Yet another high quality gripping mini detective genre from HBO. Its an American spin off of the two famous Brit series Happy Valley and Broadchurch in terms of characters and setup. In fact the similarities are more with Happy Valley than the latter especially the main protagonist role and her dilemma. Shot in a small town in Pennsylvania, the series focus on the lifes of a tight-knit community on the backdrop of a murder.
This one has a quiet a lot of strong female characters and Kate Winslet stood out. What a terrific performance from her. You will empathize and at the same time hate her for some of her selfish act. This duality makes her character a fascinating and complex one. The brilliance of this show lies in showcasing the details. It maintains a fine balance between personal drama and thriller. Its bitter in its treatment but at the same time hopeful.
Loss is a major thematic element in this series. The fragility and the suffering of the main characters is beautifully showcased. The backstories along with subplots, make this miniseries an interesting watch. What is surprising is, how they managed to infuse humor in between this. It worked like a charm.
I would have loved this series more if they focused on the main murder mystery of Laura Palmer, than diverging into multiple ones. For a mini series like this i felt there were too many characters which could have been avoided. Also the ending "the gun mystery" felt bit convenient, though it did surprise me. Go ahead and watch this show which starts a bit slow but the quality prevails. The past must be confronted and you cannot run away.
Verdict - 3.5/5(The Ripple Effect)