Article first published as TV Review: TRUST on Seat42F.
FX’s newest anthology series is TRUST.
No, it’s not another Ryan Murphy production, though you should be
forgiven for thinking so, given the network and similarities. TRUST.,
created by Simon Beaufoy and directed by Danny Boyle, concerns the Getty
family, an infamous clan of oil tycoons, the head of which was once
considered one of (if not the) richest man in the world. The first
season’s ten-episode run specifically covers the kidnapping of the
patriarch’s grandson, J. Paul Getty III, in the mid-1970s. Subsequent
seasons are expected to show other periods in the family’s history.
The first hour, which premiered last
night, is essentially an introduction to the main guy, J. Paul Getty
(Donald Sutherland, M*A*S*H, The Hunger Games), his relationship with
his sons, and a brief encounter with one grandson. It does a solid job
illustrating the unrest in the family, and how J. Paul Getty sees J.P.G.
III (Harris Dickinson, Clique) as the last chance to pass his dynasty
on to his heirs. When III disappoints his grandfather in a major way, as
the senior’s children have before, the old man is furious. He casts III
out, without care for the debt the younger man owes some very bad
people. This is the set up for the kidnapping.
The Gettys are a real family, but much
license is being taken with their story. Trying to trace various family
members and their relationships, it seems the timeline doesn’t quite add
up to real life. One family member is even suing the production, say
it’s extremely inaccurate. It’s hard to know what TRUST. gets right or
wrong, but the credits do admit that some things have been changed and
personalities combined, so while it’s entertaining, I wouldn’t
necessarily take it as a history lesson.
There are quite a few good actors in
TRUST., including Michael Esper (Nurse Jackie), Brendan Fraser (The
Mummy) and Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby). But in the pilot, it’s a
two-man show. Sutherland hasn’t lost a step with age, simmering as the
sleazy mogul, showing both the reprehensible parts of the personality
and his vulnerabilities. Sadly, there are few redeeming qualities, but
as despicable as the man is in this show, Sutherland is still immensely
watchable. Dickinson matches him in the less central, but vitally
important, role, which is only slightly more likeable.
There seems to be quite an appetite for
‘true stories’ of scandals recently. TRUST. should nicely add to the
offerings of that genre. It’s well produced, well directed, and the sets
are amazing. It’s a big production for a very personal story, the
trappings of wealth not making the characters less vulnerable to
reality. If anything, it makes them more so. As separate as they are
from everyone else, and as outlandish and hard to relate to as some of
the things they do may be, there is definitely a core story that will
resonate, true or not, with many viewers.
The disappointing thing about the
rumored second season, which TRUST. seems sure to get with material this
good that fits perfectly on the network, is that Sutherland won’t be as
front-and-center, as supposedly we’ll see J. Paul Getty coming up, some
forty years before the first run. One can only hope they tell the story
in flashback, with framework sequences involving Sutherland. I don’t
normally like this conceit all that much, as it’s overdone and usually
unnecessary. But Sutherland is a big part of why I would recommend this
show, so I would hate to lose him from the series. And whoever fills his
shoes will have to be most impressive indeed.
TRUST. airs Sunday nights on FX.
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