Even in the era of binge watching,
there are some TV shows that no matter how brilliantly put together, one just
can’t imagine watching them in one swoop. Several of the prime examples have
come this year. HBO’s Chernobyl and Netflix’s When They See Us were two of the most extraordinary works of
television in a while. But the subject matter was so bleak, so depressing and
so unsettling that it was nearly impossible for me to watch them all in one
swoop. When They See Us in particular
took me five weeks to watch all four episodes; despite the great level of the
performances and the writing and direction, it was just so bleak and
unrelenting that you needed a shower when it was over.
A couple of months ago, Unbelievable dropped on Netflix. Despite
the enormous acclaim and the fact that it has two of my favorite actresses in
the leads, I couldn’t bring myself to watch it initially. Part of it was the
buildup of other series, but mostly it was the unflinching darkness of the
subject that left me cold. I had a feeling that it would be one of those
experience you admired rather than enjoyed. After the Golden Globes and Critics
Choice awards gave it several nominations, I knew the time had come. And having
seen the first two episodes, I know it’s going to be another one of those
fascinating series. The subject matter is unbearable, and yet you can not look
away.
The first episode deals with the
report of a rape by a victim who the series has only identified as ‘Marie’
played by Kaitlyn Dever, in what will automatically be a performance to be at
forefront of the Emmy race. Marie is a child who’s come from a series of bad
foster homes and a horrible family situation. When she reports that she has
been raped, the entire process takes on a dark aspect. Marie can’t tell her
story straight to the police officers investigating. She tells four different versions
to three different people. When one of her fosters (Elizabeth Marvel) reports
it to the police, the inconsistencies start immediately. Then her attitude
keeps getting stranger. She wants to go back to her apartment. She argues with
a store clerk about getting something that she knows is in stock. Her foster
hears and thinks she might be exaggerated. When the police call her back in,
she retracts her original statement – and then, retracts the retraction. By the
time, it’s all over the police are utterly fed up with her, angry that she’s
wasted their time. The retraction causes ripples throughout her life, and
causes restrictions on how she lives her life and how her former fosters view
her. And despite all that, she still seems inscrutable. While its clear the
police procedure was brutal to her – she had to tell her story four times
before she was allowed to rest – one can sympathize with how the police viewed
her. Dever goes out of her way to make her character unsympathetic initially,
which is a very hard act to pull given the situation.
The second episode takes place is
Golden, Colorado
three years later. Detective Karen Duvall (Merritt Weyer, continuing her hot
streak on big and small screen) is called into investigate a sexual assault.
Her approach is totally different from
Marie’s. She is instantly sympathetic to the victim, always tries to put her at
ease, is given complete autonomy by the police, and never shows the slightest
doubt in the victim. The crime is nearly as unspeakable as the first one, with
the victim’s clear statement as to how polite he seemed and how sure she is
this wasn’t his first one. She keeps moving steadily, and returns home to talk
to her fellow detective husband and father of her children. Only after
everything that has happened does she vent about how hideous the perpetrator
is, and how brave the victim is for what she is doing. Her husband then
mentions a similar case that brings in the other detective – Grace Rasmussen
(Toni Collette)
A couple of obvious comparisons
came to me in the first two episodes. First, in the simple approach of how
things are done just how much procedural porn the work of Dick Wolf is in
comparison, particularly in Law and
Order: SVU and Chicago PD. One can’t imagine Olivia Benson existing in
the world here, even though so many of their stories are ‘ripped from the
headlines’. The more likely comparison is American
Crime, which was as well acted,
written and directed, but not quite as
hard to watch as this series is. Lisa Chodenko, a brilliant independent film
director who, like so many, has migrated to television is quietly and
understated in her approach. The performances are exquisitely crafted, and like
that previous series, the best are female. But I have a feeling that this will
be another series that more tune to do out of obligation then desire to watch.
It’s exceptional, but I seriously doubt that anyone will want to binge watch
it.
Perhaps the only laughs that will
come will when you see this is a production of a company called ‘Escapist Fare’.
This is a series drawn from a real-life event, executive produced by This American Life and Katie Couric. It
is anything but escapist. But it
needs to be seen.
My score: 4.5 stars.
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