S01.E01: The Delaneys

[Snazzy Daisy]

Synopsis:

Quote

Joy and Stan Delaney find that retirement isn't what they hoped until a mysterious visitor arrives. When Joy later goes missing, her children wonder if foul play is involved.

Air Date: March 14, 2024

[ShowsILoveToHate]

I just finished watching this first episode. Not sure what to make of the dad’s huge slash on his left cheek. The wife has been missing 4 days at this point, but I can see that it’s going to be a flash-forward and a flash-backward kind of show. 
 

Starting the second episode now.

As of now, I’m in! 🍿 📺 

[Chaos Theory]

Oh good doing an episode by episode of this show.   This kind of mystery is right up my alley and one of my favorite things to watch currently.  So if it is half way interesting I am in.

The Delenays looks like the typical family for this kind of mystery.  Wealthy.  White.  Large enough to have enough red herrings and seeming close knit but with an air of something bubbling below the surface that the tennis matches picked at like an old scab.

Always been a fan of Annette Benning  and playing a recently retired married mother who disappears unexpectedly but we see in what amounts to flashbacks is going to be a fun roll.  Hearing her talk about retirement is disconcerting….but probably true.  
 

Taking in a stranger for the night is ill advised.   Letting her stay indefinitely is what murder mysteries are made of.

Oh wait….

 

 

Edited March 15 by Chaos Theory

[Snazzy Daisy]

Just like Liane Moriarty’s other two adaptations, ANF has the same TV trope of “nothing is as it seems”.

Joy hides behind her “everything is great” smile both in public and with her children. She seems to be the rock and glue of the Delaney family but they take her for granted. She called all her kids on the day she disappeared but none bothered to pick up their phones. How devastating to be underappreciated like that.

Stan seems OK during their retirement party but he is so moody and grumpy behind closed door. He’s difficult to be around, not even their retirement holiday can uplift his mood. His competitive nature is evident as he takes pleasure to pit his kids against one another. And what’s with the animosity towards Harry Haddad, the Grand Slam winner?

The presence of Savannah has lightened things a bit between Joy and Stan, but who is she? Her eagerness to find out the names of the Delaney kids (and their professions too) is really suspicious. We see Joy’s bloody and damaged bike being loaded into a truck and driven away. Is that Savannah in the driver’s seat?

Not loving the “Now” and “Then” frequent time jumps. Both timelines look the same, cinematographically, we just need to pay attention to the label on our screen to differentiate them.

Am only on episode one. I find the mystery surrounding Joy’s disappearance isn’t compelling enough but Annette Bening’s performance will make up for it. Am more interested in the family’s deepest secrets and Stan’s shady behavior.

[SoMuchTV]

For some reason I can’t really put my finger on, I just got a weird vibe from the first several minutes of the episode. Sort of like, everyone was “acting” not acting. 

But, I guess I’m interested enough in the mystery, and I see people have liked the book, so I guess I’ll stick with it. 

[HelloooKitty]

The dad is so angry and combative! At first I wondered if he was maybe suffering from the early stages of dementia (to be revealed later) as that is common of someone with the illness but conversations between the other characters make it seem he was always that way. At least behind closed doors. 
 

I didn’t watch White Lotus ( no hbo at my house) so I only know the oldest son as Pete from the office and I liked that character so I’m inclined to like this one. He certainly seems the most together of the kids. 

[EtheltoTillie]

14 hours ago, HelloooKitty said:

I didn’t watch White Lotus ( no hbo at my house) so I only know the oldest son as Pete from the office and I liked that character so I’m inclined to like this one. He certainly seems the most together of the kids. 

Jake Lacy was such a jerk in White Lotus. The character, that is. 
I totally didn’t recognize Sam Neill with the beard!  

Edited March 16 by EtheltoTillie

[peachmangosteen]

Jake Lacy played a pedophile in Friend of the Family and he was scarily good at it so I can't trust him ever again lol.

[EtheltoTillie]

8 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Jake Lacy played a pedophile in Friend of the Family and he was scarily good at it so I can't trust him ever again lol.

I found that show too creepy to finish, so I didn’t remember he was in it. Yes scary indeed. 

[Shermie]

I find Jake Lacy has a punchable face, which may work with his character. Seems all the kids and their father are somewhat narcissistic, and they all take their mother for granted, even though she was the driving force behind the tennis academy and their family.

I read the book but don’t remember much. I read a lot of domestic thrillers and they all blend together after a while.

[dancingdreamer]

We enjoyed  it. Of course,   I've guessed  whodunnit,  if indeed it was done.

I think  Savannah  banged on their door, knowing full well who lived there.

[Lois Sandborne]

On 3/16/2024 at 4:30 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

I totally didn’t recognize Sam Neill with the beard!

Same, I was halfway into the first episode before I realized. It was the eyes that finally clicked for me.

I fell asleep the first time through this. I think the pacing and time jumps were too hard to follow. But watching a second time hooked me. "Savannah" feels like a huge red herring. And I know it's very Liane Moriarty to make everyone in the story horrible, but wow, extra credit for this one. Even Joy the "put upon mom" kind of sucks.

On 3/22/2024 at 1:50 PM, Shermie said:

I find Jake Lacy has a punchable face

I think this is true, but his character is much less of a jerk than in White Lotus, so I can see he's kind of hot.