Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Round Two: Soulmates

Soulmates: Season 1, Episode 2 “The Lovers” (B+)

I’m always a bit disappointed to watch anthology series since, if I’m impressed with one installment, it’s sad not to see those actors and characters again in a subsequent one. Fortunately, sometimes two hours are so completely different, and it’s interesting to see how the same premise is used to create both. This episode had echoes of the upcoming movie “Promising Young Woman” (which is excellent) and a season two episode of “The Twilight Zone.” I’ve been a fan of David Costabile since his early work in small parts on shows like “Breaking Bad,” “Flight of the Conchords,” and “Damages,” and more recently, I’ve watched him ham it up on “Billions.” This was a more controlled performance, and what was most brilliant about it was how he played the wrongly-accused victim up until a certain moment where he snapped and became the clear aggressor, set on attacking Alison/Jodie even if he hadn’t been guilty of what she claimed. But, as he said by describing himself as the monster she thought he was, he really was admitting his capability for violence and cruelty. I recognized actress Sonya Cassidy from her role as Hester on “Humans,” and it was a pretty formidable performance to go along with Costabile’s. I have no idea now what to expect from episodes three and beyond, but it does seem obvious that this soul gene isn’t nearly the miracle discovery everyone thinks it is but instead something capable of ruining relationships and manipulating people into doing things very much counter to their common sense instincts.

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