
AMasson’s death bell Should be scary. A reboot of David Cronenberg’s twisted 1988 psychological thriller on a mass-market platform? I haven’t been bullish on that kind of project for at least ten years.Let Me Count the Reasons: Paramount Network Controversy – Thirst heatherHBO’s galactic brain west worldSyfy is dead day of the dead Resurrection, Showtime is very unsexy american gigolo. For Every TV Show Adapted From a Cult Classic Movie – FX’s fargo, for example – and a bunch of other stuff that should never be attempted. And, as the body horror master’s adoring fanbase knows, there’s only one Cronenberg.
However somehow death bell, premiered April 21, to stunning effect. In fact, it feels more subversive than the original, a psychosexual horror adventure ripped from the headlines about identical twin gynecologists Elliott and Beverly Mantle — directed by Jeremy Irons, in a creepy double performance—and one that threatens to tear them apart.Executive producer and showrunner Alice Birch, whose impressive credits include succession, chat with friendsand ordinary people and movies lady macbeth and spectacle, recast Mantles (without changing the name) as a female. But this isn’t a hip, female-power gender-flip. It was an inspired choice, partly because it allowed Birch to cast the versatile Rachel Weisz as a twin, and partly because it drowned the story in the bloody realities of women’s bodies, appetites, and ambitions to the point of impossible Degree male doctor completing.

Rachel Weisz in death bell
Niko Tavernise—Prime Video
Just like in the movie, Beverly and Elliott are codependent opposites. They lived together in a luxury apartment in Manhattan and worked side by side outside the hospital. Beverly is the shy, reserved, principled kind of guy. Elliott is a few years older than her twin, wild Elliott – partying all night, sleeping with strange men, drinking heavily, snorting pills, etc. – calls Beverly “little sister” and is willing to do anything to satisfy her. This includes switching identities when she feels overwhelmed, whether at work or otherwise. When Beverly is too timid to check out a lovely TV actress, Genevieve (Britne Oldford), in a fatal switch, Elliott steps in and not only completes the date, but also later with Genevieve meets for drinks and successfully paves the way for Beverly to be her crush. Elliott always declares that she intends to “get” things for Beverly. Like Beverly’s embryo, she struggled but failed to make it through the first trimester. What Elliott didn’t expect was that Beverly developed feelings for Genevieve, which could threaten the lives of the twins.
Another goal of their shared aspiration is a luxurious new facility where they can practice cutting-edge maternal medicine. Beverly envisions a birthing center where women can enjoy a serene, customized birth experience, rather than the chaotic, chaotic experience viewers see in hospital maternity wards. Elliot, a fertility researcher who pushes the envelope, wanted a lab that could house her unfettered experiments. The woman with the money to back both dreams is Rebecca Parker (Jennifer Ehle), a ruthless heiress from a dynasty of notorious opioid profiteers who gave birth via surrogate with the reluctant help of Mantel. had multiple children. But first they have to prove they can get along with her creepy entourage of biohackers and health freaks — people who schmooze at dinner parties thinking: “My goal is to be way ahead of the FDA where there’s no fucking How to supervise the clues.”

Britney Oldford (left) and Rachel Weisz (Rachel Weisz) death bell
Niko Tavernise—Prime Video
Weisz’s performance is excellent; whether it’s Elliott and Beverly, or Elliott posing as Beverly, the twins in the frame are always obvious. The show turns into a fashion nightmare, whenever Mantell is alone (alone or together), with the chaos at the intersection of the real, the physical and the subconscious, science and motherhood, sisterhood, technology, money and morality as the basis.However death bell is the smartest, and often very funny, of the many tableside conversations in Rebecca’s Rare World. Whether in a trendy Manhattan diner or a dining room in a Southern mansion, these scenes eloquently speak to all sides of the debate on the cutting edge of maternal medicine. The Parkers and their friends are too rich or too pompous about their delusions to bite their tongues, all the quiet parts talking loudly about abortion rights, experimentation without patient consent, the inadequacy of access to quality care. equal opportunity. (better call saul Fans, keep an eye out for Michael McKean’s cameo. )
Occasionally, social commentary is awkwardly placed. The season finale, which highlighted the shameful connection between early gynecological breakthroughs and the bodies of enslaved black women, felt forced when such an important theme could have been integrated earlier.Overall, though, it’s a phenomenal series, as lady macbeth There are so few examples of horror TV in the streaming age – finding the contradictions of subtlety, humor, beauty and femininity in the craziest stories. Birch has kept the skeleton of Cronenberg’s film, fleshing it out with its stylized sets and campy tone death bell Increase its shock value by broadening its thematic reach and infusing its brand of delivery room realism. You’ll never look at a sonogram the same way again.
More must-reads from TIME