In 1997, there were no social media platforms. At that time, it had not yet established itself as a permanent fixture that influences us all whenever it feels like it – mostly kids for the worse – though meanness and cruelty have always been around. Set in the late ’90s, Hulu’s Under the Bridge brings back some of the emotional warfare that was being waged online daily when bullying and hateful acts thrived and prompted ongoing measures for protection.
It also makes you wonder what would’ve happened to Reena Virk now. The real-life girl at the center of this series was found dead eight days after she was swarmed and savagely beaten by a group of teenagers on Nov. 14, 1997, in British Columbia. She was only 14.
Based on Rebecca Godfrey’s true-crime book of the same name, the limited series stars Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, Vritika Gupta, Chloe Guidry, Javon “Wanna” Walton, Izzy G., Aiyana Goodfellow, Ezra Faroque Khan and Archie Panjabi. With hints of Mare of Easttown and Sharp Objects — because they deal with small towns where everyone has secrets — this is a great watch from start to finish; it will also haunt you. Such an ensemble cast deserves awards recognition across every category it can be nominated in (and should take home some), but above all else Gladstone’s Cam deserves love from Emmy voters.
Under the Bridge boasts an army of executive producers: Quinn Shephard (who directed episodes), Samir Mehta (Fear TWD), author Rebecca Godfrey herself (who died from lung cancer at age 54 just one week after this show got greenlit) among them — her memory lives on through this adaptation too though; you can tell. But here represented by both Rebecca Godfrey (Keough) through whose eyes we see most things unfold and local police officer Cam Bentland (Gladstone), whose shared history with a certain person on this case makes her life very difficult indeed, the show allows viewers to get close to accused girls’ inner world and – gasp! – perhaps see another side of Reena Virk’s possible killer.
We begin the story on the day Reena dies, then we jump all over the timeline to fill in some blanks. What we discover pretty quickly is that she has been kicked out of in crowd led by steely Josephine Bell (Chloe Guidry serving looks like nobody’s business), a brat whose obsession with John Gotti borders on creepy. Jo is followed around by Kelly Ellard and Dusty Pace who do whatever she says but it turns out Kelly’s got more tricks up her sleeve than anyone expected.
On the adult side, we have Rebecca showing up in town just as Reena goes missing. Moved by what she sees as an opportunity for redemption through writing about tragedy (and also maybe because she has no other friends?), Bec inserts herself into search for missing girl which doesn’t sit well with former childhood friend now police officer Cam who thought they were done having anything to do with each other after school but oh well life never gives us what we want does it? These two share many demons from past which Rebecca still hasn’t fully dealt with yet so you can imagine how fun their dynamic gets when Rebecca wants write book about it for everyone involved including Reena’s crushed souls parents played beautifully by Archie Panjabi and Ezra Faroque Khan. Every episode leaves us thirstier than before thanks to Quinn Shepardons upon layers upon layers until our cups over runneth!
You’re going to want to watch this limited series in full. It’s not often that a show comes along which perfectly captures what it feels like growing up female while also never letting its male characters off easy either; Under The Bridge is an example of that.
Under the Bridge is a wonder that way. Racial issues are at the top of that list. Reena and her family come from India. One flashback shows Reena rebelling against her Indian heritage and her family’s Jehovah’s Witness faith. She runs into Jo’s camp, but being an outsider means she has to win everybody over. We also see Reena’s parents’ backstory as they face backlash moving into a predominantly white B.C. neighborhood.Then there’s Cam, who is Indigenous and whose own life path — she was adopted — comes into question.
These themes are like putty for the showrunner to play with, a creative kaleidoscope through which we examine that universal ache for acceptance and belonging, and the fragilities of community. Jo, Kelly and Dusty make good cliques as foster children, but underneath their emotional brick walls lie traumatized young girls who have never had empathy or compassion or guidance or unconditional love shown to them.The knife twists when Reena desperately wants in with the group so bad she turns on her own family, an action which fractures their connection.
Vritika Gupta is mesmerizing here as Reena, a tormented teen looking for some kind of soft landing.Gladstone offers more by doing less; fresh off her commanding turn in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” it recalls Jodie Foster’s sharp yet complex take as another troubled police officer in the fourth season of “True Detective.” There is something about this performer’s soulful eyes that keeps you invested in every move Gladstone makes.
Riley Keough gives Rebecca an angsty edge that befits this character.The series could have given us a few more moments with Keough and Gladstone to really explore some of the complexities of their pasts together but overall these actresses are dynamic together.Euphoria fans will perk up seeing Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton aka Ashtray from the hit series who turns in a captivating performance as Warren, an A-lister teen who is thrown off course and whom Rebecca ultimately befriends.
The story itself gets great care with directors Geeta Patel (Ahsoka, Meet the Patels) handling episode one and Catherine Hardwicke at the helm of episode three. Having directed “Twilight” and “Lords of Dogtown,” Hardwicke especially knows how to craft effective scenes with teenagers. This is a tragic story but as “Under the Bridge” plays out it becomes clear creator Quinn Shephard wanted not only to offer a must-see drama but also bring about some justice for Reena Virk, and those other beleaguered teens whose lives can be so drastically changed in the blink of an eye.
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