 |
| (Netflix) |
Bloodline, Netflix’s new dramatic series, comes from Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler and Daniel Zelman (KZK), the creators of Damages. Though that series concluded on DirecTV with little fanfare, the FX drama pioneered a genre that’s come to be very popular in cable drama: the time-shifting noir. Damages strung together a rather brilliant first season in particular, cutting forward and backward so fast that, by the time its juicy season-ending revelation was unveiled, we could only sit, breathless. It was a high-wire act, gripping, stuffed with terrific performances and knowing about its audience’s investment. The same approach has been taken, to predominantly diminishing returns, by such series as Showtime’s The Affair and HBO’s True Detective. If Damages used the device and style to subvert the legal drama, The Affair found a way to tackle infidelity, and True Detective true crime, in an innovative but ultimately gimmicky fashion. In all three, the question had to be: what happened?
As with any narrative device, it depends on how you use it. Damages, alone, fashioned some season arcs that ended randomly and incomprehensibly, while others landed as thematically rich and structurally admirable. But keeping the conversation to first seasons -- since most of these shows are so new -- few could do it better than Damages. The time-jumps and cliffhangers were intrinsic to the season’s progression, and were about as ravishing as anything on TV at the time.
It was a model that lost viewers due to its aggressive serialization and complexity. Week-to-week, it didn’t really work commercially, even though those that could commit have laid the foundation for an everlasting fan base (it’s had quite the afterlife on Netflix, as shows like Broad City humorously make note of). It would have done great on the binge model. So who better to get behind Netflix’s next big show than KZK, bringing along their trademark twisty narrative and star-studded casts.
But Bloodline is not Damages. You have to go into it like you would a favorite novelist, whose latest work isn’t quite convincing you in those first dozen pages. It’s a slow burn, with the narrative device seated on the back-burner and the plotting much tighter, but also more geared to the long-term. Interestingly, the Damages team embraced the binge-model with open arms, but not in the way you’d think. Rather than being the instantly-addicting, uber-stylish thriller that was expected, Bloodline unfolds like a novel, trusting viewers (who trust them) to stick with their story, invest in their characters and prepare for one hell of a finish. They hold up their end of the bargain, anyway.
I’m not sure it will work, even if it feels groundbreaking. You could say that KZK find themselves in that unfortunate, paradoxical position yet again. The structure and narrative organization of Bloodline is new and perfectly-suited to the binge model, but it also requires serious commitment. Critics were sent out the series’ first three episodes, which while solid, incorrectly sell the show. These episodes are all relatively flash-forward heavy, and move very slowly. If you’re not prepared to be in the hands of these writers, you’d be within reason to call them boring. And as such, critical reaction wasn’t quite overwhelming. It was positive, sure, about as much as House of Cards’ but a fair notch down from Orange Is the New Black’s. And although House of Cards has never been a critical favorite, it’s got that Damages level of intrigue and suspense, which has worked wonders on the binge model. Bloodline doesn’t roar out of the gate. It takes its time. And, as such, it carries certain expectations.
Bloodline shares the beachy noir of The Affair and the swampy equivalent of True Detective. It also builds as Damages did at its best, albeit with more confidence and less reliance on a shifty structure. It is, in fact, very good. Excellent, even. I’ll have an official review up in a few days, but I put a lot of faith in Bloodline and was amply rewarded with a rigorously character-driven family saga. But I’m not sure the same can be expected of those not quite familiar with, or perhaps not quite as fond of, Damages. Because, to be clear, you can like Bloodline and not Damages. You can like Damages and not Bloodline. Or you can like both. They’re different beasts, created from the same minds. Bloodline is less fun but smarter, less twisty but more impressive in the handling of its characters and their relationships. And it’s still a pulpy, slushy thriller that, eventually, reels you in. It’s a binge show. Just not the kind that we’re used to.
Which is why the fate of Bloodline, with the critics, the public and the industry alike, is so fascinating to consider. It’s entering an extremely crowded television landscape, where it’s become more and more difficult to stand out. The limited number of episodes sent to critics have prevented Bloodline from making a bang. But, for those that stick with it, it should get there. The question is if enough do stick with it, and if those that do can make enough noise. Because Bloodline deserves some chatter, as a quality, form-defining piece of storytelling. It’s a risky gambit for Netflix, asking more of its audience but promising in return a fantastic, tightly-plotted season of television. We’ll see if it pays off.