Complicités

I really wanted to like this as it features two talented and likeable leads, especially Elizabeth Banks. I also love a mystery thriller.

However, it was too heavy on the social commentary, which doesn't reflect reality and therefore becomes distracting. Firstly it featured the trope of the black women whose only purpose is to support the white female leads with no complexity of their own; meanwhile the themes includuded that everyone is LGBQT and the majority of men are violent, stupid or drunk. Drunk men are bad, while drunk women are complex and redeemable. Looking forward to a time when we can just watch tv and movies that focus on being human and on original, creative story-telling.

This is not the best series ever made but it is a decent and quick watch. My favourite character by far was Ethan. He was just so humble and sweet. It helps that he is such a cutie pie.

Chloe and Nikki were an interesting pair. Chloe was supposed to be the strong silent type and Nikki was the big mouth hot head. Which was the case for most of the series. But of course there is always something deeper lurking.

The story unfolded fairly well although it didnt have to stretch out for 8 episodes. I did not see the "whodunit" coming at all. I was certain it was one character but I was completely wrong. Although that character would have made sense as well.

Again not the best but certainly not the worst murder mysteries out there.

Conservatively speaking I've probably seen more than a hundred criminal trials on screen. In about 90% of them a very big deal is made about keeping the defendant off the witness stand. In the other 10%, the defendant is begging against the defense attorney's wishes to be put on the stand. Sometimes when the defendant is the star and requires a star turn on the stand, they get their wish, but usually they don't. In this one the defendant suddenly appears on the stand. We don't know who called him there, but it's too early in the trial for it to have been the defense attorney...plus it's completely against the defense strategy. Plus there's evidence that's sprung on him that does not abide by the rules of evidence disclosure. It is a screamingly fraudulent scene for anyone remotely knowledgeable about criminal law, even if that knowledge only comes from the movies and TV. It completely undermines the story and the good work of Biel and Banks. Worst of all, it shows total contempt for the viewer. Turned it off after that.

My wife and I finished all 8 episodes of this 8-episode miniseries streaming on Prime, also produced by the two main actors who play the sisters. When we watch a fictional series like this our best measure is whether we are anxious to see the next episode. With this series we always were and the last episode, which ties everything up, is entertaining and satisfying.

Jessica Beihl and Elizabeth Banks are in fine form and those characters, and their interactions, are the main thrust of the series. As episodes move along the stories continue to introduce new twists. For strict entertainment, it fills the bill. However it seems that every character uses the worst profane language that you can imagine, quite a bit too much in my opinion, so that was often a big distraction. It seems that all shows like this use that approach, sadly.

In many ways it is hard to find anyone to root for. No angels in this set of characters. But if everyone is bad (except the teenage son) then you find the entertainment in their misdeeds and seeing how they will survive the quagmires they find themselves in.

In the first episode we are presented with two big issues. First, a murder, and with clues we are presented it isn't clear who might have done it. Then we are presented with the tension between the estranged sisters. The victim has been husband to both of them.

Jessica Biel is the younger sister, Chloe, a prominent executive with a Manhattan firm, her husband is an attorney. They have a son, about 17. But they have only been married for almost ten years.

The other sister lives in Cleveland, OH, and has been sober for five years, clearly not yet living the good life. She is played by Elizabeth Banks as Nickey. The son is actually hers. The sisters get along like fire and ice.

We were entertained, the ending set itself up for a second season if they choose to go that way.

I watched this just after binging Dept Q, and granted this is not an English detective series where interesting characters work a cold case, it really could have been much better. Perhaps get the director from Dept Q and we might have an interesting series on our hands. It starts off promising - Jessica Biel, whom I have always admired as an actress, plays an uptight ambitious something or other whose husband is murdered. Her son, who is really her sister's son, is arrested for the murder. What ensues are long, drawn out episodes, where you wonder why they aren't just telling the story. One episode literally looks like a series of music videos. The story is interesting enough and Elizabeth Banks is very good, as always, but it really could have been handled better. It's slow when it doesn't have to be, but there is enough there for you to see it through to the end.