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Toni Collette: "Unbelievable"

Everyone has been buzzing about the Netflix series "Unbelievable," so I'm not offering anything contrarian here. But in case you haven't started, do start to watch. The first episode combines the talents of Lisa Cholodenko ("The Kids Are All Right") and Michael Chabon, so--no shock--it's an unusual hour of TV.

I didn't want to pay attention to Ayelet Waldman after all the "I love my spouse more than my children" nonsense (as if the love issue needed to involve a contest), but I guess, now, I need to pay attention to Ayelet Waldman.

A few observations about the first hour, which is generating a great deal of the critical breathlessness:

*The title "Unbelievable" refers to the label that cops attach to Kaitlyn Dever's story--but of course the title is double-edged. "Unbelievable" also refers to the way that Dever's character is treated, not just by her assailant, but additionally by her interrogators.
*Chabon does especially fine work when writing from the point of view of the male interrogators. These guys behave in a despicable way, but Chabon doesn't make them into monsters. You can see how you might fall into a similar trap. It's especially riveting--and uncomfortable--to guess at the gears that are turning in these guys' brains. There's a sense of relief when you imagine you might not need to pursue a difficult case. That sense of relief leads to very satisfying indignation: "You're wasting my valuable AVENGER time here, Kaitlyn Dever!" Queasy and spellbinding.
*The first hour is also unusual because it gives us a protagonist who isn't a saintly victim. Dever has been through a great deal, and her suffering has led to acting out. I particularly like the examples of acting-out provided: dancing provocatively at a children's party, blowing out the candles on a toddler's birthday cake. So smart, and so very real.
*At a Target, Dever can't control herself because the pre-rape bedsheets she once used are no longer available. You see a storm of pain: A basically-powerless person can't direct her rage at an assistant, but she *can* lash out at a Target employee. Again: strange, compelling, observant storytelling.
*This is the kind of show that tosses in stage-legend Elizabeth Marvel as a side note. That's the level of quality we're talking about. You must watch!

On an unrelated note....

Books of Interest:

"Pilgrim's Wilderness" (Kizzia)
"Until the Twelfth of Never" (Stumbo)
"Six of Crows" (Bardugo)
"Blue Moon" (Child)
"Hons and Rebels" (Mitford)

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