If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past several years, it’s that Reese Witherspoon has clearly read more popular novels about women of a certain age dealing with family issues in their upper class enclaves than I have. Which is a long way of saying that I had never even heard of Little Fires Everywhere before it popped up into my screener queue a month or so ago. I had also never heard of Big Little Lies before it showed up on HBO. And, as someone who never much cared for the soapy drama of Lies, I’m probably not the best person to review Little Fires Everywhere. So, to get it right out of the way, Little Fires Everywhere isn’t my cup of tea. I do, however, suspect that many of the folks who loved Big Little Lies will also enjoy this limited series, so I’m going to do my best to let you know what you can expect.
I’ve seen seven of the eight episodes of the show, and it’s an incredibly well acted series. Witherspoon stars (and executive produces) as Elena Richardson, a highly privileged white woman living in the tony suburbs of Ohio with her successful husband (Joshua Jackson) and four children. She’s the kind of proto-liberal woman who brags about how she would never be racist because she has several black friends (actually, in the series, it’s because her eldest daughter is dating a black boy – seriously). She’s also the kind of person who cannot imagine someone thinking of her as anything other than the open-hearted, kind, and thoughtful woman she sees herself as. Only, it’s pretty clear from the word “Go” that she’s definitely not that person. Witherspoon is great at conveying her sense of confusion of this disconnect that she cannot even see for herself. And, if you can stomach watching Elena take several episodes to even begin to see herself as anything but this, well, you’ll enjoy the performance as well.
Giving just as fine of a performance is Kerry Washington as Mia Warren, a nomadic artist that stumbles upon Shaker Heights, OH with her daughter, Pearl (Lexi Underwood, giving a sensational performance as a teenager desperate for a “normal” life). Quickly, Elena offers the Warrens a rental property of hers and offers Mia a job as her maid – which is quite the loaded ask. As Pearl quickly finds a place within the Richardson family (she attends high school with three of their children and spends many an afternoon at their gorgeous home), Mia is desperate to keep an eye on her in an attempt to keep her from being too influenced by her wealthier (and less socially conscious) peers. In the process, Mia bonds on a deep level with the black sheep of the Richardson family – Izzy (Megan Stott), who chafes under Elena’s demands and who has a penchant for starting fires (guess where this is headed. . .).
There’s a lot to unpack within the series, from clashes between children and parents (something that gets tiresome to watch again and again – neither mother is particularly adept at listening to their children, although Elena is particularly harsh with Izzy in a way Mia never is with Pearl), to the racial tensions within the two families and the town as a whole. It’s a lot. And while it’s presented well (the production values are high, the performances are great, the writing is pretty good), the whole series just left me cold. Now, as I said, it might just be that this type of drama doesn’t resonate with me. But I didn’t find myself connecting with the characters, I didn’t find the struggles of being rich in a rich world all that compelling, and I didn’t feel connected enough to Mia and her personal struggles to empathize with her beyond a surface level. It’s entirely possible others will find the series compelling, but I just didn’t.
The hardest review for a critic to write is one that recognizes the strengths of a series but also recognizes that the series didn’t succeed in the goals it set for itself (at least from the critic’s point of view). I’m as ambivalent as I’ve ever been about a series in regard to Little Fires Everywhere. I honestly could have stopped watching after the first episode, read the Wikipedia entry, and been satisfied. If you loved Big Little Lies, I suspect this series will hit you right in the sweet spot. If you found yourself wholly bored with those housewives and their lives, then this isn’t the series for you.
Little Fires Everywhere premieres Wednesday, March 18 on Hulu with the first three episodes. The subsequent five episodes will be released weekly.
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