NOTE: This review contains MILD spoilers for the first season of Bloodline (Netflix).

Blackmail, drugs, lies, and more…. it’s ALL in the family!  Who CAN’T relate to family drama?  We know that parents can play favorites, we have roles w/in our families, and some have a harder time than others as adults (though raised in the same environment).  Can we let go of long-held grudges?  How far would we go to protect what we built?  

I began watching this show w/o any prior knowledge, so had no expectations.  I saw one ad and knew that the parents were being played by GREAT actors (Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard).  I ended up getting REALLY into it after the first 3 eps (it’s NOT for the impatient viewer), and watched all 13 eps in one week.  (Season 2 will be out in 2016.) 

The tight-knit Rayburn family, headed by Sally (Spacek) and Robert (Shepard- still trim and striking at age 70), are respected/well-liked members of the community in a small beach town in the Florida Keys.  They run a lovely inn that is their pride and joy, aside from their grown children.  The second oldest son, John (Kyle Chandler- huskier than before but still handsome), is the sheriff w/ gorgeous wife Diana (Australian actress Jacinda Barrett) and two adorable teens (a boy and girl).  Another son, Kevin (noted Broadway actor Norbert Leo Butz), is fiercely protective of the little marina that he runs and deeply in love w/ his wife Bonnie.  The baby of the family is the also the only girl, Meg (Linda Cardellini from ER fame- looking better w/ age), a lawyer who helps her parents with their business.  Meg’s long-time boyfriend is Marco (Enrique Murciano from Without a Trace), a tall/handsome deputy working under John, and hailing from a big family of Cuban-Americans. What could upset their (seemingly) happy/ comfortable lives? 

Into this picturesque scene comes oldest brother Danny (Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn in a breakout role), the black sheep of the family.  All the sibs wonder why he has returned; Kevin doesn’t hide his disgust and disapproval.  Sally is overjoyed to have her firstborn home, especially when he takes an interest in the business (giving tours on the family boat, taking visitors fishing, and sharing his knowledge of the area in general).  It turns out that Danny has a way w/ kids.

John, at first, is cautiously optimistic- he and Danny are very close in age and used to be tight as kids.  He is also wary, b/c Danny has been in trouble w/ the law before.  Robert is distant and cold, and it takes SOME time to figure out exactly why.  (There are innovative flashbacks and flash forward scenes which give us bits and pieces into the conflicts w/in the family.)

Danny also gets close to his old/best friend, Eric O’Bannon (character actor Jamie McShane), who’s into making easy money.  Eric’s little sister, Chelsea (Chloe Sevigny- recently on The Mindy Project), begins to flirt w/ Danny- the guy she probably had a crush on as a young girl.  However, there is more to Eric’s schemes than what we first see.  (This is a thriller, NOT only a family drama.  There are some gruesome scenes that could be difficult for some viewers.)  I recommend this show to those of you who like to a good book, or those who want to get a sense like that from a series.  Is Danny a villain?  Or is he an antihero?  Well, he’s certainly a complex/mysterious guy!  I especially liked the scenes between Danny and John; the actors must’ve developed a LOT of chemistry before/during filming.  Character dramas are SO rare (in network TV), but I find them VERY appealing!