What to watch
It certainly opens with an arresting and tantalising image. A mansion awash with flames, a tearful, gaunt-looking Reese Witherspoon watching her home burn out of control.
And there will be at least one more jaw-dropping moment in the opening episode of Little Fires Everywhere (now streaming on Amazon Prime Video).
An eight-part adaptation of Celeste Ng’s 2017 novel, it’s a series destined to be this year’s Big Little Lies, even if, at times, it feels more like a season of Desperate Housewives.
Perhaps that’s due to the presence of Liz Tigelaar (Revenge, Brothers & Sisters) on screenwriting duties, although it could also be down to just how much ‘‘trauma’’ Witherspoon’s perkily perfect Elena Richardson has to endure over the story’s four-month timeframe.
A mother-of-four and part-time journalist (whose oft-repeated claim to fame is having interviewed US attorney general Janet Reno), Elena is the heart, soul and spirit of Ohio’s Shaker Heights.
America’s first planned community, it’s a place where people ‘‘do kind things for kind people who appreciate kindness’’ – and the grass can’t be more than 15cm high.
So when, on her way to work, Elena spots a woman living in her car, she calls the cops.
Just hours later, she has another chance to ‘‘help’’ Mia Warren (Kerry Washington) and her teenage daughter Pearl (Lexi Underwood), when they come to view her apartment.
Not only offering them a discount, she even suggests the artist might like to become her housekeeper. The latter option is quickly rebuffed, a move that perplexes Elena.
But lately, she herself has had a lot to vex her. And it’s not just whether the book club should be reading Memoirs of a Geisha or The Vagina Monologues next.
Sure, eldest daughter Lexie (Jade Pettyjohn) follows the rules for success, but her youngest Izzy (Megan Stott) seems intent on rebellion.
‘‘She doesn’t participate,’’ Elena opines to husband Bill (Joshua Jackson).
‘‘She’s 14, it’s her job to take everything for granted,’’ he reassures her.
As Elena continues to rant, Bill wonders, ‘‘you ever think about talking to someone?’’
‘‘I’m talking to you,’’ she fires back.
Very much a show of crackling, pithy dialogue, deliberate contrasts, and memorable set pieces, Little Fires bursts into life as Witherspoon’s character’s perfect world starts crumbling around her. The mother-daughter relationship comparisons between the Richardsons and the Warrens might be a little heavy handled, but it will certainly provoke post-watch discussions on parenting styles.
But while Washington (Scandal) and Witherspoon (Big Little Lies) are the undoubted stars, it’s the young cast who really impress.
Newcomer Stott is a revelation as ‘‘troubled’’ Izzy, while Gavin Lewis (Prince of Peoria) is a scenestealer as the Richardson’s introverted son Moody.
Throw in some classic era-setting choice cuts from the 90s, and the result is an engaging, addictive, drama-filled watch.
Meanwhile, those after something with a little more grit than gloss should check out Netflix’s Inhuman Resources.
An instantly compelling six-part thriller, it’s the story of struggling ‘‘senior’’ Alain Delambre. A former HR executive, he’s spent the past six years trying to make ends meet after being made redundant. Constant rejection and humiliation has left him angry, and now retaliating against a boss who kicked him means he’s not only out of a job, but potentially facing a crippling court case and fine.
That’s when an unexpected lifeline appears. Alain is shortlisted for a position at aerospace company Exxya. Although he’s seemingly underqualified, they assure him that he’s just the man for the task. They want to rigorously test some potential new hires and they need someone to put them through a unique scenario. Desperate for meaningful work, Alain accepts, despite his daughter’s concern about working for an organisation with a ruthless reputation. As the opening episode demonstrates, it’s a move that will have lasting repercussions.
Directed by Lebanese helmer Ziad Doueiri (2017 taut courtroom thriller The Insult), this is finally the vehicle Eric Cantona fans have been waiting for. Inhuman Resources makes full use of the former Manchester United footballer’s ‘‘special set of skills’’, whether that’s eloquent brooding or lashing out.
Once the subject of a Ken Loach movie, Looking for Eric, this actually feels like a natural progression for the 54-year-old. Alain could well be a modern-day Loach leading man, albeit one with sensibilities you usually associate with characters played by Liam Neeson.
It won’t take long for you to get hooked.