Humor has long been recognized as a powerful tool to disarm people and invite them to reflect on the absurdity of everyday existence. It is this understanding that has propelled black comedies to the forefront of vital and compelling productions in recent years. These works of dark comedy strive for a delicate balance, where laughter in the face of tragedy is intertwined with a genuine portrayal of the characters' humanity. Unfortunately, the Apple TV+ series High Desert fights on two fronts and ultimately fails to elicit laughs or generate empathy for its characters.
High Desert transports viewers to the stunning desert landscapes of Yucca Valley, where we meet Peggy, played by the talented Patricia Arquette. Peggy, a drug addict, decides to start a new career as a private investigator after the death of her mother, played by Bernadette Peters. The series promises to delve into Peggy's past and present, tracing the steps that led to her addiction as she explores how her tumultuous relationship with drugs affects those around her.
Stars: Patricia Arquette, Weruche Opia, Jayden Gomez
Sadly, High Desert merely scratches the surface of its core themes. While Peggy's addiction wreaks havoc in her life, damaging her relationships with friends, family, and anyone who crosses her path, the series fails to truly explore the depths of her character. As a result, Arquette's undeniable talent is wasted.
High Desert pushes Peggy into the middle of a murder investigation involving art fraud and the mob, underscoring the chaotic nature of her life. Meanwhile, she tries to juggle her new career as an investigator with her day job as an actress at an Old West theme park. The series also aims to unravel Peggy's past as a drug dealer, delve into the loss of her mother, and navigate her complex relationships with her siblings. With just eight half-hour episodes at its disposal, High Desert struggles to weave these various threads together, leaving Peggy's growth stunted and the audience separated from the many one-dimensional characters that flicker across the screen.
To say that the High Desert is bloated would be an understatement. The series rarely allows the audience to catch their breath before introducing another subplot or alluding to a character's complex backstory without providing any meaningful explanation. As the series draws to a close, it becomes apparent that a satisfying resolution to the multitude of stories is unlikely. Instead, High Desert comes to an abrupt halt, leaving viewers with a cliffhanger that feels more a result of the writers' own uncertainty than a deliberate attempt to build anticipation for future seasons. The result is an unsatisfactory conclusion that leaves the audience feeling dissatisfied and insecure about the future of the show.
While the lack of significant drama doesn't help High Desert stand out amid the crowded streaming landscape, its most significant shortcoming lies in its comedic timing. There are some brilliant moments, found mostly in the first and last episodes, that show the potential fun and enjoyment of the show's concept. More often than not, however, Peggy's story meanders without regard to logic, relying on various deus ex machinas to sustain her fragile structure.
The series presents Peggy as an incredibly skilled detective without properly tying her skills to her backstory. Likewise, each character in High Desert possesses a gullibility or intelligence that conveniently aligns with the needs of each episode. This dilutes the potential comedic impact of the series' surprises. Wacky comedy thrives on defying expectations, but when a story lacks a cohesive internal logic, it becomes challenging to be genuinely surprised by attempts at subversion. Instead, a series of seemingly random events randomly come together to facilitate Peggy's ongoing investigation into the major murder case.
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