MARCELLA Without Marcella Would Be Better

Article first published as MARCELLA Review on Seat42F.

CAUTION: Since this series has already been released, this review contains spoilers from the first hour. It does not spill anything past that, as the reviewer has not yet watched any further.

Netflix’s newest drama, MARCELLA, is actually a British series that is just getting its stateside release through the streaming service. Like many crime dramas from the UK, it has a small number of episodes, is relatively slow-paced, and the protagonist is kind of a mess, her chaotic personal life bleeding over into the case and vice versa. With mixed reviews, is MARCELLA worth checking out?

First, the good stuff. There is a pretty strong ensemble, each with their own little subplots that are certainly building towards a bigger whole. Of particular note are siblings Henry (Harry Lloyd, Game of Thrones, Manhattan) and Grace Gibson (Maeve Demody, Serangoon Road), who rebel against their step-mother, Sylvie (Sinead Cusack, V for Vendetta). Sylvie is a greedy Trump-type mogul, married to an age-inappropriate piece of arm candy, and out to screw over whoever she can to make the most money. Perhaps not as bombastic as the presidential candidate, preferring to exert power in subtler ways and exuding a friendliness until you cross her, Sylvie is just as self-centered and ruthless, definitely putting her business interests ahead of her family.

Besides the novelty of seeing a female in such a role, which is very much appreciated, there is also a depth to this clan. Henry cares deeply about the environment and helping people, but he won’t fight on his step-mother’s level, so his war is over before it’s begun. This has me wondering what his purpose is in MARCELLA, and I look forward to finding out. Grace, on the other hand, tries to make peace in her family, sticking by step-mom, but fighting for her brother’s cause. At first, this makes her seem like a good person. But then, when we see her with the titular character’s husband (Nicholas Pinnock, Fortitude), who happens to work for the company, it changes my opinion of her. She is a pleaser to the point of ignoring what she wants and what is right, also making her weak.

I am much more interested in the Gibson family than the central character and plot. As such, I hope there’s a lot of them moving forward, and I assume they will somehow be connected to the serial killer story, directly or indirectly, allowing them plenty of story.

So, now for the not-so-complimentary part of this article. I do not like Marcella herself. My problem isn’t really with Anna Friel, whom I adored in Pushing Daisies. Instead, it’s the totally unrealistic way in which her role is presented. She’s a stalker detective who gets extremely violent and has blackouts. Yet, somehow she is allowed to work for law enforcement, even after a many years’ absence, with little oversight and complete trust. What the heck?

There is a scene in the first hour in which her boss (Ray Panthaki, EastEnders) is encouraged to be even more lenient with Marcella by (secretly blind and deaf?) co-worker and old friend, Laura (Nina Sosanya, Last Tango in Halifax). Look, I get that Marcella has proven herself in the past, despite failing to catch the big serial killer who has suddenly shown back up at a pivotal moment in Marcella’s life, but isn’t anyone going to make sure she’s up to returning to work? Or question her when she acts strangely? It just doesn’t feel right to me.

Despite how much I hated Marcella’s story, I did end up liking MARCELLA. There’s enough going on that any single plot that isn’t working can be minimized and overlooked, even that of the title character. Were MARCELLA more focused on Marcella, I wouldn’t keep watching. But since it has balance, I likely will eventually see what else is in store for the rest of the intriguing cast.

MARCELLA’s first season is available now on Netflix.

AMERICAN ODYSSEY Too 'Merican

Article originally published AMERICAN ODYSSEY Review on Seat42F.


If you like semi-political thrillers, thought Homeland was just a little too complex and conspiracy-driven for you, but 24 is too action-packed and flat, then NBC has you covered with AMERICAN ODYSSEY. Set in the Middle East, Africa, and the United States, it has shady government agencies, murdering terrorists, and secrets that must be exposed for the good of the public, chock full of dangerous villains and noble heroes. Is it all too on the nose, though?

Were AMERICAN ODYSSEY the first program of its kind to the table, it might stand a chance at being something worth watching. The problem is, not only are there already a plethora of choices out there, but this one doesn’t rank near the top in quality. If you want a show like this that will keep you guessing, watch Homeland. If you like spy games, check out The Americans on FX. If you want to see a government that keeps secrets, well, The X-Files should be back on the air in the fall. All of this makes American Odyssey pretty unnecessary.

The plot is extremely formulaic. As we are introduced to the various stars, there are several scenes early in the pilot to introduce the factions and get things moving. Multiple bits in a row basically feature one of the leads running into someone they know but haven’t seen for awhile and learning something vital from said acquaintance. The first time this happens seems hokey; by the third instance in less than ten minutes, I was completely out of the story and marveling at how American Odyssey may know what pieces to play, but no sense of style in playing them.

The cast is great, but how many new dramas out there can’t boast that these days? Sadly, it takes more than familiar, talented faces to make a show like this worth watching right now, and this one just doesn’t make the cut.

In case you’re still curious, though, there are really three leads in AMERICAN ODYSSEY. The first, Odelle Ballard (Anna Friel, Pushing Daises), is the lone American survivor of a security force massacre conducted by military contractors, trapped far, far from home. Her husband, Rob (Jim True-Frost, Treme), and daughter, Suzanne (Sadie Sink), are told she is dead. Luckily, Odelle finds some assistance in the form of young Aslam (Omar Ghazaoui), who helps her evade the man who just missed killing her, Frank Majors (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Lost).

Activist Harrison Walters (Jake Robinson, The Carrie Diaries) won’t let the public go on believing Odelle has been lost because he knows those no-good officials are up to their wicked schemes and is determined to stop them. Getting a tip from hacker Bob Offer (Nate Mooney, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and assistance from reporter Ruby Simms (Daniella Pineda, The Originals), Harrison is soon hot on the trail of Colonel Stephen Glen (Treat Williams, Everwood) and the others.

Thirdly, Peter Decker (Peter Facinelli, Nurse Jackie) is a lawyer who realizes something is up when a firm he is working for makes some strange moves. While Peter’s wife entreats him not to do anything rash, comfortable with the life they live, Peter is just too noble to look the other way, soon getting himself involved in the plot. He’d better be careful, though, because he has a daughter, Maya (Elena Kampouris, Labor Day), to look out for.

If all of that sounds a little too melodramatic, that’s because AMERICAN ODYSSEY is a little too melodramatic. It takes itself a hair too seriously, and tries too hard to sell its product. The fact that the show was retitled AMERICAN ODYSSEY when it was originally just called ODYSSEY basically tells you what you need to know about the direction the production is going in.

Which is too bad. NBC could use a good, strong political thriller with a sprawling cast like this, just one that is written and developed at a little higher quality. AMERICAN ODYSSEY isn’t bad, but it’s not great either, and with plenty of superior options, it doesn’t make enough of a blip on the television landscape.

AMERICAN ODYSSEY premieres this Sunday at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.