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Binge Worthy: Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace

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   Alias Grace is based on the Margaret Atwood 1996 Historical Fiction novel of the same name about Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), a young girl who emigrated from Ireland to Canada with her family in the early 19th Century. It's a fictionalized version of the 1843 homicide case. At the age of 16, in 1843, Grace was convicted of killing her employer Thomas Kinnear (Paul Gross) and his housekeeper/lover, Nancy Montgomery (Anna Paquin). She was sentenced to death alongside fellow servant James McDermott but only McDermott ended up getting hanged. Grace claimed that she didn't remember anything concerning the murder and it led to a lot of confusion. Some argued that she was the main perpetrator of the act while others say she was coerced by McDermott. After being held prisoner for 15 years at Ontario's Kingston Penitentiary, Grace recounts the story to Dr. Simon Jordan (Edward Holcroft), an Alienist  (ancient term for Psychologist/ Psychiatrist) who is hired by a reverend (David Cronenberg) to speak to Grace and find evidence to prove that she wasn't responsible for the murders. 
Image via Indiewire.com
After seeing Atwood's The Handmaids Tale, I had no doubt that Alias Grace was going to be an amazing show and I'm so glad I wasn't disappointed. The entire show revolves around the question "Did she do it?". It's like, the more Grace talks to Dr. Jordan, the more you're confused and left wondering what really happened on that fateful day at Mr. Kinnear's house. I can't even explain how extremely phenomenal Gadon was as Grace Marks. The way she spoke and her body language brought so much life to the character and she deserves awards for it. Let's not even talk about how amazing the dialogue was, I was hooked from the first scene. It's obvious that Grace had lived a very sad life filled with sexual, emotional and physical abuse which only became worse after the death of her best friend Mary Whitney (Rebecca Liddiard). Edward Holcroft's Dr. Jordan was a very compelling character and you could see that his relationship with Grace was a little complicated. I only wish we got more of his character. Anna Paquin plays Nancy and she was so good at switching her moods. One minute she's angry and yelling at Grace and James and the next minute she's smiling and asking them to make dinner. It was really creepy and I felt she had a mental issue.
Image via dailymotion.com
The six-episode drama highlights what women have been through over the years, especially how the servants are treated by their masters, focusing on sexual abuse, race, gender and male privilege. The way they worked with the camera was amazing and made the whole experience intense. From Grace remembering her friend Mary, to the thud from Nancy's body falling down the stairs and to her amazing needle work, it was flawless. The final episode was gripping and perhaps one of its darkest. Grace under the hypnosis of Jeremiah was a bit scary to watch. The fact that she had no recollection of what she said drove Dr. Jordan crazy. According to him, hypnosis allowed Grace to speak the truth without worrying about the consequences. She ends up staying in prison for a total of 30 years, finally getting out at the age of 46. 
Image via Indiewire.com
    I wasn't satisfied with Dr. Jordan's story line. Why did he have meaningless sex with his landlady? He ends up doing a bunch of random things that didn't make sense to me. It felt like they were quickly giving us more of Dr. Jordan in the final episode and I didn't really care so much anymore. If Dr. Jordan had a little more character development, maybe I would have. In the final scene, Grace speaks about making a quilt from pieces of cloth from Mary's dress, the dress Nancy wore the first time she got to the house and one from the dress she wore in the penitentiary. It ends with her staring deeply into the camera and this gave me serious goosebumps. I enjoyed every minute of this show and I urge you to see it. Words are not enough to describe how captivating it is and I hope it receives as much awards as it deserves. All six episodes will start streaming on Netflix from Saturday, November 4th. Happy binging!


RATING 10/10
BASED ON Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood 
WRITER Sarah Polley
DIRECTOR Mary Harron
STARRING Sarah Gadon, Edward Holcroft, Rebecca Liddiard, Zachary Levi, Kerr Logan, David Cronenberg, Paul Gross, Anna Paquin
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