don’t think I’m supposed to. Because, at the end of it, the characters don’t know about John either. They’re just as perplexed about his disappearance with Shaun, his Father, and Cincinnati. They’ve just benefited from his presence, as have I. David Milch, thanks for bringing me into the game.