Sharp Objects (TV, 2018)

Creator: Marti Noxon
Stars: Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina

Synopsis: A reporter confronts the psychological demons from her past when she returns to her hometown to cover a violent murder.

Verdict: In the little obscure town of Wind Gap, the violent murder of a young girl drives a reporter back to the place in which she grew up. But what was waiting for her there was a much bigger challenge than what she had anticipated as she quickly becomes haunted by past traumas related to both events that occurred during her childhood and a reignited difficult relationship with her mother.

Based on a novel written by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) and helmed by Jean-Marc Vallée (Big Little Lies), this HBO limited series does fall into cliché territory in its world-building. Other than the fact that it takes place in a familiar setting, the majority of characters also do come off as parodies of themselves at times. But what separates "Sharp Objects" from other projects that fall in the same genre is its oddly calm atmosphere. I very rarely found myself on the edge of my seat, but was also never bored by the transpiring events despite finding the overall number of episodes to be slightly greater than needed. While Amy Adams' Camille lacked the strong development promised to her, her performance alone is enough to make her an interesting and complex protagonist. But the two ladies who truly stole the show for me were Patricia Clarkson, who portrayed her despicable mother, and Eliza Scanlen, who played her Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde inspired teenage half-sister.

My biggest issues with the series ultimately came down to its overbearing use of flashbacks, which works at times but at others felt extremely unnecessary, as well as its closing few minutes. Without spoiling anything, the ending was satisfying but the narrative decided to an extra step that completely ruined it for me. Nevertheless, if what I'm describing sounds interesting to you, don't let these criticisms stop you from giving it a shot.

FINAL GRADE: 7/10