Liane Moriarty, a New York Times bestselling writer, is good at inventing complicated people who can be pushed to the edge. This is why it was made into a television series, Big Little Lies, and we all know what kind of hype it created among viewers because of its incredible cast such as Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern and Shailene Woodley. After that came Nine Perfect Strangers where Kidman was still the main character but got mixed reviews from critics.
Apples Never Fall – premiering on Peacock Mar. 14 – showrunner Melanie Marnich (The Affair, A Murder at the End of the World) takes a few liberties with Moriarty’s fast-paced narrative material reportedly with author’s permission in order to churn out an engaging if not addictive family drama that remains focused on a central mystery and gradual uncovering of flaws within a seemingly perfect family.
Meet The Delaneys—who look like they have it all. Stan (Sam Neill) and Joy (Annette Bening) were successful tennis academy owners before becoming iconic tennis coaches and raising four dynamic kids—Troy, Amy, Logan, and Brooke (conor merrigan-turner; essie randles; alison brie; jake lacy). Now that their institution has been sold off however things should calm down now that they are retired.
But hold your horses! Savannah (Georgia Flood from Wentworth) turns up at their doorstep one day as young girl with troubles that pervade happiness inside this place. Then Joy disappears suddenly thus creating the main plot of the story leaving her entire family unveiling dark secrets
Apples Never Fall is mesmerizing for families you cannot ignore once you start watching. It brings to mind those giddy days when we could hardly wait for Monday evenings since Brothers & Sisters had just aired or even This Is Us. You’ll also need to pardon its flaws (more on that later) but thanks to the whole cast, particularly Bening, Apples Never Fall keeps above water.
In addition to Annette Bening who is also one of the executive producers, Liane Moriarty co-produced the series which is limited to seven episodes only. For instance this is a courageous act on part of Peacock for trying to formulate characters properly. Recently we have not seen such a family in television nor has any TV show had such an intriguing family dynamics. The tennis element in this narrative or simply how Anette Benning and Sam Neil perform at it may be why.
The program’s dedication toward the quality of each episode, coupled with the determination shown by the actors towards their roles makes it unique. Other than episode 1, each episode focuses on one “story” concerning a particular family member, moving between past and present (“Then” to “Now”) so as to give context and hence pose more questions.
While Joy is thrilled about Savannah living with them, Stan eventually grew uncomfortable with her presence over time. This was especially true for some of their adult children who could not understand why their mother would bring in a stranger like her. We do not know much about Savannah’s background other than that it involved abuse according to her; as well as being vague about what she truly did experience before coming here. Time jumps are a frequent occurrence here and there will be moments when you might forget if you are watching something from years gone by or from today – reality versus fiction? Joy disappears early enough so that there can be an “reveal” through every installment
The first episode is our introduction to The Delaneys. The grown-up children are completely invested in their lives but there is a silence beneath the surface. For example, some of the children had tennis stars as parents, an expectation that has never fully left anyone, while others grew up with family dynamics and sibling relationships altered for other emotional reasons.
Troy is a tense man who puts his job first and makes poor decisions in his personal life. Jake Lacy, who steals scenes in The White Lotus as well, plays him with just the right amount of aggression. Brooke, played by Essie Randles will marry her partner Gina (Paula Andrea Placido) but she feels a little off balance inside herself. Why? Tune in to find out—however, Randles portrays someone torn between herself and eventually certain members of her own family. Brother Logan played by Conor Merrigan Turner also gives a nice performance because he lives on a boat where he works and always just does whatever his father tells him to until now. Alison was the misunderstood sensitive sister; she was portrayed by Community’s Alison Brie, an actress who always delivers.
These sibling dynamics can get quite messy at times; hence about the Delaney children… apples still don’t fall far from trees! Alongside this, throughout the series kids begin to doubt how “great” their parents’ relationship truly was. Naturally everyone worries when Joy goes missing or is even suspected to be dead. These threats increase progressively throughout every episode thereby increasing suspense hence becoming more fascinating after watching it till the end.
Additionally, there are other elements of this limited series that raise more questions than they answer? It seems like Giorgia Flood plays Savannah as aloof on purpose though Required? Could you imagine strangers knocking on doors anywhere near this compound that The Delaneys live in and hoping that those same people would actually be accepted? Looked up to or not as public figures, wouldn’t these family members still be a little wary of fans that could be deranged or imposters? What about other things about Savannah?
We are led to think that everything was up to Joy because she needed a change but Joy is no pushover. His career has been boosted by her intelligence. However, oh well, these are the hands we’ve been dealt creatively, and frankly the show winds up being such a guilty pleasure that even when such questions come from the adult Delaney kids one just waits for it to play out.
And they do play out quite well—detectives show up; some other players fill in various plotlines among all of the siblings—but when this series tries to wrap everything up is where it almost loses its grasp on the story (Of course, keep mum regarding some big twists.) It eventually does though and you will want more time with these guys. Also, give Annette Bening an award already! She should have won an Oscar for Nyad. And seeing her here reminds one that they’re watching one of the best actors in their field. This woman has given us someone worth caring about, cheering on and wanting to figure out through this series-what an achievement!
Neill, undoubtedly the rest of the cast sparkles. Showrunner Melanie Marnich is skilled at getting her actors to fully inhabit their lines and scenes; she has done this before, honing her craft on shows like The Affair, which was yet another complex drama. Although it’s not Nine Perfect Strangers, some parts are puzzling–but they’re not as bad as The Ninth Life of Louis Drax–and the play Apples Never Fall stands as an unusual type of family drama that is driven by performances and emotionally told. Bite into it. Taste that juicy flavor.
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