The series explores a group of demons that are found in a contemporary American family. It is a family consisting of a group of adult siblings whose previous secrets and scars are suddenly revealed. In those moments, the secrets were revealed when their black sheep from the brother suddenly returned home.
The premiere left me a little concerned that the overheated dialogue and drawn-out mysteries of Bloodline would frustrate me too much in the long run. By the end of the third episode, I would have dropped my plans for the day to watch at least one more.
With its dark ambience, stony performances and deliberate pace, Bloodline has a dastardly reticence to it that may turn off viewers. But once the series starts to get its claws into you, a long night of binge-watching seems inevitable.
A certain amount of trust has to go with Bloodline. The team behind it is first-rate, the actors too. And because this is a project designed for binge-watching, maybe the pace will work in its favor.
From a plot standpoint, Bloodline is completely flat, using its shifting timelines as a trick to make mundane developments seem more ominous than they really are.
That noir family dynamic is what makes this show tick. The flashbacks smartly give the audience access to those magic mirrors. We get to understand what the Rayburns see when they look at each other. And like them, we have no idea who can we trust.
It's the shenanigans with the timeline - and the way they tend to illustrate how ultimately hollow the characters are, even with these superb actors playing them... that won't have me racing to finish the rest of the first Bloodline season anytime soon.
Chandler's John Rayburn may not be able to see what's coming next, but binge-happy Netflix subscribers certainly can. A lighter touch is needed when the space between episodes is seven seconds, not seven days.