I began watching this HBO crime thriller which takes place in a close knit community in Pennsylvania. Kate Winslet stars as a police detective Mare) assigned to investigate the murder of a young mother while under increasing pressure by the town to solve the disappearance of another young girl. She is insulted when the higher-ups in the department call in another detective to help her with the two cases. Of course, her own home life is in shambles despite the fact that her mother (Jean Smart) is trying to help her as best their personalities can allow them. While all this mess is transpiring she meets a handsome, semi-successful author (Guy Pearce) who wants to pursue a relationship with Mare while she realizes the limitations of her present circumstances.
I have really liked the series so far and actually look forward to its progression. Some have compared it to the BBC series Happy Valley which I have not seen so I obviously cannot compare them. The only small complaint that I have is that the writers seemed to have tried to insert a very large number of characters into the story in a short amount of time so that it has been hard for me to keep track of who is who and what relationship they are to other characters.
Kate Winslet is great so far. I am always amazed how British actors/actresses seem to be able to master an American accent for a role. For instance, I first saw Emily Mortimer (perhaps the name should have tipped me off) in Lars and the Real Girl (a great movie) and saw a very great American actress speaking a Minnesotan accent. I then saw her on some talk show and heard her speaking her native British accent. I was amazed. Any way, in Mare, Winslet masters a specific accent spoken in a certain area of Pennsylvania.