At the heart of almost every character and every action. complex There is a variation of the same question: What’s the point? Should an idle doodle make sense? And the mysterious and vaguely sinister mural? What good is a mystery if there are no answers? What is the meaning of life, with all the tragedies and disappointments that accompany it, or is life itself the meaning of life, since each moment is the result of each moment that preceded it?
Inevitably, this search for meaning revolves around what may be the most important question, at least in this specific context: what is meaning? complex?
A journey that starts strong, but gets lost in its own jungle.
As a mystery, it’s not a big shake-up. Its meandering plot starts off strong until it gets lost in the bush and finally arrives at a destination that was barely worth the eight-episode journey it took to get there. But as an atmosphere, it’s strangely believable, a little white lotusa little Only murders in the building.a little palm springs (who wrote the latter complex creator Andy Ciara). Just don’t expect to come out on the other side with coherent answers to your core narrative questions, let alone the existential unease that haunts you.
Echoing last summer’s mini tropical travel trend, complex Indulging in vacations that only look pretty on the surface, while troubles simmer underneath. In the year 2022, Noah (William Jackson Harper) and Emma (Christine Milioti) arrive at the resort of Bahía del Paraíso, Mexico, ostensibly to celebrate their tenth anniversary, though Emma’s sour expression reveals that it has been a while since she felt that they were married. Something worth celebrating. And that’s before I catch him drinking alone by the pool at night, Google googling, “How do I know if I should end my relationship?”
When the trip seems out of place, Emma discovers an old cell phone that belongs to Sam (Skyler Gisondo), one of two young American tourists, along with Violet (Nina Bloomgarden), who has disappeared nearby. 15 years ago at the now defunct Oceana Vista Resort. Solving the case becomes Emma’s immediate and all-consuming obsession, and Noah’s journey is less because he’s hooked than because he can see that the puzzle is the only thing keeping Emma alive. (He has fun, though: in one of the funniest scenes in the series, the pair are both excited and horrified by what they initially believe are extremely confusing texts between Sam and Violet.)
But as another character warns us, in one of them complexThe lines also meta, “What happened to Sam and Violet is just one thread in a tapestry of interconnected stories.” The series alternates between the chronicles of Noah and Emma and those of Sam and Violet, occasionally veering into the stories of other characters such as Baltasar (Luis Gerardo Mendes), Oceana Vista’s chief security detective, and Alex (Ben Sinclair, who also directed). first episodes), owner of the weird Oceana Vista ball.
Some are downright tragic (Violet, we learn, was mourning the death of her mother a year earlier), others deliciously silly (Balthasar recounts a childhood quarrel with a famous author that evolved into increasingly hostile letters). At best, the layered narrative structure sheds new light on each arc: the simmering resentment between Noah and Emma seems redundant when contrasted with the drunkenness of Violet and Sam’s youthful courtship. But each half-hour episode builds up to more and more topics, some of which are decidedly less relevant than others. complex Eventually, it buckles under your weight.
Noah and Emma’s search for answers finds Sam and Violet on their own quixotic quest in 2007 and expands to include a possibly mystical disease, a series of decapitated iguanas, a powerful fashion dynasty, and a book that may hold the key. , it’s unclear what exactly it is, only that many of the characters seem to believe it will free them from the crushing weight of a meaningless existence. The tone ranges from playful and desperate to mildly romantic, so sometimes it’s hard to tell whether to sympathize with a character’s actions or look at him uncomfortably. Furry dog stories may have their appeal, but complex He runs in circles in the jungle for so long that he struggles to get back.
Fortunately, although your ideas are in danger of disappearing from this world, complex It is no longer justified without pleasures. Milioti and Harper share the endearing chemistry of people who once met and truly loved each other, even if neither artist misses the wheel; Among palm springs, made for love s good place, these two are basically the names that define love stories. Nick Offerman gives perhaps the most quietly moving performance in the series as Violet’s grieving father. Gabriela Cartoli in Fantastic 2018 camera cleanerIt is not used here, but it brings some necessary pragmatism when it appears.
The brightest gem is Mendes, who starts the series as a menacing figure before gradually revealing weirder and sweeter levels. She sells some of the cutest lines on the show (“I’m tired of being bombarded with symbols!” she screams at one point, which would have been a real moan if not for her ridiculous annoyance) and comes across as the most magnetic. , dynamic character. . complex It never quite lives up to the promise of its talent and concept, but the cast alone makes it easy to move on to the next episode.
Despite all this, the tragedies that befall these people remain disturbingly common: the loss of a loved one, the frustrations of old age, the oppressive weight of a family legacy. These are characters who are desperate to have more or less time, want to go back to the happy days or jump in to find out what’s already happening. One thing almost everyone agrees on is that the here and now is unbearable. In this sense, emotions complex It can be very characteristic, depending on your mood. But when it comes to offering clarity, the series is no closer than the big messy world it wants to interrogate. Wandering into the unknown takes time, your questions become less and less coherent. In the end, he only finds more questions.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
