Mare of Easttown (2021)

Written by Peter McGinn on June 6, 2021

This police detective drama series drew me in and kept me coming back for more, in spite of itself. I say that because this series borrows heavily from one police drama cliche after another. Police detective characters are often obsessed with their cases and take their work home with them: Check. The detectives often totally screw up their homes lives and relationships: Check. The detectives are likely to continue working on their cases if their boss orders them to step back, and they never call in backup help before walking into a dangerous situation: Check and Check.

Still I was totally engaged with the series. Why? Let’s see: the writing is very strong; the ensemble cast performs well most of the time; and for a change, this stereotypical detective is a woman; plus they blend a couple of cases together to give the story complexity and depth. All of these positives covered up a couple of lapses I saw, which I won’t point out here, not wanting to give anything away.

This is the second recent role I have seen Kate Winslet in where she disappears into her character. She was excellent in Ammonite as an unusual archaeologist. No clinging to romantic leads for Winslet; she is now what I would describe as a leading lady/character actor. It ages well.

I recommend Mare of Easttown highly and I hope if they make a second series, they show enough confidence to move beyond the police detective cliches.