Friendship with a twist
Dead to Me is a black comedy of sorts—a ‘tragicomedy’—about the friendship of two
Dead to Me is a black comedy of sorts—a ‘tragicomedy’—about the friendship of two
Dead to Me is a black comedy of sorts—a ‘tragicomedy’—about the friendship of two
Dead to Me is a black comedy of sorts—a ‘tragicomedy’—about the friendship of two
Dead to Me is a black comedy of sorts—a ‘tragicomedy’—about the friendship of two women, as ugly truths tumble out of their closets.
Jen (Christina Applegate) is struggling to find closure after the death of her husband Ted, in a hit-and-run accident. She meets Judy (Linda Cardellini) at a grief support group, who says her fiancé died of a heart attack. They form an unlikely friendship despite their different personalities. Jen, a real estate agent and mother of two, is high-strung and has anger issues. Her idea of meditation is listening to head-banging, metal-core music. Judy, on the other hand, is more of a free spirit, who would prefer to loosen up by smoking a joint on a secluded beach at night.
The women deal with their grief over long phone calls on sleepless nights, and bond over a shared love for chocolate chip cookies and the sitcom, The Facts of Life.Things start unravelling when Jen finds out that Judy's fiancé Steve (James Marsden) is still alive. Through flashbacks, we are shown that Judy has secrets that could jeopardise her friendship with Jen.
After the initial shock, the two decide to give their friendship another go, and Judy moves in with Jen. Jen is glad that Judy is not one of those 'friends' who pretend to empathise and make her “Mexican lasagnas”. As Jen uncovers secrets about her late husband, she is determined to find the person responsible for his death. Judy has her own problems dealing with Steve, who acts quite the jerk.
Applegate and Cardellini are brilliant as Jen and Judy. There are beautiful moments in their friendship, even as things turn messy―a possible murder or manslaughter, secrets, despair, twists, and even plot holes.
Dead to Me ticks all the right boxes to pass the Bechdel test. The plot, while slightly disturbing, feels more real than similar stories that always end with the woman hitting the road to “find herself”. The show embraces its weirdness or, in Jen’s words, “woo-woo stuff”. And it is this woo-woo stuff that makes Dead to Me a watchable, even memorable, series.
DEAD TO ME
Available on Netflix
Rating 3.5/5