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Oct 10, 2011 By Lily Moayeri Web Exclusive

Enlightened is a half-hour drama about a head case, Amy (Laura Dern), who becomes insanely positive after a spell at a treatment center. Amy returns with a massive debt to the center, moves in with her apathetic mother, and finds that her job has been given to her assistant. Grinning maniacally, she casually blackmails the company into taking her back. She is assigned to the data processing dungeons where employees that could not be fired are relegated. Armed with an endless train of self-help books, plus a rainbows-and-teddy-bears attitude, she finds an audience in the dungeon dwellers.

Dern flip flops expertly between her two personas, keeping the viewer in suspense as to who is going to show up from moment to moment. Her drug-taking ex-husband, depicted by Luke Wilson, is a reminder of her bleak past, as well as an anchor for her unpredictable present. Dianne Ladd (Dern’s real life mother) plays Amy’s mother and her nuanced portrayal is understated but sharply defined, providing a window into Amy’s possible future. Her new supervisor, superbly illustrated by Timm Sharp, is maniacal and awkward—the most extreme version of Amy. The underlying black humor is what keeps Enlightened interesting. Ultimately, it is what makes this stark depiction of frightening conventionality manageable. Subtlety is the watchword for Enlightened. (www.hbo.com/enlightened)

Author rating: 7/10