Why You Will Love And Fire Smoldering Everywhere If You Don't Expect Too Much From It

This series is an adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name by Celeste Ing, which combines an almost melodramatic plot and social overtones. That is why you should not expect special dynamics and unexpected turns from the TV project. The series "And fires are smoldering everywhere" pleases mainly with acting and lively themes.

Clash of opposites

The series is set in the late nineties in the small American town of Shaker Heights. Respectable families live here, literally obsessed with order, planning and cleanliness. Elena Richardson (Reese Witherspoon) also belongs to this type. She has a husband, four children, a nice home, and some accomplishments in journalism. But most importantly, in Elena's life everything is subordinated to the plan, even the most personal moments.

Suddenly, the heroine meets Mia Warren (Carrie Washington) - an artist, photographer and in general a creative person who came with her daughter Pearl (Lexie Underwood) to the city and temporarily lives in a car. In a strange way, two dissimilar women eventually find a common language. Their children begin to be friends, and then Mia gets a job at the Richardson house. But at the very beginning of the first episode, it was already shown that all this would lead to problems.

"And fires are smoldering everywhere" - a series about the collision of two completely opposite worlds. Elena and Mia are clear reflections of each other. And it's not just about appearance and belonging to different classes.

The series "And fires are smoldering everywhere."

One wants to keep everything under control and clearly plan for the future. Another loves spontaneity and is ready to move every two months to a new city. Elena has sex on a schedule, Mia is not shy about casual relationships. You can list here for a very long time. But more importantly, each of them finds in a new acquaintance something that she herself so lacked in life. But what result this will lead to, we can only guess.

Equal conflicts

Even more interesting is that this approach does not allow the story to lean towards excessive moralizing. At first it seems that Mia's arrival is a good shake-up for a city that is too quiet, where children do not even have to cross the road to school. But gradually it becomes clear: the main characters have many flaws, and most importantly, problems. And it is based on an almost Tolstoyan morality that every family is unhappy in its own way.

It is no coincidence that the opponents of the heroines are often their children. The younger generation is given no less time in the plot. And here, in contrast, for example, to the Spanish "Elite" just among teenagers, the difference in level and lifestyle is perceived much easier: Pearl communicates with young Richardsons, and one of Elena's daughters finds a common language with the creative Mia.

And it's not for nothing that all of Elena's children are not alike: there are future careerists, ready for not the most decent deeds for the sake of success, and typical rebels. They seem to show that even with the same upbringing, individuality is more important to the young generation, and not a standard way of life.

Which of their behavior is considered adolescent whims, and which is the spirit of the new time, to which parents are not used to, it is up to the audience to decide. After all, it is not for nothing that the action develops in the late nineties - a period of stability and recovery in the United States, when many people did not take talk of change seriously.

Elements of "Big Little Lies" and family melodrama

It is known that the film adaptation was initiated by Reese Witherspoon, who really liked the novel. At the same time, Celeste Ing herself in an interview with Elle told Writer Celeste Ing about the new romance and work with Reese Witherspoon, that she watched Jean-Marc Vallee's Big Little Lies and decided that the actress is perfect for the role of Elena.

Reese Witherspoon in the series "Fires Smolder Everywhere"

The new project, of course, initially evokes a lot of associations with the HBO hit. Witherspoon, in fact, appears here in the same image as in "Big Little Lies": a mother of a family who commands a passive husband, watches over children and makes friends with literally all useful people. And the very structure of the series is a bit similar: a single mother with a dark past comes to a calm city. Moreover, the audience is immediately shown the finale, and then they begin to tell what led to it.

But in fact, the Hulu series took only the dramatic part from the Valle project. The detective story here, if it gets tied, is quite simple and remains somewhere in the background. And the main twists and turns are very deliberate and more like Shonda Rhimes series like "Grey's Anatomy" or "Scandal", in which Carrie Washington played.

Shot from the series "And fires are smoldering everywhere"

And sometimes the action goes into a frank melodrama regarding both children and adults. For example, in the third episode, the artistic analogies, which even made the title of the series, are presented too bluntly.

The series covers almost all relevant topics. For example, everyday racism, migrant issues, or bullying at school. And not all of them can be revealed properly at first, some look a little far-fetched. Although most of the characters still want to believe, the plot does not go into excessive cliché.

Simple but well-structured plot

There is no need to expect anything too amazing from the project. First of all, it is built on the charismatic main characters. And those who missed Witherspoon in Big Little Lies will definitely rejoice in her familiar image. And Washington's return to the TV industry has been great. But otherwise, the show starts off slowly and is more likely to arouse curiosity than instantly grab attention.

We can only be glad that the action is built very well. As soon as the plot seems to stagnate, something really interesting happens. And Hulu not in vain laid out three episodes for viewing at once: the first episode is not so exciting as to wait long for the continuation. But the final of the third series leaves the heroes in a difficult situation, the outcome of which is very interesting to see.

It should be understood that the action in the project "And fires are smoldering everywhere" is built more on the principle of a film of eight episodes, and not a standard series. And while the plot is only coming to its climax. Then everything can turn out in a completely unexpected way.