Dead to Me - charming, intriguing

web series review

Dead to Me

Starring: Christina Applegate, Linda Cardellini, James Marsden, Max Jenkins, Sam McCarthy, Luke Roessler, and Edward Asner

Created by: Liz Feldman

Tinged with flavours of crime and mystery, the female-led comedy-drama has risen triumphantly and blessed us with some very intriguing television series over the last few years. With fierce women in the driving seat, shows like Killing Eve, Big Little Lies, and Good Girls have captivated viewers with their fascinating characters, interesting twists, and dark wit. Joining the list is the new Netflix web television series Dead to Me, another dark comedy with a mystery woven into its fabric.

Created by Liz Feldman, the program arrived on the streaming giant earlier this month. The terrific Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini lead the cast, telling the story of a complicated friendship with secrets lingering underneath the surface.

Applegate portrays Jen Harding, a real estate agent who is raising two sons while mourning the death of her husband who was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Her sudden bereavement and the frustration over the unsolved crime that took her husband’s life as well as her pre-existing anger issues are making it difficult for her to cope with the situation she finds herself in.

Cardellini plays Judy Hale, a nursing home employee who is grieving the loss of her fiancé and is more troubled than she initially lets on.

The two women meet at a grief support group and strike up a friendship but it soon becomes apparent that everything isn’t quite as it seems. The lies begin to unravel as we learn about the actual events and intents that led them to this point.

The first season of Dead to Me takes quite a few turns along its ten episode journey, but the mystery elements don’t always work quite as well as one would have hoped. Perhaps the series waits too long to make its reveal; you’ve already figured things out long before it actually unveils a twist.

But watching Applegate and Cardellini work off each other is such a joy that it makes it easy for the viewer to be invested in the tale of these complex, flawed women. The ladies are funny, charming, and moving, and make their characters seem convincing or at least interesting even when the writing isn’t at its strongest. It’s because of their talent that once you start watching the series, you don’t want to hit pause as you can’t wait to see what (possibly irresponsible, perhaps even self-destructive) thing they do next. It’s a good thing all ten episodes were released all at once because the dramedy proves to be very binge worthy.

The supporting cast – which includes James Marsden as Judy’s love interest, Max Jenkins as Jen’s real estate business partner, and the always wonderful Ed Asner as Judy’s friend from the retirement home where she works – is also impressive, and the characters are each very well cast.

Dead to Me is at its best when it is examining the bonds of a therapeutic female friendship or exploring the depths of grief and the impact of losing someone. It may not seem quite as novel seeing how it follows in the footsteps of acclaimed shows, like the aforementioned Big Little Lies, and there are a few moment when one character or the other will frustrate you by doing something implausible. But the series has so many intriguing elements going in its favour that it is very hard to resist its charms. 

Its mystery could have been a little sharper and its storyline a little more taut, but thanks to the shining talent of its leading ladies, Dead to Me works quite well and is an entertaining new addition to its subgenre.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Express Tribune Blog - 17th May, 2019 *