Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Star Turn on ‘Surface’ Deserves a Better Show: TV Review
variety.comDaniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic“Surface” is just good enough for a sympathetic viewer to want it to be better.Like Apple’s most recent glossy drama about a woman in danger, “Shining Girls,” “Surface” effectively evokes the confusion of not knowing who or where one really is; here, Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars as Sophie, a woman who suffered a brain injury in an apparent suicide attempt, and now has no sense of who she is.
And as on “Shining Girls,” a crystalline depiction of inner turmoil coexists alongside absurdity that grows a bit tough to take.For conspiracy swirls around Sophie.
Her husband James (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and best friend Caroline (Ari Graynor, excellent) strive to paint a picture of placidity and calm, representing a peaceful and relaxed domesticity as the life Sophie used to know.
So why does James seem to be under strain at the office, needing to gin up serious sums of money, fast? And why does Caroline seem to be coaching Sophie to be her “old self” by ignoring the warning signs all around her?
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