Ruth and Erica is another show from the YouTube Channel, WIGS. Like “Jan” before it, it’s another short series. In total we get 13 episodes, averaging around 8 minutes each.
Yeah, it’s another one you’d be forgiven for not hearing much about this one. It’s surprisingly hard to find much information about – BUT – It’s free to watch and easy to find, especially if you get to the bottom of this page and click on the link…
The show itself deals with caring for the elderly, specifically one’s parents.
The titular characters, Ruth and Erica are Mother and Daughter respectively. Maura Tierney takes the part of Ruth and Lois Smith plays Erica. They are joined by Phillip Baker Hall as the only other real series regular who plays the husband / father of the family.
(Image Courtesy of: Carelinx.com)
The series follows the trials and tribulations of Ruth as her life gets turned upside down as she comes to terms with her parents getting older. We see her try to take control of the situation even though nobody really wants her to, which includes herself.
It’s worth a watch in my humble opinion. I’d call it a dark drama comedy. Unlike Jan which was more or less a proper TV episode cut up into small chunks, each episode of Ruth and Erica moves the plot on a month and acts as a small one scene snapshot of the family life. No real plot to follow, it’s just that – a series of snapshots in time. There are no real gaps to fill in so you never really feel as though you’ve missed anything.
Virginia Madsen appears in only one episode, the 9th Episode, September, which also stars Michael C Hall (of Dexter fame). It’s never said on screen but according to the iMDB listing for the show, she plays Mel, and – It’s not much of an exaggeration to call it a short appearance. She’s on screen for a whole 5 (literal) seconds. She’s sat with with Jan, so it’s safe to assume it was the same “Mel” that appears in Jan (and later on, Susanna) as a way of connecting the shows into one universe.
Still, not exactly a chance for Miss Madsen to flex her acting muscles.
All involved with the show do an excellent job here, the performances although short and sweet are totally believable and relatable. Obviously it’s quite a sad show to watch sometimes, particularly watching the parents come to terms with their own mortality and capabilities. And obviously we watch, for the most part, through the eyes of a child coming to terms with the fragility of her parents.
And yet, it somehow also manages to be quite heart warming at times as well. And, honestly I could watch the great and late Phillip Baker Hall do this kind of thing all day long.
If you have a spare hour or so, give it a watch – There are far worse ways to spend your time. I actually found myself thinking about this little show for days afterwards.
Availability:
All episodes freely available on YouTube:
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