Four strangers, a family of three, and a couple come to an unconventional wellness center run by a Russian immigrant (Nicole Kidman). She asks them to surrender their phones and be open-minded to a variety of therapies, and as the series plays out, we find out they're dealing with a number of issues, including death, substance abuse, bad relationships, anger, and crippling self-doubt. Kidman's character herself has been traumatized and is on a journey of her own, but as a therapist some of the techniques she employs teeter on the edge of being unethical and possibly harmful to her clients, so that even as they make progress, it's a conflicting, somewhat scary ride.
At the heart of it for me, or at least what I thought was most successful, was the storyline revolving around the parents and their daughter who were trying to come to terms with the suicide of their son/brother. The feelings as they unraveled were truly touching, and the performances from Asher Keddie and Michael Shannon were excellent. Also wonderful were Melissa McCarthy and Bobby Cannavale who play an author and retired NFL athlete who start off detesting one another. It's a little predictable where their story is going, but it has nuance, humor, and a depth of feeling that kept it from becoming sappy.
Less successful was the subplot with the married couple who've lost their sizzle (Samara Weaving and Melvin Gregg). Her self-esteem issues were the most well developed and held some interest, but it just didn't seem like enough was done with this pair. The guests are rounded out with a mother whose husband left her for a younger woman (Regina Hall), and an uncover reporter (Luke Evans). Hall's performance stands out for its intensity, and how her story intersects the therapist's adds a nice little wrinkle.
Overall, it's a well-made production, with great cinematography, trippy effects, and nice soundtrack. The ending is overly rosy, but there was so much pain in the lives of these characters that I forgive the series (or the author) for that. It definitely held my interest and was fun to binge watch.
