A few weeks ago, I found myself between books and staring some writer's block dead in the eye. (I'm still finding my groove related to my Monday Musings--while therapeutic, it's hard out here writing things that hurt my soul a little bit!) So I decided to disassociate from the world a little with what I thought would be, at the time, mindless TV watching. I went straight to the Hallmark Channel, which is turbo fuel for my disassociation needs, but whatever pretty, sweet story was on was unable to hold my interest. Yeah, we can unpack that later. Then I realized I was limiting myself to my routine emotional comfort blankets, so I switched to the streaming services I pay good money for and often neglect! For me, recently, Apple TV+ can do no wrong. Disclaimer* enters the chat.
The title image of the gorgeous Cate Blanchett immediately caught my eye. Not only is Blanchett one of the best actors of our time, but she’s also stunning on the screen. She has the sort of effortless and timeless beauty I hope to embody someday. Her wardrobe would go a long way in accomplishing that feat, if nothing else. I went into Disclaimer* blind. At only seven episodes, I figured this limited mini-series would be a breeze to binge. Little did I know the plot would pull me in so completely that I’d have to take breaks between episodes to sort out my mostly devastated emotions. I will give you a rundown, and I will try really hard not to spoil any of the twists in the storyline for you. But first, some information you might find interesting. Disclaimer* is based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Renee Knight. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, the series debuted at the 81st Venice International Film Festival before heading to Apple TV+. Disclaimer* has been streaming since October 2024. As I mentioned earlier, it’s only seven 60-ish minute episodes long.
Catherine Ravenscroft, played by Blanchett, is a famous documentary journalist who, when the series opens, is at a prestigious gala accepting a huge award for her much-acclaimed work. She is a middle-aged woman at the pinnacle of her career. Her supportive and doting husband is played by a nearly unrecognizable Sasha Baron Cohen. His role is nothing like his Borat persona, his only saving grace in this series.
Sidenote: If Sasha Baron Cohen has one hater, it’s me. If no one hates him, you’ll know I’m dead. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t recognize him in episode one; I despise him so much that I probably wouldn’t have made it to episode two. The story and pacing of this series are so beautifully crafted that I was all in by the end of episode one, and I knew I would not be able to sleep until the story was over.
Told in a series of flashbacks, you learn the story of an incident or indiscretion of Catherine’s that occurred on a beach in Italy 20 years earlier. A book about this event was published by a mysterious person using a pseudonym. The unreliable and emotional narrator shares shocking events while slowly unfolding a dastardly revenge scheme. Kevin Klein plays the father of a young 19-year-old man who drowned on the beach the day Catherine was there with her young son. And that’s all I will tell you about the plot of this fast-paced, twisty, and twisted story.
I will tell you, it’s remarkable how literally overnight Catherine goes from being touted as the greatest of all time by friends, coworkers, and family alike, only to be cast aside at the mere implication of potential wrongdoing. It’s not that no one believes Catherine’s side of the story; it’s that no one even bothers to ask her about her recollection of the events in question. It’s especially infuriating to watch her once doting and clearly devoted husband literally throw her away because his own ego is too fragile to consider thinking otherwise. Fucking weak mediocre men will ruin us all. I was shocked by how quickly a woman of Catherine’s stature was so thoroughly dethroned; no, she was more than dethroned; she was beheaded in the market square. A witch burned at the stake without a single mention of a fair trial by her peers.
If you’ve seen Disclaimer* I’d love to hear if you fell into lockstep with the villagers wielding flames and pitchforks as quickly as her husband did. I am mixing metaphors here; this film takes place during current, modern times, not during the Salem Witch Hunts, though perhaps many involved still live in that history. This is not a period piece. There’s no occultism or woo-woo involved; that description is totally mine! Don’t let it dissuade you from viewing. Disclaimer* is a loud and proud example of how mob mentality can ignite from the slightest spark of gossip, mainly when said gossip is aimed at a smart and powerful woman who is an unabashed expert in her field. If you did, don’t feel bad; the series doesn’t give you any other point of view except that of the book's narrator until the very end. For six episodes, I was left to wonder if Blanchett’s Catherine was a ruthless villain who fooled us all or a willing or possibly unwilling victim of circumstances. The way director Cuaron ties up loose ends you didn’t realize were loose in episode seven kept me awake until the wee hours of the morning. Once I understood the path he’d taken us on, I stayed awake even longer, pondering human nature and how I would’ve reacted if I were in Catherine’s or even her husband’s shoes. Is Disclaimer* a statement on our society’s short attention span? Possibly. Perhaps our need for instant gratification? Or maybe, most likely, it speaks to our lack of curiosity, the deep kind that makes us want to learn and understand more as opposed to the salacious kind that wants the gossip on our neighbors. Who here hasn’t rubbernecked a car crash on the interstate? God, I love it when a movie makes me look at the not so flattering personality traits we all have. It’s a lot. I’d love to chat about this series in the comments below if you've watched it. If you haven’t seen it, you really should.
If you’re still reading, and I hope you are, I want to bounce an idea off you. I’d like to host an online book club here on Midlife Rewrite. Any takers? Substack has a chat feature I can turn on. The app suggests creators use it for paid subscribers only, and I might find a way to have some exclusive paid chats once I’m more familiar with this platform. But, for now, I’d like to gauge the interest of all paid and unpaid subscribers in participating in a book club. It’s something we could do, depending on the length of the book, every 4-6 weeks. We can hold discussions in the Chat section of the Substack app. If there’s enough interest, we might even do a Zoom meeting. You’ll find two polls below; please answer honestly, and let’s see if we can get a new part of the Midlife Rewrite community off the ground! I’m linking to a book I covered a while back, What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane. It’s a psychological thriller; you can read the author's interview here. We don’t have to use that book as our inaugural Midlife Rewrite Book Chat. You can suggest alternatives in the poll below. I think we might also need a catchy name for our book club, too!
That show was a wild ride! It kept me guessing—and gasping “THAT’s what was really happening.”
you convinced me to watch disclaimer! sounds amazing