Starring:
Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, Eve Hewson, Brian Gleeson, Daryl McCormack, and more.
“The five Garvey sisters—Eva, Grace, Ursula, Bibi, and Becka—live in present-day Dublin. After Grace’s abusive, controlling husband John Paul dies unexpectedly, the sisters find themselves at the centre of a life insurance investigation. The series flips between timelines—one before John Paul’s death, in which Grace’s sisters plot to murder their brother-in-law, and another after his death, in which a determined insurance agent tries to prove the sisters’ malicious involvement to save his struggling business.” – From Wiki
This was one of those random choices without a deeper reasoning behind watching it. This won’t be true for everything I watch, but this one it def was a random choice. I began watching this when I was on a plane coming back from San Francisco. I didn’t finish the episode because I just wanted to start it while on the flight. I was interested in the idea of a group of strong female family members that are working together to end the life of one of their sister’s husband. I have seen where someone is toxic in a family and they work on getting rid of them and this usually has a lot of comedic impact when it is done in a TV show, so I thought this may be enjoyable to watch. The premise just sounded right for where I was at that moment.
The Garvey sisters want to kill their sister’s husband. For reasons. Very real reasons.
When we look at the overall texture/feel of the show, it was very much in alignment with the feel of a foreign show. Setting also lends to this overall vibe and feeling. It did not have the feel of being a local show, not even in how the episodes were shot. This seems to be true though since no one in the show was an American actor. This added a necessary element to the overall story, as it felt a bit more polished and respectable overall due to this.
The premise that I mentioned above allowed for the actors of the show to have both comedic moments, but also deeply dramatic moments as we discovered why all of the sisters’ motivation for wanting the character that they were trying to kill to be dead. This leads to some hysterical moments, but also some deeply empathetic moments that were rooted in human nature and very real experiences that would upset people. They were not far-fetched unrelatable motivations, but profoundly human ones. Deeply rooted in the human experience. It allowed each of the actors to play more than a deeply one-note character that happens sometimes within mystery type shows. These characters have motivation and emotions behind every single thing that they decide or do not decide to do. It makes the watching experience feel enjoyable throughout.
My favorite character of this show was Grace Williams, the wife. The way that Anne-Marie Duff was able to play the depths and vulnerability of this character led to some of the most beautiful on-screen moments of the episodes. I also found it interesting that every single actor of this show, including the “villain” were able to add layers that I have not always seen on other shows. To make me root at different moments for the insurance agents in the show shows that there was something done right not only in the writing, but in the way that scenes were acted.
My only gripe of this show was that it didn’t last longer. Seriously, that is it. I believe every single nuanced moment had a purpose. They all led to the ending that was plausible and made sense based on the build-up in the show. Moments that you may go why did they choose to do that on the writing team make sense when you arrive at the final destination of the series. Everything is wrapped together nicely and you are left going, yeah I understand every single moment now. This is a show that I would highly suggest if you are a fan of a bit of mystery, comedy, and drama. These are woven perfectly together in a beautiful tapestry of mayhem and murder. It will make you root for the Garvey sisters.
Allegedly, this has been renewed by Apple TV+ for a second season in November of 2022. This means that we should eventually get more about the Garvey’s sisters and their exploits. When that starts, I know I will be watching to see where they take the story next.
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