I thought “Am I Being Unreasonable?” would be a lighthearted, whimsical British series.
Boy, was I wrong.
It is, in fact, the complete opposite — a pitch-black comedy, creepy at times, in which no one is who they seem (and that’s mostly for the worse).
The Hulu original, co-written by stars Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli, is set in a small English village, where each of its protagonists, including a young boy, are hiding dark secrets that, as the series progresses, are linked to the horrifying opening scene which triggers the events at its narrative core. Trust me, these will all make sense when once you’ve reached the final scene that bookends the six-episode series.
Cooper plays Nic (short for Nicola), who’s married to Dan (Dustin Demri-Burns). Their son, Ollie (Lenny Rush), a talented, aspiring filmmaker — who’s wonderfully droll and sarcastic — is turning 9 as the series gets underway. Nic is grappling with a boring husband (Dan snores … a lot) in a loveless (on her part) marriage, an annoying, supercilious neighbor, Lucy (Karla Krome) and even Viv (Juliet Cowan), a Debbie Downer who cleans the family’s house house and is rife with superstitions and bad karma. All Nic wants to do is get Ollie to the neighborhood school on time, sit on the couch and watch reality TV all day (with the aid of some libations).
Or so it seems.
The alcohol helps Nic deal with flashbacks she’s having to that aforementioned opening scene. It’s a snowy night in the recent past and she’s waiting for a train with her true love, Alex (David Flynn). Tragedy strikes when Nic enters the train car and Alex, who’s still outside goofing around, gets his jacket stuck in the closed doors as the train gains speed — and Nic can only watch helplessly as he meets his tragic fate.
Enter Jen (Hizli), who arrives in town out of nowhere one morning, seemingly out of nowhere. She’s got a son, Harry, who’s Ollie’s age and strikes up a quick friendship with Nic. They’re kindred souls who share a similar sense of humor (and fondness for getting plastered) with one small caveat: Jen secretly records one of Nic’s gin-soaked admissions on her cell phone. Dan is creeped out by Jen, who’s worming her way into their lives while revealing nothing about her past. It’s all very odd — as is Ollie’s shrug-shouldered reaction when the family’s missing cat (Mr. Meowgi) is found and returned to his owners.
There’s a lot going on in “Am I Being Unreasonable?” and it’s all squeezed into the six episodes through quick-cut scenes and clever flashbacks that are interwoven with scenes taking place in real time. This method of editing will answer the many questions you will have as the series progresses and leads to the ultimate “Aha!” moment when all these disparate narrative elements lock into place to complete the jigsaw-puzzle-type plot.
Cooper and Hizli have done a fine job as co-writers and co-stars, and while “Am I Being Unreasonable?” might not fit everyone’s taste, it’s worth checking out — particularly if you’re in the mood for a story that takes you on an unexpected, and very binge-worthy, journey.
“Am I Being Unreasonable?” premieres April 11 on Hulu.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
