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Creators (Platform): Laura Dave and Josh Singer – based on the novel of the same name by Laura Dave (Apple TV)
Publisher (Release): Apple TV (2023)
Length: 7 episodes
Genres: Adult; Mystery; Drama
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
themes of abandonment
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: must watch
👍 Pros 👍
Interesting mystery and emotional personal drama
Nails the casting
Jennifer Garner justifies every second of the show
👎 Cons 👎
Screams for some action; never quite reaches boiling point
Supporting characters are a bit sidelined
👀 Synopsis & Trailer 👀
Hannah’s world is turned upside down when her husband goes missing, leaving her and his 16-year-old daughter Bailey to connect the disparate pieces of his past.
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
While I enjoyed Laura Dave’s novel of the same name, seeing that it had an adaptation had me curious and worried. 7 episodes of near hour-long episodes bringing an exceptionally slow-burning story to the small screen? That’s a dangerous and pretentious proposition.
Hold it, though, it stars the tantalising talent of Jennifer Garner? Okay, okay, you have my attention. Wait, it’s also being adapted by the source material’s author? I’m interested. What do you mean it’s been renewed for second season? It’s based on a standalone story…
Fine…I’ll watch it!
🧩 Plots 🧩
The Last Thing He Told Me is incredibly faithful to Dave’s novel, matching it beat for beat while crafting fresh and complimentary connective tissue to better transition from moment to moment on the small screen. It embodies the themes of family and the healing of stepmother Hannah Hall’s relationship with stepdaughter Bailey when the latter’s father suddenly disappears. It’s hot, cold, and expertly balanced to drive the viewer from one episode to the next.
How well do you know those you love?
That’s not to say there isn’t some disjoint. Like the novel, the Apple adaptation can’t quite mount the divide between the slow-paced drama and its undeniably juicy mystery just screaming for some action. It’s a laywomen’s emotional investigation filled with fear, love, and desperation, but it can’t quite bring it all to a boiling point. It’s especially apparent in the show given the creators understandably try to add more suspenseful zest to combat the novel’s languid layers, and I commend them for their attempt because, while not seamless, they did their damndest.
Family doesn’t always mean blood
That damndest comes equipped with subtle but powerful sound design and an ambient soundtrack, keeping the viewer’s attention when some of the events might push them away. The biggest surprise, for me, was seeing the show’s renewal and the accompanying fear that one story would be split, unnecessarily, between multiple seasons. Fear not, Season 1 of The Last Thing He Told Me hits every note the book does with the same passionate emotion, answering all the core questions its mystery asks while highlighting the threads left swinging that work to tease and justify another jaunt in this world.
The finale itself smartly prioritises the personal drama over attempting to introduce a faster pace the show yearns for with its entire run. I say smartly because it follows the novel’s final moments to the letter, perfectly rounding out our emotional investment with an utterly satisfying and soft landing.
‘It’s hot, cold, and expertly balanced…’
🎭 Characters 🎭
One area that has no drawbacks is casting, especially putting the absolutely gorgeous and talented Jennifer Garner in the primary role of Hannah Hall. She delivers a pitch-perfect performance, able to convey emotions with just a glance that are as palpable as they are engrossing. Make no mistake, in my opinion, Garner is the lynchpin that keeps this show from falling victim to its clashing genres, and she does it with such heartbreakingly vulnerable strength that I just want more.
Faith…overrated?
Joining her is Angourie Rice as Bailey Michaels, Hannah’s unimpressed stepdaughter and unwilling partner as she tries to discover the truth behind her missing father’s lies. Bailey’s search for her identity isn’t quite up to snuff but her thawing relationship with Hannah and the bucking of the stereotypical evil stepmother provides the beating heart of the show (as it did the novel).
The rest of the cast deliver strong performances but can’t escape being mostly sidelined. I mean, the most ‘action’ the show sees is Hannah having to step away to take a phone call to ensure the talented actors supporting her remain involved. (Oh! Side note: for Alias fans, Garner reunites with Victor Garber in a guest role that made me feel equal parts nostalgic and old. I miss shows like Alias…it might be time for a rewatch.)
You might already know the truth…
Interspersed throughout is Hannah’s past as a child and her relationships with her grandfather and absentee mother along with heartwarming moments of her relationship with her husband Owen. It helps develop alongside Garner’s deliciously emotive delivery the traits that build Hannah as a character. Her attention to detail and experience gives her a unique insight that lends itself to the investigative parts of the mystery really well.
‘…Garner is the lynchpin that keeps this show from falling…’
💭 Final Thoughts 💭
The Last Thing He Told Me brings creator Laura Dave’s novel to life and, without a doubt in my mind, largely owes this to Jennifer Garner’s pitch-perfect performance as Hannah Hall. Garner conveys, often with a glance, the genuine emotion needed to support the slow-burn mystery that’s just screaming for some action.
That said, the show delivers a heartwarming personal drama that sees the flipping of the evil stepmother into a beautiful bond formed through fiery circumstances. Enough is left untapped without affecting the core story to justify a surprising renewal, but I’m not gonna complain that at some point I’ll be getting more magic from the exceptional Jennifer Garner.
