Mare of Easttown

The real strength of Mare of Easttown isn't just in its small-town American setting, which adds a rich layer of atmosphere, but in how it delivers a genuinely compelling crime story that takes you by surprise. It's like picking up a detective novel and realizing it's something special, something you haven’t come across before. Kate Winslet as Mare Sheehan is phenomenal and elevates the series even further. This is an understated yet utterly brilliant detective series. (2021-11-16)

An exciting and suitably sensuous detective story, where the uncomfortable feeling of the decreasing number of suspects is balanced by the satisfaction of knowing that every false lead has a grain of truth in it. But then there is also that titular Easttown, and with it a social drama full of unappealing, yet humanly believable characters in a grey atmosphere of interpersonal tension that clings to everyone, whether they like it or not. Thanks to this, the series is not only great in how it reveals clues, but also in the seemingly banal moments, when the phenomenal Kate Winslet takes a seat, takes a drag, and gazes into the distance. Sadness, disappointment, anger, pain. Everything is here, even when not a single word is spoken. (2024-10-07)

Watch Children. A genuine symbiosis of crime drama and socio-psychological drama, where Mare, like a Titan, holds the Easttown skies by Zeus's will and lives her life for others, even as they slap her with their problems. It doesn't bring salvation in that darkness; it only waits with a torch at the embers of hope. I recalled two quotes. In Zahler's "Mean Business on North Ganson Street," there's a portable characterization of the place: "It's part of the Rust Belt. It had a future when Asians were called Orientals." In Flashbacks of a Fool, it was said: "The only thing you need courage for is to stay." One must create a place, because when the opposite happens, it doesn't end well. Good night, Mare. (2021-07-19)

Mare of Easttown is not a typical crime series that productions churn out by the dozens every year. It owes its status as one of the most discussed and sought-after titles of our time to its work with characters and its exploration of the nature and functioning of American small-town communities. The excellent script doesn't tiptoe around the painful sores of today's America; for example, viewers have the opportunity to witness the impact of the incredibly rampant opioid abuse epidemic caused by the mass prescribing of pain medications that induce rapid and severe addiction. All of this is supported by a quality cast led by Kate Winslet, who seized the opportunity and delivered, in my opinion, the most mature and distinctive performance of her career. Her sharp, emotionally deprived detective is convincing and intriguing. She is not immediately likable, often making mistakes, but her goal-oriented approach pushes the case forward despite the disapproval from her surroundings, including her loved ones. I have a reservation about the series in that I consider it emotionally overdone. This emotional manipulation, or rather emotional manipulation on the part of the creators, didn't quite reach the level of emotional pornography, as was the case with the series This Is Us, but it still bothered me and affected the pacing of the final episode. Overall impression: 75%. (2021-07-06)

I love crime fiction and I adore Kate Winslet, so Mare of Eastown was a godsend for me. The series artfully blends criminal investigation with dense family-relationship drama, and in doing so, expands thematically and plot-wise to a breadth whose dimensions and all sorts of nooks and crannies are exceedingly engaging and surprising. In addition to the serious storyline, the creators managed to incorporate more than one humorous moment that somewhat underplayed the serious tone of the entire series. Kate Winslet was absolutely amazing and it was great to see her in the unusual role of an investigator tormented by family demons and the past. You could almost say that the detective storyline is an afterthought in Mare's case, with the relationship dramas coming to the fore, and they were indeed dense and unpredictable in places. This is certainly not something shallow, but quality material to ponder for some time to come. (2021-05-31)