TV Review – Alias Grace
Share:
Alias Grace is the latest adaptation of a Margaret Atwood novel, following the huge success of The Handmaid’s Tale. The Netflix series documents the attempts of Simon Jordan to establish whether convicted murderess Grace Marks could be gotten off her charge by reason of insanity. It is a fictional story based on fact, with Atwood’s narrative based around fictional interviews with Jordan.
Although a little on the short side, the series has a rather gripping charm about it. The central characters’ moral ambiguity is largely what makes the story so intriguing. That, and the lavishly dressed simplicity of a tale which we’ve seen before in other forms, but still have great affection for. It is not by any means a typical drama or thriller, it is much too clever and delicate for that, but pull back the wallpaper and it has all the key ingredients for a fantastic murder mystery.
Netflix, as always, can be credited with excellent attention to detail and production. It is, by all means, a very well put together series aesthetically, as well as being incredibly strong on plot. It’s certainly an easy watch, and being so short (coming in at only six episodes) it never feels as though it’s dragging. Maybe as a consequence of this, the ending feels a little rushed, although there’s a chance that that is just the fact you don’t want it to end.