‘Mare of Easttown’ Is the Highlight in TV So Far in 2021

With so many recycled premises and concepts lately in the worlds of both film and TV, it’s a

wonder that Mare of Easttown, HBO’s latest prestige limited series, is even any good at all.

Mare follows perhaps the most basic template for a crime thriller to follow: a hard-edged local

detective investigates a young girl’s murder in a small town where everyone knows each other

and nothing is as it seems. It’s impossible to count the number of shows that have followed this

template; the origins of its popularity can roughly be traced back to Twin Peaks in 1990, which

still remains arguably the greatest of the bunch. Still, though, it’s remained an immensely

popular genre for decades. The British in particular have these down pat, as shows like

Broadchurch, Happy Valley, and more have gained great popularity both in their home country

and across the pond. So what makes Mare stand out from the bunch? Lots of things.

Mare begins by immediately setting the focus on the most important aspects of a TV series:

character and setting. Whereas most murder mysteries kick right off with the murder (or the

discovery of the murder), Mare takes its time introducing us to Easttown, a town in Delco

County, Pennsylvania, and the people that inhabit it. Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet plays

the titular character Mare Sheehan (short for Marianne), and her presence in the lead role is

likely the main draw for most viewers. Revered for her roles in films like Titanic, Eternal

Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Contagion, and many more, Winslet follows the trend of A-list

movie stars moving to the small screen (although this isn’t actually her first time doing this—that

would be Mildred Pierce in 2011, also on HBO). Her performance is one of stunning depth and

immersion, but it’s not the only thing keeping Mare afloat. The show gracefully introduces us to

the wide bench of supporting characters revolving around Mare, including her mom Helen (an

unbelievable Jean Smart); daughter Siobhan (Angourie Rice); best friend Lori (Julianne

Nicholson); ex-husband Frank (David Denman, a.k.a. Roy from The Office); and many more.

The introduction of Mare and those around her is paralleled with that of a young girl named Erin

(Cailee Spaeny), who lives with an irascible father and hangs with a group of shady friends.

But what immediately sticks out about Mare is its sense of place. Series creator Brad Ingelsby

grew up around this area, and his deep knowledge of the setting shines through in the show.

Easttown is portrayed as a fully lived-in and realized world, a town ravaged by the opioid crisis,

poverty, and crime. The residents of Easttown are plagued by grief and clinging on to the past.

The unsolved disappearance of a girl named Katie Bailey hangs over the town like a looming

specter, with a communal resentment of the local police formed by a failure to find answers.

Mare is unable to let go of her son’s suicide, a tragedy that consumes the Sheehan family at

every corner. By the end of the first episode, Erin’s corpse is found washed up by the river,

further bringing together the community of Easttown in a shared sense of grief and mourning.

Mare is called on to investigate the death, and that’s what the show’s plot is concerned with

from that point on.

But what sets Mare apart from so many murder mysteries is that it’s never just a murder

mystery. There are twists, turns, red herrings, and cliffhangers galore (the fifth episode

culminates in a masterful sequence of fraught tension and suspense reminiscent of Breaking

Bad at its peak), but the show never loses sight of the humanity at its core. Above all, this is a

show about how people respond to and move on from grief, and how bonds are formed in

communities by shared trauma. Winslet’s performance as Mare is staggering, revealing

incredible depths to a character already brilliantly written by Ingelsby and company. She’s

flawed, but there’s a vulnerability to her as well. In the first episode, Mare attends a high-school

reunion commemorating her for her former basketball stardom. We get the sense that this is

essentially where she peaked, and she’s been chasing that past glory ever since, but never

quite reached it. We empathize with her as she tries to live with her family tragedy and make

peace with herself. It’s a stunning performance. Additionally, despite the troubles plaguing the

characters, Mare is never overly depressing or a slog to watch. The interactions between

characters are natural and authentic, resulting in moments of striking humor and levity. In the

second episode, Mare is paired up with an out-of-town detective named Colin Zabel (Evan

Peters), and the rapport between the two warrants a buddy-cop spinoff show of its own. The

mother-daughter catfights between Mare and Helen are a joy to watch, as well. And, without

spoilers, the show’s finale (aired on Sunday) closes on a wonderful grace note of redemption

and peace. In directly facing down darkness, Mare finds light, and it’s this balance that proves

most rewarding about the show.