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Netflix Series Review: Dead to Me



The recently-released Netflix original show Dead to Me, starring Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?, A Bad Moms Christmas), Linda Cardellini (Green Book, Bloodline), and James Marsden (X-Men, Westworld), is generating a lot of buzz. With a perfect balance of drama, comedy and mystery, Dead to Me is, more than anything else, a show about an unlikely friendship.


Jen Harding (Applegate) is a mother of two boys whose husband has just been killed in a hit and run. She is trying to deal with his death when she meets Judy Hale (Cardellini) in a grief support group. After an awkward start, Judy befriends Jen and gets involved in her search for answers, which includes writing down the license plates of any car with a “person-size dent” in the front. 


The two women could not be more different. Judy is open and eager to help, while Jen is reserved and angry. Nevertheless, they bond after finding out that neither can sleep at night and deciding to keep each other’s company over the phone. They quickly fall into a comfortable routine, and use that time to talk about their lives and losses to someone who can relate to what they are going through.


It doesn't take long for Judy to move into Jen’s guest house and practically become part of the family, but nothing and nobody are exactly what they look. And yet, at each twist and turn of the plot, Jen and Judy’s friendship becomes at the same time more improbable and stronger. As Judy would put it, it is a “layered” friendship, but it works.


If this review sounds a little vague, it is because the less you know about the show the better. So I guess you will have to take my word when I say that, if you are searching for something original and entertaining to stream, Dead to Me may be just that. After each 30-minute episode, you will be more and more invested in Jen and Judy's friendship and so curious to find out what will happen next that, before you notice, you may end up binge-watching the entire show.


- Lalu Farias

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