The Netflix original series "Bloodline" was released March 20. The show boasts a powerful cast, beautiful cinematography and the creators behind the critically acclaimed twisted series “Damages." The show has enough bells and whistles to reel audiences in, however in the end there seems to be a piece missing in their almost-perfect formula.
This new, emerging genre of a show has become increasingly popular in the past few years; its the kind of television show that is polished enough to be viewed as a 13 hour movie (Netflix stuck with their traditional 13-episode release). This show indicates that Netflix is trying to toss their hat in the ring with the likes of series like HBO’s "True Detective" and Showtime’s "The Affair,” two shows that have very similar elements to “Bloodline." Just like the Louisiana of "True Detective” and the Montauk of "The Affair,” the Florida Keys of “Bloodline" is represented as an ominous, ever-present character of its own. They all boast moody opening credits with their own theme song created for the show and have criminal procedures pulsing through their dramatic narratives. However, unlike the other two, "Bloodline" seems to not so much lack direction, but box itself into one clear path.
The brilliance of "Damages" emerged through the unpredictability of the direction the show was going. The creators kept the flash-forwards that drove on the plot of “Damages,"however, unlike “Damages," “Bloodline" has flash-forwards that barely have any twists and turns. They do not end up serving the audience as a way to intrigue them and make them want to watch more, but become spoilers because there is not much else to them.
The show focuses on the popular idea of “trouble in paradise.” The Rayburn family is well known and respected, a fixture to uphold in the Florida Keys community. The Rayburns have owned a mom-and-pop hotel resort for 50 years, serving as a getaway escape for wealthy families that need a break from the “real world.” For the Rayburns, everyone else’s location for paradise becomes their hell when their no-good older brother Danny (Ben Mendelsohn) returns to town. It seems that everywhere he goes, he brings trouble with him and the family always finds it easier when he stayed away.
Mendelsohn gives a convincing performance as a master manipulator. He is so convincing, even the audience falls for his false sincerity. His choices put the entire family in jeopardy and it seems that is just what he wants. Repression from past family trauma has eaten away at Danny and has turned him into the villain he is. He knows his recklessness will bring him to his grave (as shown in the first scene as a flash-forward) but he is not going to go down without making his family pay as well. It brings up the idea that no matter how far you think you have moved on from the past, it always will find a way to weasel itself back into your life and destroy you.
Throughout the series, siblings John (Kyle Chandler), Meg (Linda Cardellini) and Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz) try to deal with the carnage Danny creates when he is in town. They always viewed Danny and his decisions as wrong, black and white, however it becomes apparent that they are in just as much of a grey area as him. It was always easier to think of themselves as better, but in the end they realize they may even be worse. As the show’s slogan hauntingly states, “We’re not bad people, but we did a bad thing.”
Through all the fog, mirrors and palm trees, however, the question remains: What is missing? Sure, the acting performances are impressive and, at times, the writing can be deep, but does the show actually manage to delve into stormy waters (as the opening sequence suggests) and penetrate the surface of shallowness? Or is it just overdramatized family drama fixed in a long Tommy Bahama ad? It dangles the flash-forward in front of the audience like a carrot on a stick, promising a rewarding finale. However, in the end it seemed to be unsurprising, without any twists or rewards. In the last few minutes, a small plot twist is squeezed in before the credits roll, but it still does not answer the question … why should we care?
