Innocence and Panic
Episode one of Scenes from a Marriage begins with a married couple sitting on a sofa discussing their relationship and what it means to them. ..
Mira and Jonathan have a 4 year old called Ava.
Jonathan and Mira continue to discuss their relationship with a therapist, including how they met originally. Mira isn’t exactly thrilled to tell the story, so Jonathan takes over. ..
Jonathan and Mira met in Colombia during English Lit and eventually turned from roommates into lovers. With Jonathan moving away from his Jewish background and Mira’s dark past of bad relationships, the pair gravitated towards one another. Their shared interests in literature, music, and art helped them to connect on a deeper level. However, their different backgrounds caused some tension at first. ..
Mira and Jonathan are married for 10 years, but their next question – about whether their marriage has been a success – throws them both off-guard. It’s not helped by Mira receiving a text that completely throws her. As the interview continues, the subject of monogamy – and exclusivity to each other – is brought up too.
Jonathan and Mira sit and eat dinner with Kate and Peter after skipping across to a later time-line.
As the two kiss, they start to make out in a passionate embrace. This doesn’t go down well either with Kate, who is still trying to figure out what’s going on. Suddenly, Mira wakes up and starts screaming. She accuses her husband of cheating on her and then leaves the room. This quickly turns into a shouting match between the two as they try to get back at each other.
Peter and Kate eventually leave, with Jonathan and Mira discussing their own relationship and what could have gone wrong to lead to their demise. After brushing their teeth together, Mira delivers the big news – she’s pregnant! The reaction is subdued; flatlined and very clearly read from a script. It definitely doesn’t feel natural. ..
Anyway, this reaction leads to talking methodically about how to sort the house out, before Jonathan joins Mira for her scan. She’s not feeling too well though and when he vacates the room – partly on Mira’s request – the girl bursts into tears. It’s clear this marriage is far from perfect.
The Episode Review
Scenes from a Marriage is a play that was written exactly as it was supposed to be, with no improvisation. This makes the play seem scripted, which can make it difficult to enjoy. ..
HBO’s latest show is a bore. It spends most of its time on its melodrama, without any moments of levity. The few moments that feel natural come from overlapping dialogue, and even then the show struggles to really find its own identity.
The married couple on this show feel stiff and awkward, with barely any chemistry together. Whether intentional or not, this makes the long, drawn-out scenes difficult to watch and the fact this show takes itself so seriously makes it a tough one to stick with over the long-haul.
It’s evident though that this is the couple we’re following across the entire show. With that in mind, it’ll be interesting to see what the drop-off will be like among the mainstream audience. This is the sort of series that feels designed specifically for critics, if that makes sense. It’s well-produced, pretty well acted and feels very artistic. Is it actually an enjoyable watch though?
Scenes from a Marriage seems like a show that is more focused on niche audiences, and while that may not be a bad thing, the show has struggled to create the same level of charisma, charm, and wit as something like Big Little Lies when it comes to discussing marriage. Will this show improve over time? We’ll have to wait and see! ..
