By Claire
Booth
I sat down
to watch Dead to Me recently, the Netflix limited series starring Christina
Applegate. I thought it looked interesting when I first heard about it—a woman
tries to cope after her husband is killed in a hit-and-run car accident. But
instead of a meditation on grief, I got a masterpiece of suspense. Ten episodes
of perfection, each a perfectly paced jewel.
Applegate is
amazing—fully adult in a way most roles don’t let her be. She’s allowed to look
all of her beautiful, lined, lived-in 47 years. And she gets to be a realistic
woman—you know, complicated. Funny, sarcastic, loving, furious. Desperate to
help her kids. Desperate to track down who killed her husband. Desperate not to
be weighed down by a woman she meets at a grief support group.
That’s
really what kicks things off, and the other woman, Linda Cardellini, becomes
more of a friend than Applegate’s character could ever imagine. Cardellini’s
character is as complex as it gets. She does everything a good character is
supposed to do. She evolves. She surprises. She makes you unsure whether you love
or hate her.
These two
women drive the story, and it’s a joy to watch them tear through such an expertly crafted plot. They’re supported by a love interest played by the terrific
Brandon Scott and a mother-in-law played by Valerie Mahaffey, one of my
all-time faves.
And then
there’s James Marsden, the boyfriend. He’s great, but I’d love this casting for
the irony alone. Marsden’s often been pigeon-holed in exactly the sort of way
women usually are. A beautiful face given one-dimensional roles. He’s more than
just eye candy here, because no character is relegated to cookie-cutter status.
Honestly,
there isn’t a single one-note character in the whole series. (Wait, I take that
back. Ed Asner. He’s a one-note old guy in a nursing home. But hey, he’s Ed
Asner. He’s given us enough notes over the years. He’s earned an easy
paycheck.)
That’s the
sign of a deft and confident vision, and that’s thanks to show creator Liz Feldman,
a comedian who’s written for 2 Broke
Girls, Ellen, and other shows. She
doesn’t condescend to her characters or her viewers, and I hope that this is the
first in a long string of huge successes for her.
3 comments:
This is a great wrap-up! I loved this show.
Claire:
Thanks for this review - I have not seen it yet and hope it is still available. Have always enjoyed Applegate - some things more than others, but this sounds great!
Thanks for posting.
Anne
Enjoyed this review, Claire. I really liked the series as well.
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