'Enlightened' seeks transcendence in its season finale

The dialogue, spoken by stiff actors in furry vests, sounds like this: “I joke about many things, son of Ragnar, but never about ship-building!”

It’s too bad, because one can only imagine how funny those ship-building jokes would have been.

World of Jenks (10pm Mon, MTV)
Millennials have a reputation as a narcissistic generation, and World of Jenks is Exhibit A. Twenty-six-year-old filmmaker Andrew Jenks often turns the camera on himself in this MTV series, even though the subject is ostensibly other people. Andrew sets out to profile three fellow young folks facing obstacles in their lives: an autistic man, a reformed drug dealer and a cancer victim. He hangs out with them to explore their struggles — not to mention his own response to their struggles. (See title.)

The self-promotion may be a bit much, but I am impressed by the season premiere. Andrew has an easy rapport with his subjects, making them feel comfortable discussing their problems. And he’s such a filmmaking wizard that the portraits come alive onscreen, with an editing style and a musical cue for every shade of emotion. Andrew is earnest in his desire to portray everyday heroes, but he also manages a droll and breezy tone.

If this is the way Millennials express their narcissism, I’m all for it.