With Netflix’s recent push to produce as much original content as possible, the entire first season of “Bloodline” was made available within just a month of the third season premiere of “House of Cards” and the new Tina Fey-produced comedy “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” Many criticize the release of an entire season at once, citing viewers who “binge watch” and typically gloss over specific and important points of individual episodes. Still, Netflix stands by this method, and the new series “Bloodline” was tailor-made for this viewing experience.
“Bloodline” is cut from a very similar cloth to the team that wrote and produced the FX/Audience Network legal thriller “Damage,” which starred big names like Glenn Close and Rose Byrne and always had an impressive rotation of actors. The similarities between the two series arise with the plots’ structures — “Damages” used the flash-forward method, showing a certain event that the series would gradually build up to.
“Bloodline” is set in the Florida Keys and follows the privileged and prominent Rayburn family. This close-knit set of four adult siblings appears average, happy and blissful, but with the return of oldest son Danny (Ben Mendelsohn), secrets begin to reveal themselves. The family is initially close with parents Robert and Sally (Sam Shepard and Sissy Spacek) — who run a successful beachside inn — but a storm is brewing in the distance. From the first episode, you can tell that the family is bound to crack.
The cast for “Bloodline” is simply one of impeccable talent. The ensemble on this show rivals those seen in the film world. Kyle Chandler returns to television after “Friday Night Lights” as John Rayburn, a detective in the county sheriff’s office. The show even manages to have talents like Chloe Sevigny of “American Horror Story” fame as an almost minor background character. Other cast members include Norbert Leo Burtz as hotheaded brother Kevin Rayburn and Linda Cardellini as Meg Rayburn — the single daughter of the family.
The beginning of the series slowly introduces us to the characters and hints at where the season will end. Like “Damages,” the first episode of “Bloodline” flashes forward to a dark series of events that appear to be a result of family turmoil. With episodes clocking in about a full hour, getting through an episode can sometimes feel like a long task. Still, the show is full of juicy cliffhangers which keep the viewer engaged through some lengthy sequences of dialogue.
Despite the potential oversaturation of content, “Bloodline” proves to be a formidable installment for Netflix. Concerns arise with the use of the same flash-forward structure in future seasons, but in the meantime, the first season of “Bloodline” is a psychological drama sure to entertain for hours on time.
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