Another excellent UK thriller! The show is well-written, fresh, and has an original angle as its main character is a deaf lipreader helping with the investigation of a pending heist by a well-known criminal gang. The role of the deaf volunteer-investigator is played by the deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis. The success of the series is largely due to her great performance as well as the chemistry between her and a new mysterious member of the gang – Liam Barlow, “Hoodie,” played by Kieron Moore. Ayling-Ellis is a charmer who effortlessly projects both naivete and wisdom. She appears fragile but constantly surprises with unexpected demonstrations of strength and bold moves. The suspense in each consecutive episode derives from the increasing involvement of the amateur detective in the investigation: she starts acting against the advice of the police, makes her own independent decisions, and becomes emotionally involved with Hoodie – all of which makes her a threat to the success of the investigation, but also puts herself in danger. The ending is surprising but somewhat soap-operatic, with the promise of Alison, the deaf lip reader, and Liam, the cool hacker, eventually meeting up in the future – only for the sake of a second season.
Tag: TV series
TV: Feud: Capote Vs The Swans, 2023, Creator Ryan Murphy, Dir. Gus Van Sant, Max Winkler, Jennifer Lynch
Unfortunately, the second installment of Ryan Murphy’s “Feud” is not as good as the first one. The dramatization of Betty Davis’ and Joan Crawford’s conflict was really great! It involved the manipulated context of this feud, the role of the media and the industry, and two great characters – it was a really demo of dramatic writing and a great pleasure to watch with the excellent performers!
“Capote Vs The Swans” lacked the dramatic energy that draws you in, the “feud” was illustrated, not acted out. The focus was on Capote’s idiosyncrasies, his loneliness, self-destructive behavior, narcissism, relationship with his mother, etc. (Tom Hollander was great playing Capote.) But the characters on the other side were underdeveloped, they were an illustration of an age long gone now, they were the “swan song” for the socialites of 1950s New York. The series strong point was the nostalgic feeling it induced despite the intended “criticism” of the New York high society from that time. An elegy for the women who were buying their “gardening hats” at a particular time of the year or who were fussing about the perfection of the edges of the invitation cards …was that ironic or sad or glamorous! It seems – the latter…And you could sense it in the way the “swan” performers enjoyed playing their roles – Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Calista Flockhart, Chloë Sevigny….
No lipstick! Book & Film Reviews 