Writer-director Marcus Ross displays undeniable skill with the 37-minute webisode Lazy Circles: “Welcome” to Goshé, which functions brilliantly as a pitch to a TV studio. Ross proves that budget is not an issue when you have sharp writing coupled with a truly talented lead. Comedy may be the most difficult genre to pull off successfully, so the fact that he’s even ventured into that realm is laudable. That Marcus and his star Lucas Ross (his brother) achieve multiple instances of laugh-out-loud hilarity marks them both as talents to watch.
The episode, filmed “The Office”-style with a documentary crew, introduces audiences to Goshé, Oklahoma, a small town that “thrives thanks to its people”. Its citizens sure speak of it fondly, gushing about the town’s wholesomeness. Of particular excitement are the new windmills, which – quite literally – throw the entire town out of balance.
Here’s when Lucas Ross takes over the screen, inhabiting several memorable characters, akin to Christopher Guest, or Chris Lilley. As Goshé’s mayor / chief of police, he doesn’t share the aforementioned excitement. In fact, he doesn’t get excited about much, hilariously voting “no” on every city council proposal, including providing funds to the local library. “Everybody’s life is a book,” he states, “I’ve lived at least three books.” He and a newly-appointed officer (Marcus Ross), embark on a ludicrous quest to obtain a citizen’s arrest machine.
Then there’s the deeply-religious librarian Nadienne, who wears an ear-piercingly loud “power suit”. Nadienne has an impressive Tik Tok following in real life, and it’s evident why: Ross simply kills it as the uptight, self-unaware, very Midwestern lady. Less funny is the local news anchor, Carl Storm (Ross), who has a heightened sense of smell. The character feels underdeveloped compared to the other two.
Ross the filmmaker has a knack with comedic set-pieces. There’s the mayor’s monologue about the uselessness of the internet, or Nadienne causing havoc at a retirement home (“If I can help them die, I’ll do that too,” she declares). A cameraman fainting is a laugh-out-loud moment, as is the entire “citizen’s arrest machine” subplot. There are several clever visual puns, including a wheelchair attached to a police car.
Sure, there are also a few amateur-ish touches, wherein the scenes either drag on too long, or the acting is a bit over-the-top. Small niggles aside, Ross boldly replicates shows like The Office (and its tyrannical boss), or Parks and Recreation (and its small town), or even Eastbound and Down (and its send-up of small-town U.S. communities). With a little sharpening, and a sharper title, Welcome to Goshé could very well be picked up by a network and developed into a Summer Heights High-like narrative.
