A Complex Life: HBO’s Unforgettable “Olive Kitteridge” | TV/Streaming
The episodic, nearly Raymond Carver-esque feel of “Olive Kitteridge” is due to the fact that writer Jane Anderson has adapted the mini-series from a collection of short stories by Elizabeth Strout, which won the Pulitzer Prize. The stories span 25 years, and six of them have been adapted into four episodes here. Each episode feels focused in its own narrative, with different characters taking center stage but all of the narrative threads play into the unpredictability of life and the complexity of human emotion. As the HBO tagline says, “There’s no such thing as a simple life.”
Take the second episode, easily the best of the four and one of the best hours of TV this year, which spends a lot of time on two elements—the return of a suicidal young man to town, coinciding with the wedding of Chris Kitteridge (John Gallagher). Olive is faced with stark reminders of the past and future in a former friend of her son in whom she can see the open wounds of his mother’s depression, and that ultimate emotional whirlpool that is a child’s wedding. There are unexpected life interruptions in “Olive Kitteridge” that don’t feel manipulative. When a character dies unexpectedly or saves a life unexpectedly, it fits into the narrative fabric of the overall piece. And reflects something about reality rarely captured. A life-saver may have been planning to kill himself mere moments before. The start of a happy life can be suddenly ended by a tragedy. Kids get married, kids get divorced. We can’t predict the future and we can’t live in the past. We may think someone is perfect for someone else, only to watch them grow up into a manipulative asshole. We may think someone is the wrong fit, but not be able to say so.
Of course, all of this rich subtext wouldn’t work without the kind of complex performers that Lisa Cholodenko (“The Kids Are All Right”) expertly assembled for this project. It’s undeniable that Kitteridge, with her blend of world-weariness and cynicism, fits like a glove for Frances McDormand, but that doesn’t make what she does here any less remarkable. The opening scene of the second episode, in which Olive is basically intervening in a suicide and knows it but can’t say it, is a master class in acting. It’s one of the best scenes of the year in all of television. Richard Jenkins is a perfect acting partner for her, offsetting Olive’s pessimism with a wide-eyed will to see the good in everyone. In the first episode, Jenkins’ Henry hires a new employee (Zoe Kazan) at his pharmacy, and develops a clear attraction for the naïve girl who is the opposite of his bitter wife. The way Jenkins plays Henry’s longing for a bit more joy while still maintaining the character of a man who seems unlikely to do anything about his new feelings contains real depth. Bill Murray doesn’t show up until night two, as a widower who draws closer to Olive. Even small roles, like those filled out by DeWitt, Ann Dowd, John Gallagher and more, are expertly cast and directed.
