Mystery thrillers are one of those genres that one can never get enough of. Trying to make sense of the puzzle before the film/show explicitly states the solution is where the joy lies! Amazon Prime’s The Girlfriend is one of the recent mystery thrillers that I thoroughly enjoyed. The complex relationship between the mother and son, the girlfriend’s backstory, and the constant tapping into the ‘is she actually a dubious person or is it just prejudice?’ and, of course, the final shocking revelation altogether results in six engaging episodes. The key lies in striking the right balance between arousing curiosity and revealing information. Peacock’s new limited series All Her Fault revolves around the abduction of a six-year-old child, Milo. His mother, Marissa, arrived at the location she was texted by Jenny, one of the mothers who had arranged a playdate. But when she reached the spot, her son was not there. The house didn’t belong to Jenny, and when she called her, Jenny was taken by surprise. She hadn’t arranged a playdate, and she couldn’t figure out what resulted in the misunderstanding. No one knew where Milo was, and every passing second Marissa felt her son was being taken further away from her.
All Her Fault is not just about the mysterious disappearance of Milo; the show delves into how, often, only mothers face the brunt whenever something unfortunate happens to their children. It is almost instinctive for us to find fault in the mother, because it’s expected that her sole purpose of existence is to be accountable for her child. This is perhaps the most crucial and distinctive layer to the story. The title of the show is quite smart—one immediately assumes that maybe a woman is responsible for what unfolds, but as the story progresses, you realize that the title mocks society’s assumption. It’s a reminder that although both the parents are supposed to be equally responsible for their child’s well-being and safety, the father is often spared from being subjected to heavy criticism. Marissa was struggling to grapple with the situation she was in, and she felt a rush of rage when her husband, Peter, insinuated that she should have been more careful. She believed anyone in her situation could’ve fallen for the fake texts that she’d received, and she was disheartened when her husband didn’t even refrain from faulting her. The complex dynamic between the husband and wife and the imbalance in the share of responsibilities when it came to their child adds tension as well as makes an important social commentary on the inequality in parenthood in most cases.
When detectives Alcaras and Greco were first assigned the case, they assumed it was another abduction for ransom. But to their surprise, they didn’t receive any calls from the kidnapper(s). If it wasn’t for money, they wondered if it was a case of human trafficking, but the more clues they discovered, the more they realized that the answer wasn’t really as formulaic. Detective Alcaras didn’t expect to come to the conclusion that maybe the reason behind the kidnapping wasn’t rooted in a desire to cause harm to the child or extort money from the parents, but then again, what was the motive? Why would an individual become obsessed with a child to the point of planning an abduction? The detectives struggled to figure out what was actually going on. The incident forced Marissa to address the shortcomings in her marriage. She tried to be an understanding wife, and she didn’t give up on their marriage even after Peter made an offensive statement. She wanted to believe that it was the high-pressure situation that was making them say things that they would eventually regret, and she tried to look past it, but the more she learned about Peter, the more she wondered if he was even the man she’d fallen in love with. The distrust between the husband and wife further complicates the situation, to the point that Marissa couldn’t even blindly rely on the father of her child.
The characters in All Her Fault are well-sketched. The idea is to make the audience suspect almost every character on the show, and it works to an extent. They all came with baggage, so you can theorize on the motive of each individual, and that keeps things interesting. However, I must admit that not all the characters are particularly unique, and within a couple of episodes, you can pretty much guess who might be behind it all. The mystery is not in the who, but rather the why. The show relies heavily on coincidence or divine fate, if you might call it that, to explain the why. While divine coincidences have been used as a plot device in films for decades, I found it a little too convenient. Also, you can’t help but wonder how lucky one has to be to repeatedly get away after committing serious offenses! The climax didn’t feel quite effective—the surveillance cameras are absent when you actually need them, and the alarm system is turned off exactly before something disastrous happens. As I’ve said before, it’s just A LOT of coincidences!
All Her Fault lacks a strong mystery thriller element, despite some intriguing bits and pieces. But what really worked for the show is the social commentary. Despite feeling hopeless, Marissa found a friend in a woman she had only recently met. Jenny and Marissa’s friendship stemmed from frustration and sisterhood. They were both mothers desperately trying to find the right balance between home and work, and they deeply resonated with one another. They didn’t have to pretend to have things under control when they were together, and they could just be their authentic selves without fearing any judgment. Sarah Snook (Succession, The Dressmaker) as Marissa brilliantly captures the horror of a mother who was completely clueless about what was going on. Somewhere deep down, she must have wondered if she’d done enough for her son every second. Jake Lacy (Carol, The White Lotus) aptly captures Peter’s complexity and his constant need to feel important. Dakota Fanning’s (The Perfect Couple and, most recently, Vicious) Jenny is a calming presence in the chaos. There’s a lot that unravels, and Jenny becomes Marissa’s safe space. As a working woman, Marissa was familiar with the aching feeling of losing one’s identity in the course of being a perfect mother, and that helped her bond with Jenny at first. During the lowest point in their lives, they found a quiet strength in each other, a testament to female camaraderie, resilience, and compassion.
