by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Before we met, my wife would have been considered an expatriate, or someone who temporarily lives in a country different from where they’re originally from. We’ve talked a lot about the struggle that many in her situation can have because of the loneliness and the adjustments they need to make. She’s always been a bit of a nomad, even dating back to her high school days when she was a foreign exchange student in Germany. I’m not even sure if that’s something I can do, move somewhere else that isn’t my original home country. Amazon’s new miniseries, Expats, explores these challenges along with what someone can do at a moment of crisis in a different area.
Based on the novel by Janice Y.K. Lee, Expats follows three women who are expats in Hong Kong. They each move to the region for different reasons, but their paths cross during a tragic event that will forever alter their lives. Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) all work to assimilate into life in Hong Kong and deal with personal and professional troubles involving family, love, classism, and ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
The main story revolves around the disappearance of Margaret’s youngest son, Gus (Connor James). Everyone is affected by this event, and Expats shows the intricacies of how a crisis spreads to communities at large in unexpected ways. Be forewarned that this could potentially trigger people who have gone through a crisis similar to this, or parents who are worried about a similar situation. For instance, Margaret and Hilary’s friendship takes a hit because Margaret feels that Hilary can’t empathize with her situation. After all, she doesn’t have children. In turn, Hilary’s marriage takes a hit because her husband, David (Jack Huston), wants children and she is still on the fence about the situation. It’s a stark reminder that just because a crisis doesn’t affect you directly, it can still reverberate throughout the community. The way the stories weave together feels natural.
The only part of the story that doesn’t make much sense is the backdrop of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests. I struggle to understand how the protest is relevant to the larger plot beyond being a metaphor for the chaos in the minds of those living in the area. Mercy has the most to do with the protest, but it’s not crucial to her story. More needed to be explored about the protests for me to understand why it is included, beyond giving the audience a sense of the year this all takes place.
All the characters are complicated and have something to sort through that makes for a compelling story. Mercy, in particular, endures a lot of struggle and growth because of her situation. She doesn’t understand the privilege she has with an American college education, parents who care about her, and friends who will help her at the drop of a hat. Instead, Mercy is self-destructive and feels like she’s destined to be alone, even though some of those feelings are self-inflicted. At times frustrating, Mercy tortures herself because of the situation with Gus, and constantly feels the need to punish herself. Her story concludes with a bit of an ironic twist, as she doesn’t feel she deserves her ending. This is a feeling that all the characters have, with their lives at an important inflection point
Yoo is the standout performance of Expats, even as Kidman and Blue give outstanding lead performances. She does a great job with a range of different emotions, situations, and feelings. Although she spends a good amount of the series alone, she still manages to have some devastating moments with Kidman and Blue. The final episode is a great showcase of how all of these performances can interact with one another to help grow their characters and push the stories forward. This is Kidman’s best performance Kidman in a long time. She’s always been outstanding, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she got some Emmys love this fall.
Expats’ standout episode involves a storm coming into Hong Kong, while also focusing on some of the helpers in Hilary and Margaret’s lives. Anchored by a diverse and amazing assortment of talented women from Southeast Asia, it’s a stark reminder that the expat community is all around and grace should be given to everyone. It’s a feature-length episode, so there’s a lot to parse out. Margaret’s helped Essie (Ruby Ruiz) have a heart-to-heart conversation with her about the situation with Gus. Essie isn’t the one responsible for losing Gus, but she still feels bad about the situation because her closeness with Margaret’s children causes her to find someone else to watch the kids for the evening. Hilary’s helper, Puri (Amelyn Pardenilla), helps by being a friend to Hilary when she feels the most alone, yet goes back to their dynamic of helper and boss the next morning. By showcasing this episode and focusing on all the helpers who are expats, it shows the privilege that Margaret, Hilary, and Mercy have by willingly leaving their country for different opportunities instead of being forced to leave their homes and families behind like Essie and Puri, because they had to provide for them.
That episode has a lot of stunning cinematography, which Expats as a whole excels at. The photography is gorgeous, and director Lulu Wang deserves a lot of credit for her keen artistic vision and care, getting the most out of her performances and helping guide the cinematography. Wang is a great example of someone who has jumped from film to directing a TV series, and she crushes it.
The only thing I didn’t like in Expats is the ambiguous ending. Most of the stories are tied up, but Margaret’s has an audible at the end that makes me fear that there might be more stories to tell. With a final episode that is packed with so much resolution and catharsis for a number of the characters, Margaret’s decision, although understandable, cheapens all the other storylines a little. I do hope that this is a one-and-done series, but it would not surprise me if Amazon ordered more of Expats to continue Margaret’s arc.
Expats is a challenging, emotional, and beautiful show. Yes, I can concede it’s a little slow at times, but it introduced me to some performers that I’ll be on the lookout for in the future.
Rating: Liked It
Expats is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video
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