Exceptional Aussie series with a powerhouse cast; has a lot to say about the moral choices we make—tribal loyalties versus lifelong friendships, the dangerous power of a vindictive lie, even "the responsibilities of being Greek." The first episode hooks you in with a nasty incident that has far-reaching consequences—a court case, a family feud, the threatened breakup of marriages and relationships. (Interesting that online reviewers seem to blame softheaded slacker Rosie for all this more than prosperous, hotheaded Harry.)
The sanest character, Aisha (lovely Sophie Okonedo), gives us something to hang on to. She's a mixed-race immigrant from Mauritius, doesn't have any Old Country customs or trendy childrearing theories she's trying to impose; her friend Rosie, mother of the appalling Hugo (he who gets slapped), seems like a bit of a caricature of an overprotective New Age mum, but Melissa George, who plays the same character in the US remake, is even better in the role of the brittle nutjob than she was in "In Treatment." Fabulous Essie Davis seemed like a stand-in for the author at first (except he turns out to be a gay man—go figure...), but she doesn't get quite enough to do in the later episodes.
The scenes involving Aisha's husband's Greek immigrant family don't hold too many surprises, but they're beautifully done; helpful hint: if you watch this on streaming Netflix, you won't see the subtitles for the Greek dialogue in episode 6 if you have the CC turned on.
John Oliver's already ridiculed the omnipresent promos for the NBC remake ("What the f–– is this, and do we really have to watch it?"). That's way harsh, dude! The US version is actually pretty good, though the Aussie original is significantly better.
The sanest character, Aisha (lovely Sophie Okonedo), gives us something to hang on to. She's a mixed-race immigrant from Mauritius, doesn't have any Old Country customs or trendy childrearing theories she's trying to impose; her friend Rosie, mother of the appalling Hugo (he who gets slapped), seems like a bit of a caricature of an overprotective New Age mum, but Melissa George, who plays the same character in the US remake, is even better in the role of the brittle nutjob than she was in "In Treatment." Fabulous Essie Davis seemed like a stand-in for the author at first (except he turns out to be a gay man—go figure...), but she doesn't get quite enough to do in the later episodes.
The scenes involving Aisha's husband's Greek immigrant family don't hold too many surprises, but they're beautifully done; helpful hint: if you watch this on streaming Netflix, you won't see the subtitles for the Greek dialogue in episode 6 if you have the CC turned on.
John Oliver's already ridiculed the omnipresent promos for the NBC remake ("What the f–– is this, and do we really have to watch it?"). That's way harsh, dude! The US version is actually pretty good, though the Aussie original is significantly better.