I remember seeing the ads for this show on the subway and thinking, wow, this looks interesting. I remember speaking with people about the show and trying to figure out what the hell it was about. I remember watching the trailer for it before Game of Thrones and being completely mesmerized. Then it came on and week after week I am left with a sizable amount of disappointment and confusion as nothing is answered and more questions arise than I feel there is time to answer. It’s been 5 episodes and I am becoming less and less enamored and more and more frustrated with these wild story lines and these “clever” inferences of conspiracy through quiet scenes and awkward flashbacks.

The pacing just seems off and the characters are becoming less interesting and more inconsequential. I don’t care one lick about the daughter or her brother who a friend said reminds him of a character on a CW show, a comment with which I completely agree. Every time he’s one screen I sigh with impatience as he struggles through a scene and furrows his eyebrows like he’s emoting some kind of strong emotion, but just looks completely oblivious or like he forgot something (how to act). Then the daughter who is just this boring, generic angst-y teenage girl who is constantly trying to impress her friend who is decidedly Mena Suvari's character in American Beauty.

As a matter of fact, I’m going to argue that this entire show is American Beauty in an alternate universe with a supernatural spin and a far less interesting set of characters. If only Kevin Spacey was narrating, then maybe there would be some kind of semblance of cohesion and understanding. So far, I’m a bit disappointed with HBO. Though, of course, the only thing that continuously captures my interest week after week is knowing Justin Theroux will be shirtless…

or Justin Theroux will be wearing that uniform…

or that Justin Theroux will be wearing those sexy Ray Bans…

or that Justin Theroux is in it at all.

Well played, HBO. Well played.