Bloodline

Bloodline is a Netflix original series that aired this past March. I sat down and watched  it this past week after hearing that it's one of the best shows on. The premise intrigued me- a tight knit family in the Florida Keys that has a lot of secrets. The family inn has been in operation for 45 years, and as they prepare to celebrate the anniversary the oldest son comes home. Danny is a mess frankly, he's been in trouble with the law and the other kids don't really want him there. John is the sensible son, the second oldest and a deputy sheriff. Meg the daughter is an attorney who is engaged to a police officer (and John's partner), but she is sleeping around on him a bit. And Kevin is the youngest son, a bit of a mess himself who works at refurbishing boats.

Once Danny comes home everything goes to pot. Danny is manipulative and harbors a grudge against the other kids- something happened in their past and the family was fractured. Something happened to Danny and over the course of the series we slowly find out bits and pieces as the puzzle is slowly put together. It's kind of interesting because we find out right off the bat what happens at the end of the story- the rest of it is the journey to get there.

The acting is great, and I especially liked Kyle Chandler as John and Linda Cardellini as Meg. We watch these characters grow as the show progresses and everybody has plenty of secrets (and lies). It's a fascinating melange of suspicion and deceit. The only real complaint I have is the slow pace- this has been described as a slow burn, and I have to agree. I was hooked from the get-go, but at the same time I often thought they just took too long to get certain places. And they perhaps lay it on a bit thick- there are some nasty reveals, but at the same time even though the truth is awful, I'm not sure it's THAT bad to justify what some of these people do.

The cinematography is stunning, frankly. Overhead shots of the Keys, crystal clear water, mangroves and even the opening title sequence is well done, with a time lapse of changing weather by day and night. This is an amazing show to look at, and the scenery and locations are almost a character of their own.