Dead to Me (2019)

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1. 

   Siskoid

   I might call Dead to Me "Wine Mom Breaking Bad", but that would be giving it short shrift, because I really loved this dark comedy series (both seasons, Netflix promises a third is on the way). Two women are united in friendship by grief - Christina Applegate a widowed mom whose husband was the victim of a hit and run, and Linda Cardellini the barren free spirit who meets her at grief counseling and knows more than she says (and she's terrific in this, absolutely terrific). Eventually turning into a bit of a crime thriller, especially the second season, this is pretty dark stuff, but manages to work as a comedy thanks to the comic performances and many misunderstandings keeping secrets generate. And while some of the guest stars are definitely playing their quirks for laughs, all the main characters are very precisely drawn psychologically, which makes the drama engrossing. But yes, "Wine Mom Breaking Bad".
   
   The third and final chapter of Dead to Me (i.e. Season 3) might lean even more into my old description of it as "Breaking Bad for Wine Moms" as things get even more out of control for Jen and Judy (Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, both great in this) as they try to keep their secret murder a secret as evidence and suspicion mount up. It's interesting that Survivor is mentioned at one point, because that's exactly the template for the suspense - someone will start saying something that sounds ominous, take a pause, then comically deflate the balloon to relieve the tension. It's a bit artificial and sometimes felt forced. But there's no denying that the show is heading for massive heartbreak and I was in tears by the end (by which I mean at least the last two episodes). There's a tendency to make TV shows go on too long that's residual from the network days and the needs of syndication. Streaming is a different game, and I'm very happy to have this complete 30-episode story on the books, at once that it wasn't cancelled before its time, and that it didn't find ways to extend itself beyond what was required. It's a show about grief, and so we've learned how to say goodbye. 2 years 2 months ago

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