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by Caroline Roberts Published: October 22, 2006
The British Empire has put its celebrities under the microscope and heartily exploited the flaws of the famous long before Americans got wind of it. (For example, Celebrity Fit Club is a British invention.) Latin America also likes its Celebreality. They want to see how fame transforms ordinary people into raving lunatics, and Breaking Bonaduce is the perfect import. The first episode features Danny enjoying his worldwide fame from season one, and he makes a trip to Mexico to promote the show. Last seasons' steroids, attempted suicide, and rehab revitalized Danny's career, and he clearly loves it. Before the Mexico trip, Danny answers questions about his sobriety at the VH1 "Big in '05" awards, and he faces Howard Stern. The public still likes Danny, no matter what he does. And that's the problem because Danny Bonaduce's true addiction is fame. A reporter at the "Big in '05" awards asks Danny what he learned in 2005. Danny responds, "Vodka, vicodin, and steroids don't make a good cocktail." The reporter follows up with, "What can we expect from you in 2006?" Danny shoots back, "Probably vodka, vicodin, and steroids." Danny will do anything to keep the spotlights and the reporters coming back, which means that he might not be able to stay sober for long. Danny will have trouble with his temptations in Mexico, where all the trappings of fame await. He takes questions at a surprisingly large press junket, and people want autographs wherever he goes. VH1 sets the stage for an internal struggle because Danny's famous for being bad, and there's a full bottle of Absolut Vodka in his hotel room - which means he might be even more bad. There's an early sign of trouble when Danny gets perilously close to jumping off a building during a photo shoot. It's a great shot, but at what price? What really takes Danny to the edge is a hilarious dubbing session that turns sour quickly. The dubbing makes the show look absurd. Earnest Mexican actors are interpreting Danny's craziness for Spanish-speaking audiences, and Danny is there to supervise (as if there isn't enough motivation in what the actors will see on videotape). With this scene, VH1 adds some rare comic relief in an otherwise bleak episode. The man voicing Bonaduce is the anti-Bonaduce. The actor is skinny, bearded, and bespectacled. He's even sporting a Cosby sweater. In short, the guy looks more like your average middle-aged college professor than Danny Bonaduce. But, on the mike, El Profesor has Danny's mannerisms down. He throws all the telenovela drama he can into Danny's breakdowns, and he even makes Danny cringe when he interprets the scene in which Danny talks about how he would kill for Gretchen. Alas, that's where the laughter stops. Danny sees a clip of Gretchen's birthday party, in which a buff male stripper does his stuff, and Gretchen appears to be enjoying it. Nothing out of the ordinary is happening, but Danny has always stressed that he never watched the first season in its entirety. And it's as if he's seeing Gretchen for the first time. He storms out of the session and tells the actors, "As crazy as I get, I'M RIGHT! She shouldn't have any BEEP strippers in her BEEP room!" The actors politely pretend not to understand English and give him the old "let the gringo get it out of his system" look. But Danny sees this moment as an excuse to stare meaningfully at the bottle of Absolut that shouldn't have been in his hotel room in the first place (hello, VH1??), and he looks like he is barely staying in control. The scene shifts abruptly to Danny's post-Mexico meeting with Gretchen and Dr. Garry, who is back for a second season. Gretchen says that Danny is sliding, and Dr. Garry never makes the link that it might be the presence of cameras that's prompting Danny to act out. But that would rob the show of its entire purpose, so it's not like anyone can come out and say it. Danny, on the other hand, thinks everything is hunky-dory and is shocked that Gretchen would find something amiss. Some surprising facts emerge in this meeting. A) Dr. Garry hasn't been seeing them while the show is off the air - so does that mean that Danny has been twisting in the wind without professional help? Has he been building up all his neuroses and psychoses just to let them explode when the cameras are there? And then there's B) - Danny's not taking his meds properly, which lends credence to my theory that Danny knows he's rewarded when he's bad, and he's setting up a situation in which he can be as bad as possible. Danny and Dr. Garry quickly get into it, and Dr. Garry shouts, "You stay sober, and you be reasonable, or we don't work!" Great. Danny's wife is fed up with him, and so's his therapist. Gretchen isn't much of a player in this episode, but the long preview of the season suggests that she is finally going to show Danny the door - only to let him back into the guest room. Now, Gretchen is due for a session "on the couch" with The Trades, so get ready for that next week. |
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