GIF from @derekstilinski (shakes fist at the GIF search function)
I still have a handful of Joel Fryās past roles to talk about, but this is a new project, which makes me happy! Be warned, this show isnāt for the faint of heartāthe premise is troubling, and thereās a strong secondhand-discomfort factor at various pointsābut it features yet another really stellar supporting performance from Joel.Ā
Alice and Steve have known each other for 30 years. While they dated way back when, much of that time has been spent as best friends. When divorced Steve confesses to married-with-kids Alice, āI wish I was in love andā¦and had a baby!ā, she encourages him to look for a younger woman (since most women in their 50s canāt have babies.) Unfortunately for everyone involved, Steve does find a younger woman: Aliceās 26-year-old daughter Izzy, whoās just moved back home after a tough breakup. A drunken hookup turns into a real relationship, and Alice is incensed, ready to burn down all their lives to put a stop to it.
Iām not gonna lie, things get rough. The show takes pains to downplay some of the creepiness inherent in Steve and Izzy getting together, but it obviously canāt be avoided (nor should it.) Whatās more, although Aliceās misgivings about the relationship are super valid, she goes about expressing them in the most toxic, scorched-earth way possible. Sheās out to punish Steve, and in doing so, she has such tunnel vision that sheās hurting everyone around her, herself included. She interferes with Steveās career, she humiliates Izzy in front of her friends, she loudly talks about her sexual history with Steve in front of her husband, and just generally, she doesnāt consider anyoneās feelings but her own. Steve is in the most compromised position here, getting together with a woman half his age who heās known all her life, but Aliceās self-centered viciousness backfires on her to the point where it makes Steve seem more sympathetic by comparison.
While I wouldnāt call it an enjoyable show precisely, itās a compelling one, full of messy people who are bringing out the worst in each other. It can be too quick to go for predictably lazy ātwistsā at times, and I think it tries to cover too much within six half-hour episodesāby the time we get to the finale, there just isnāt enough time to deal with it all. Still, itās fascinating to watch Alice implode and see her scramble to hold her life together even as sheās blowing everything up.
A few fun casting notes here. Steve is played by Jemaine Clement (opposite Nicola Walkerās devastatingly raw performance as Alice)āadding to the list of famous Kiwis Joel Fry has worked with! Also, Danielās minor subplot features a coworker played by Lydia Wilson, who starred in Requiem with Joel. The two have a very different dynamic on this show, which is neat!
But okay, letās talk about Joel Fryās performance! Daniel is Aliceās husband and Izzyās stepdad, a sweet guy caught in the middle of a shit storm. In addition to his job as a music teacher, Daniel handles most of the cooking at home and keeps the household running smoothly. Heās not any happier about the Steve/Izzy situation than Alice is, but unlike her, his primary concern is for Izzy rather than himself, and he desperately tries to rein in Aliceās cruelest impulses for the sake of their daughter.
Iām not claiming Daniel isnāt flawed. He can be avoidant, and he sometimes gets petty/passive-aggressive when he feels like itās the only card he can play, but heās the one trying his best to keep the peace. While other characters view him as too weak or passive, heās actually not a pushover. Danielās patience isnāt inexhaustibleāwhen heās able to choose his moment, heās forthright about what he thinks/feels and doesnāt meekly accept the way Alice lashes out at him in response.
Joel Fry was such a great choice for this character. In someone elseās hands, a quieter character like Daniel could easily get lost in the shuffle amid much louder, more forceful personalities, but Joelās nonverbal acting is always on point. Even when Daniel isnāt speaking in a scene, his viewpoint still comes through. Additionally, heās good at playing sensitive without coming across as weak. In this role, Joel is by turns quietly funny, gently rootable, and heartbreakingly sympathetic. Every time Daniel is able to stand up for himself, he makes me want to cheer him on! If you can handle the ugliness this show throws at you, I think itās worth it to see this lovely, understated performance.
