Mare of Easttown

The fact that a Brit mastered the very isolated DelCo accent is incredibly impressive. A very small percentage of Philly suburbanites have that accent and she delivered beautifully.

Now onto the actual storyline. It's meticulously crafted and the characters are so well developed you feel as though you're watching your next door neighbor play a part in a TV show. It doesn't scream Hollywood, which gives it such a real feel that you almost forget you're watching a show and not a documentary. The plot was not exaggerated nor was predictable. I enjoyed every minute. This is a job well done.

Easttown is a close-knit community outside of Philadelphia. It's a place where tragedy and drugs have been weighting on its people. Yet they survive. Police Detective Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) has been under pressure to solve the case of a friend's missing daughter for the past year. Another girl ends up dead and Mare is given the case.

This is the era of the tragic small town murder mystery. It's the Broadchurch subgenre except in this one, the whodunnit element is almost subservient to the emotional intra-family relationships. It's a big time star doing a specific accent and a cast of great actors contributing great characters. Other standout performances include Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, and Evan Peters. It's the personal connections and specific characterizations. SNL did a fun sendup which almost killed me. It's probably going to be a limited series. It would be hard to gather the cast again and the story wraps up almost perfectly. Mare could do more adventures but it would be hard for it to be as personal as this one.

I can't believe how much I enjoyed Mare of Easttown. It's about a small town Pennsylvania homicide detective who's life falls apart around her as she investigates a murders. She's also a home town basketball hero so the entire town knows her. Even though it's gotten great reviews and has been nominated for just about every award I was still hesitant about watching it. I was wrong. It was fantastic! The writing and acting (especially Kate Winslet) are some of the best of the year. The twists and turns will keep you at the edge of your seat and guessing what's going to happen next. All the hype surrounding this show is much deserved. If you haven't seen it yet give it a chance, you won't be disappointed!

Mare of East Town is an excellent character study. Kate Winslet is superb. She is thoroughly committed to her role. Kate is walking a Tightrope of being a character that is a bit too brash to like on the surface. But this is where her brilliance as an actress shines through. She adds a depth , both standoffish and sympathetic. Whinslet adds just a touch of wry humor and in the end it wins you over and I identify with her troubled and bruised character. I honestly can say I've never seen here in a gritty role like this before. The writing is very well done that helps the entire ensemble in this limited series. I have a strong feeling this is going to be an engaging mystery , drama HBO has come up with . I would say it's definitely worth checking out.

I was never a Winslet fan. Could be my loathing of Titanic that turned me off.

Now it's an unconditional love affair.

Mare of Easttown is brilliant filmmaking on every level.

I'm hooked.