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In what is easily my favorite binge watch of the year, Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini land what may be the roles of their lifetime (so far) and Netflix viewers score a chance to watch some truly f*cked up storytelling that defines the phrase ‘binge worthy’. It is not possible to end an episode of Dead to Me without a desperate need to start another one immediately. The problem with Dead to Me is that it is impossible to talk about.
There is a play on Broadway right now called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and a hashtag has been created just for this play: #keepthesecrets . This is not the first time audiences have been begged to not blab. When the Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap opened in the UK audiences were asked to govern their tongues, as they were at the end of the film The Bad Seed in 1956. With social media and internet searches, it would be incredibly easy to find out what people are keeping from you when they refuse to discuss Dead to Me, other than to tell you ‘WATCH IT.’ Because I am anxious for you, the viewer, to have the exact same experience I had, I am going to avoid all spoilers in this write-up. I don’t know if it can be done, so it will be an experiment for me, as it will be an experiment for you, tuning in to something you know only basic facts about.
The basic facts:
Dead to Me is a ten episode series on Netflix created by Liz Feldman, who has a lot of writing credits in TV, and four Emmy Awards. Feldman’s resume is impressive, but with Dead To Me she has come into her own, creating a most original series. Each episode is half an hour and the show is billed as a dark comedy. Dearies, this isn’t dark comedy, it’s black comedy. Ba Lack. The press for the show says it is about a ‘powerful friendship that blossoms between Jen, a tightly wound widow, and Judy, a free spirit with a shocking secret’ and that is an accurate description of the show.
The Cast of Characters:
- Christina Applegate is Jen, a bitter, angry, sad, tell-it-like-it-is widow who seeks justice for her husband, killed in a brutal hit and run.
- Linda Cardellini is Judy, a tree huggy, incense burning, crunchy granola free spirit with lots of compassion, love and hugs, who befriends Jen at the grief counseling group they both attend.
- James Marsden is Steve, whose association with Judy affects both women in disturbing ways.
- Max Jenkins is Christopher, Jen’s real estate partner, a Jesus-loving, gay male who isn’t always as supportive of Jen as he could be, but is certainly supportive of her clearly gay tween son.
- Valerie Mahaffey is Lorna, Jen’s demanding and difficult mother-in-law and competitor in the real estate game.
- Sam McCarthy is Charlie, Jen’s impossible and mean, troubled and troublesome teenage son.
- Luke Roessler is Henry, Jen’s emotional and imaginative, sweet and effete tween son.
- Brandon Scott is Nick, who Judy meets at a grief counseling retreat and who could be a real threat at some point.
In Episode 1 we are made aware, quickly, of Jen’s situation regarding the hit and run killing of her husband, how hard she is taking it, how difficult it has been for her to hold it together, contain her rage, and care for her sons, and how little she cares for interaction with other people. She encounters Judy at the Friends of Heaven meeting and though she resists Judy’s advances, soon they are sharing long phone chats, bottles of wine, a mutual love of The Facts of Life, and, eventually, a sisterly friendship. Jen is unable to filter her verbiage in any circumstance. Judy is sad and lonely. Together they fulfill a need for each other, especially when Jen offers Judy the use of her guest house as a home, to the shocked dismay of her son and mother-in-law. Jen and Judy are thick as thieves.
Except Judy has a secret. Or, to be precise, Judy has secrets. And Feldman doesn’t pussyfoot around with making you wait to know what they are – she lets them out fast, episode by episode, always saving the best reveal for the end of each chapter, making you need the next installment right freaking now. And the secrets are gasp worthy. This is TV clickbait and it is the ultimate pleasure to push that button on your Apple TV remote and move forward.
In this career best, Applegate is given an actor’s playground with Dead To Me, one in which she is permitted to use all the parts of her considerable acting talent, displaying rage, fear, sorrow, her famous comedy chops and a lifetime spent in a ballet studio. She embraces every aspect of Jen and eats up every moment of the creation of this magnificent character. And though Applegate has been gifted the showier role, Cardellini, a veteran television performer for as long as Applegate, inhabits the multi-faceted and multiple secret bearing Judy with the skills of an exceptionally gifted actor. In a lesser artist’s hands, the character could have become a shrill annoyance, but when Cardellini dives in to one of Judy’s self-made messes, she manages to bring a wealth of empathy inspiring emotional communications to viewers who should, perhaps, be less prone to land on the side of the sometimes histrionic character.
Everyone in Dead To Me is a character, sometimes pulling up justthisshort of caricature, and they all get moments where they get to surprise the people with whom they share the screen, as well as those of us watching. Marsden is allowed some enjoyable transitions (from what to what would be an unfair spoiler) and Mahaffey is a particular joy to watch in her best pale-and-tragic mother-of-the-deceased dramatic flair, while Jenkins’ devout Christian gay is, admittedly, a bit eye roll inducing, a perfect juxtaposition to the sexy Scott, all good guy and hero waiting in the wings. Keong Sim excels as a golf announcer-voiced grief counselor and Steve Howey scores as a widower who can’t quite let go. This is a well rounded rogues gallery that Feldman has created and adroitly cast. Then, for an added bonus, Feldman gives us the honor of watching the esteemed Edward Asner who, like one time co-star Betty White, just keeps going. It is simply an orgy of tremendous talent out of Hollywood’s acting community.
The construction of the show is expertly proficient, displaying the craft of the writers through crackling sharp dialogue and twists and turns worthy of the roads of the Hollywood Hills. With carefully calibrated peaks and valleys in the action, Feldman and company draw out the delicious suspense with laughs comfortable and un, sighs sympathetic and apoplectic, and gasps of revelation and glee. Reflecting back on particular episodes or the entire series, one might easily spot clues dropped along the way that pointed to twists, turns and shocks, indeed it might be easy to guess where the story is going based on what you’ve read here or what you’ve seen in the very first episode, but where’s the fun in that? Instead of playing amateur sleuths watching an Agatha Christie novel-to-film creation, it will just be so much more fun for viewers to open their wine, pop their popcorn, kill the lights and sit back for an extremely enjoyable ride.
And when you’re done, keep the secrets.
It’s all in good fun.
Dead To Me is on Netflix and has been renewed for a second season.
Have you watched Dead to Me? Tell us what you think!
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