“Mare of Easttown” is available to watch via subscription on HBO Max.
I highly recommend “Mare of Easttown.” The series opens better than it finishes, but, it has received critical acclaim, earning 16 nominations at the most recent Emmy award ceremony. “Mare of Easttown” follows Mare Sheehan, a small-town detective, played by Kate Winslet, while she is investigating the murder of a young girl and the disappearance of another. The news of the murder and disappearances shocks the town, since the worst crime that has probably happened in the town is local underage students drinking alcohol.
It appears that loss of multiple young girls is the worst thing that Mare is dealing with; but, that is just the beginning. In addition to her job troubles—which many doubt she is capable of handling—Mare is dealing with many personal troubles. These include her divorce, her son she lost to suicide, and a custody battle with her recovering addict/former daughter-in-law over her grandson.
The series is shot beautifully. It is set in the town of Easttown, a suburb of Philadelphia, with all seven episodes being shot on location. The weather and imagery match perfectly with the somber mood of this HBO series. The sky is constantly cloudy, representing the sour mood which seems to follow many of the characters in the series. The series looks at a string of crimes that occurred, where a young girl has been murdered and another has been missing for over a year. Mare Sheehan is the detective sergeant who begins to investigate the murder of a young Erin McMenamin. The film remains in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and only once cuts to a different location, a lake house not too far from Easttown, at the very end of the series.
Throughout its run, “Mare of Easttown” explores different characters and personalities. Photo: HBO.
The plot opens with the murder of a young mother who came from a lower-class home. The police force consisting of Mare, county Detective Colin Zabel, and her boss, Chief Carter, who do everything in their power to solve these cases. As the story progresses, Mare is forced to battle for the custody of her grandson with her ex- daughter-in-law whom she dislikes, come to terms with her son’s suicide, and tries to rejuvenate what little love life she has. It appears that Mare’s life is falling apart at the worst possible time. My only problem with the series is how the show ended. Obviously, for spoiler reasons, I cannot say; but the story built up to have a bombshell of a twist to the ending but ended up flopping.
The dialogue in this series is phenomenal. Even though it is not a comedy, Jean Smart who portrays Helen, Mare’s lazy and sarcastic mother, provoked constant laughter during her scenes. It was pleasant to have a bit of comic relief, since the series was dark; Helen was a bright spot in dark and gloomy atmosphere. The acting by the whole cast was wonderful. Kate Winslet did a great job as the lead…and the rest of the crew was perfectly cast. Julianne Nicholson, who portrays Lori, Mare’s close friend, does a great job. Evan Peters, who plays Detective Colin Zabel (the detective called in to assist with the case), plays his role perfectly.
The character development in the Mare of Easttown works well. It is interesting to see the growth of Mare’s character. At first glance, she appears to be an old cop who is past her prime. But, when you take a better look at her, it is obvious that she is a talented detective who is more than capable of solving the kidnapping and murder cases that plague this town.
“Mare of Easttown” sheds the cop-past-her-prime trope with a great performance by Winslet. Photo: HBO.
It is also interesting to observe the development of her personal life; this includes Mare attempting to return to the dating scene, even though she is obviously rusty at it. Throughout the series, Mare has a few love interests. Throughout the series, “Mare of Easttown” explores different characters. In addition to the titular character, the series also looks at Carrie Layden, played by Sosie Bacon, who is the mother of Mare’s grandson. Throughout the story, Carrie is attempting to gain custody of her son while battling a drug addiction. The series also briefly examines the life of Frank Sheehan, the ex-husband of Mare, the love-life of Siobhan, Mare’s daughter, and the career of Colin Zabel, the detective who plays opposite of Mare.
The soundtrack is very strong and keeps the listener focused on the series. At times of stress and anxiety in the film, the music is very upbeat, strong and full of bass. The editing in this film is apt, and keeps the series movie adequately.
In closing, “Mare of Easttown” is a well-produced series. I would highly recommend it. Although the ending was a little disappointing, the story was well produced. I don’t know if I would watch it again; but, it was good nevertheless.
