Whispered Secrets

Last updated
"Whispered Secrets"
Vinyl episode
Episode no.Episode 3
Directed by Mark Romanek
Written by
Featured music
Cinematography byDavid Franco
Editing byKate Sanford
Original release dateFebruary 28, 2016 (2016-02-28)
Running time56 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Yesterday Once More"		Next →
"The Racket"

"Whispered Secrets" is the third episode of the American period drama television series Vinyl . The episode was written by Jonathan Tropper, Debora Cahn, and Adam Rapp, and directed by Mark Romanek. It originally aired on HBO on February 28, 2016.

Contents

The series is set in New York City in the 1970s. It focuses on Richie Finestra, American Century Records founder and president, whose passion for music and discovering talent has gone by the wayside. With his American Century Records on the verge of being sold, a life-altering event rekindles Finestra's professional fire, but it may leave his personal life in ruins. In the episode, Richie considers his next move, while Clark tries to sign Alice Cooper as a solo act.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.533 million household viewers and gained a 0.20 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, praising the performances but criticizing the over-abundance of subplots.

Plot

Richie (Bobby Cannavale) and Devon (Olivia Wilde) attend a banquet honoring Maury Gold (Paul Ben-Victor). Rival record exec Jackie Jervis (Ken Marino) gives a speech, in which he mocks the failed deal with PolyGram, something that Devon was not aware of. The previous night, Richie visited Lester Grimes (Ato Essandoh) to offer releasing some of his songs as a new album. Still angry over losing his voice, he refuses to get involved.

Richie meets with Hal Underwood (Jay Klaitz), the head of PR in American Century. As Richie discusses starting a sub-label, he is visited by Joe Corso (Bo Dietl). Corso is accompanied by his much younger girlfriend, a singer. He hands him over a demo, silently pointing out that Richie should seriously consider it. Richie is also visited by Maury and Corrado (Armen Garo), pointing out that he didn't say anything to the police.

In Connecticut, Devon asks Richie for money for one of her friend's fundraiser, which will renovate a Greenwich barn that could house a displaced Russian ballet company. Richie refuses to give her over $10,000 as needed, feeling it exceeds their interests. Desperate, she asks Andy Warhol (John Cameron Mitchell) to sign a portrait of her so she could sell it, which he accepts.

A&R executive Clark Morelle (Jack Quaid) runs into Alice Cooper (Dustin Ingram) during a recording session. Cooper becomes interested when Clark suggests signing him as a solo act and abandon his band. He invites Clark to a party, and he even takes him to play golf at a course. During a rehearsal, Cooper introduces Clark to the band, revealing that he wants him to go solo. The band then scares Clark by placing him on a guillotine. Cooper admits that he never considered Clark for anything, due to a previous bad encounter with Richie.

The Nasty Bits now perform cover songs under a different style, satisfying Julie (Max Casella) but disappointing Jamie (Juno Temple). During a performance, Richie expresses disdain for their new style. Jamie then gets Kip (James Jagger) to sign another song with their original style, impressing the crowd and Richie decides to sign them. At home, Richie is called by Corso, who reveals that the police has found Buck's corpse.

Production

Development

In February 2016, HBO announced that the third episode of the series would be titled "Whispered Secrets", and that it would be written by Jonathan Tropper, Debora Cahn, and Adam Rapp, and directed by Mark Romanek. This was Tropper's first writing credit, Cahn's first writing credit, Rapp's first writing credit, and Romanek's first directing credit. [1]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "Whispered Secrets" was seen by an estimated 0.533 million household viewers with a 0.20 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 0.20 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. [2] This was a 21% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.667 million household viewers with a 0.27 in the 18-49 demographics. [3]

Critical reviews

"Whispered Secrets" received generally positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "good" 7.6 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "I don't know if I'm on board, or will ever get on board, with Richie's various issues and assorted (self-caused) problems. Bobby Cannavale is tremendous performer, but there's just so much bluster to Richie. And it works to distance me from him. Like last week though, the side stories all worked well. Especially Clark's long night of drinking with Alice Cooper." [4]

Dan Caffrey of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "C+" grade and wrote, "Vinyl has kept its real-life characters more on the periphery thus far, resigned to bit parts and the occasional recurring role. So how come the historical-fiction conceit of tonight feels so out of place? How come, whenever a real musician begins interacting with someone made-up, the show starts to feel like Forrest Gump ?" [5]

Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Predictably, her rendition of 'Danny's Song' is terrible (or at least terribly mediocre). And Richie does not hold the world in a paper cup. His cup has bourbon in it, though, and he's probably going to need it for whatever comes next." [6] Noel Murray of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Because of the frequency and obtrusiveness of those cameos, 'Whispered Secrets' may help viewers decide if they want to stick with Vinyl for the long haul. This is the most 'normal' episode of the show so far. Gone — for the most part — are the cocky pronouncements about the importance of rock ‘n’ roll, and the drug-fueled odysseys through New York's early 1970s demimonde. In their place: more down-to-earth scenes of people going about their daily routines, as they try to find some fulfillment in their professional and personal lives." [7]

Gavin Edwards of The New York Times wrote, "Vinyl isn't the first TV show to fill out its cast of characters with a parade of real-life music stars from the past. [...] When a show pulls off this stunt, it can bring the past and the present into a dialogue — when it fails, it can feel like one long Halloween episode. Vinyl hasn't carved any pumpkins yet, but I worry that the show has a jumbo bag of fun-size Nestle Crunch stashed in the pantry." [8] Dan Martin of The Guardian wrote, "It's in Vinyl's favour that it's doing such a handsome job as a love letter to music, because as a drama it's all over the place. Nearly a third of the way in and the show is still no closer to resolving its identity crisis. I've said it before, but this programme is proving so frustrating that it bears repeating." [9]

Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Dolphins fuck? Gazelles sing? Joe Corso may be a great record promotion man but he's still learning about common frames of reference. You can't always tell where the veiled references end and the threats and reminders begin." [10] Robert Ham of Paste wrote, "For the first time, Vinyl actually roped me in. I liked watching the Nasty Bits turn around a pitiful label tryout by abandoning their Kinks cover in place of a snarling original number. I felt every bit of raw emotion that came out of the scene between Richie and Lester Grimes, the blues artist he used to manage. And, as a writer, I loved the rueful comedy that went on between Richie and the head of his PR department as they tried to find a positive spin on his decision to renege on the deal with Polygram. But for every peak on the show, there was an accompanying valley." [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Twin Peaks</i> American drama television series (1990–91, 2017)

Twin Peaks is an American mystery-horror drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for a third season on Showtime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Cooper</span> American singer (born 1948)

Alice Cooper is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, Cooper is considered by many music journalists and peers to be "The Godfather of Shock Rock". He has drawn equally from horror films, vaudeville, and garage rock to pioneer a macabre and theatrical brand of rock designed to shock audiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Romanek</span> American filmmaker

Mark Lee Romanek (;) is an American filmmaker and photographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Rapp</span> American actor (born 1971)

Anthony Deane Rapp is an American actor and singer who originated the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway production of Rent. Following his original performance of the role in 1996, he reprised it in the film version of the show and the show's United States tour in 2009. He also performed Charlie Brown in the 1999 Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and originated the role of Lucas in the musical If/Then in 2014. From 2017 to 2024, he played Commander Paul Stamets on the television series Star Trek: Discovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perry White</span> Fictional character in DC Comics

Perry White is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the editor-in-chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet. The character maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards and is an archetypal image of the tough, irascible, but fair-minded boss.

<i>Ghost Whisperer</i> American supernatural drama TV series (2005–2010)

Ghost Whisperer is an American supernatural television series, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010.

<i>Little Bill</i> American childrens show

Little Bill is an American animated educational children's television series created by Bill Cosby. It is based on the Little Bill book series, written by Cosby with illustrations by Varnette P. Honeywood. Cosby also composed some of the theme music, appeared in live-action in the show's intro sequence, and voiced the recurring character of Captain Brainstorm. It was Cosby's second animated series, after Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.

Debora Cahn is an American writer and producer of television and film. She was a writer and executive producer on the Showtime series Homeland for its final two seasons (2018–2020). She was also a writer and consulting producer on FX's Fosse/Verdon (2019), for which she won a Writers Guild of America award for Best Adapted Long Form Television. In 2018, she wrote the HBO film Paterno, starring Al Pacino and directed by Barry Levinson. She was a writer and co-executive producer for Martin Scorsese's HBO series Vinyl (2016). From 2006 to 2013, she was a writer and producer of Grey’s Anatomy. She began her career as a writer and producer on The West Wing from its fourth to seventh and final season (2002–2006). More recently, Cahn signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix. Under the deal, she is serving as executive producer and showrunner on the political thriller drama series The Diplomat. Her production company is Let's Not Turn This Into a Whole Big Production.

Jonathan Tropper is an American screenwriter, novelist, and producer. He is the author of six novels. He is the co-creator and executive producer of the Cinemax television series Banshee (2013–2016) and the creator of the Cinemax television series Warrior (2019–2023).

<i>Banshee</i> (TV series) American action television series

Banshee is an American action television series created by Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler that aired on Cinemax for four seasons from January 11, 2013, to May 20, 2016, comprising a total of 38 episodes. Set in the small fictional town of Banshee in Pennsylvania Amish country, the series' main character is an enigmatic ex-con who assumes the identity of Lucas Hood, the town's murdered sheriff, to hide from powerful crime lord Rabbit. Imposing his own brand of justice, Hood attempts to reconcile with his former lover, Rabbit's daughter Anastasia, who has herself adopted an assumed identity, married, and raised a family during Hood's incarceration. Hood struggles to maintain his new identity while still embracing crime alongside his partners Job and Sugar and coming into conflict with local kingpin Kai Proctor.

<i>Vinyl</i> (TV series) American period television drama

Vinyl is an American period drama television series created by Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese, Rich Cohen and Terence Winter. The series stars Bobby Cannavale as Richie Finestra, a New York City-based record executive in 1973. It premiered on HBO on February 14, 2016, and concluded on April 17, 2016.

"Pilot" is the series premiere of the American period drama television series Vinyl. The episode was written by Terence Winter and George Mastras from a story by Rich Cohen, Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese and Winter, and directed by Scorsese. It originally aired on HBO on February 14, 2016.

"Yesterday Once More" is the second episode of the American period drama television series Vinyl. The episode was written by series creator Terence Winter, and directed by executive producer Allen Coulter. It originally aired on HBO on February 21, 2016.

"The Racket" is the fourth episode of the American period drama television series Vinyl. The episode was written by Debora Cahn and directed by S. J. Clarkson. It originally aired on HBO on March 6, 2016.

"He in Racist Fire" is the fifth episode of the American period drama television series Vinyl. The episode was written by Adam Rapp and directed by Peter Sollett. It originally aired on HBO on March 13, 2016.

"Rock and Roll Queen" is the ninth episode of the American period drama television series Vinyl. The episode was written by Debora Cahn and directed by Carl Franklin. It originally aired on HBO on April 10, 2016.

"Cyclone" is the sixth episode of the American period drama television series Vinyl. The episode was written by Carl Capotorto and Erin Cressida Wilson and directed by Nicole Kassell. It originally aired on HBO on March 20, 2016.

"The King and I" is the seventh episode of the American period drama television series Vinyl. The episode was written by David Matthews and directed by Allen Coulter. It originally aired on HBO on March 27, 2016.

"E.A.B." is the eighth episode of the American period drama television series Vinyl. The episode was written by Riccardo DiLoreto and Michael Mitnick and directed by Jon S. Baird. It originally aired on HBO on April 3, 2016.

"Alibi" is the tenth and final episode of the American period drama television series Vinyl. The episode was written by series creator Terence Winter, and directed by executive producer Allen Coulter. It originally aired on HBO on April 17, 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "(#03/103) "Whispered Secrets"". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  2. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (March 1, 2016). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.28.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  3. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (February 23, 2016). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.21.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  4. ↑ Fowler, Matt (February 28, 2016). "Vinyl: "Whispered Secrets" Review". IGN . Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  5. ↑ Caffrey, Dan (February 29, 2016). "Vinyl suffers from Forrest Gump syndrome in an episode with too many famous people". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  6. ↑ Greenblatt, Leah (February 29, 2016). "Vinyl recap: Whispered Secrets". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ Murray, Noel (February 28, 2016). "Vinyl Recap: Billion-Dollar Babies". Vulture . Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  8. ↑ Edwards, Gavin (February 28, 2016). "'Vinyl' Season 1, Episode 3: Rock Star Karaoke". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  9. ↑ Martin, Dan (February 28, 2016). "Vinyl recap: episode three – Alice Cooper in golf whites makes it all worthwhile". The Guardian . Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  10. ↑ Sokol, Tony (February 29, 2016). "Vinyl: Whispered Secrets Review". Den of Geek . Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  11. ↑ Ham, Robert (February 22, 2016). "The 5 Most Ridiculous Things from Episode Three of Vinyl: "Whispered Secrets"". Paste . Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.