Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington Teamed Up for This Psychological Drama Miniseries We All Slept On

Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington Teamed Up for This Psychological Drama Miniseries We All Slept On Kerry Washington looking off to the side, stressed in Little Fires EverywhereImage via Hulu By  Jasneet Singh Published 2 hours ago Jasneet Singh is a writer who finally has a platform to indulge in long rants about small moments on TV and film in overwhelming detail. With a literature background, she is drawn to the narrative aspect of cinema and will happily rave about her favorite characters. She is also waiting for the Ranger's Apprentice novels to be adapted... but the cycle of hope and disappointment every two years is getting too painful to bear. Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Reese Witherspoon can do it all, from breezing through law school in pink heels in Legally Blonde to alpha-momming her way down student halls in Big Little Lies. We can always depend on her for a gripping performance, so it's a shame that one of her most compelling roles hasn't quite mustered the attention it deserves.

In Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere, Witherspoon once again steps into a Big Little Lies-esque maternal position in a wealthy community, but this time, she goes toe to toe with Kerry Washington. Both actors are magnetic on the screen together, creating a back-and-forth relationship that forces us to look at motherhood in a fresh light. The eight-episode series is a satisfyingly tense watch, hiding the most underrated duo that needs to be on your radar.

What Is 'Little Fires Everywhere' About?

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere wastes no time throwing us into its central mystery of Elena's (Witherspoon) family house being set on fire. Cue the time jump to four months prior. Elena is exactly the kind of mother you would expect to find in the late-1990s, wealthy American suburb, Shaker Heights, one who meticulously curates her image and enriches her four high school kids' college applications with suitable extracurriculars. She also decides to rent her family home — at a charitable price — to a single mother and nomadic artist, Izzy (Washington), and her teenage daughter, Pearl (Lexi Underwood).

As the families become more intertwined, through friendship and Elena's even more charitable offer of a job as a "house manager" to Izzy, the tension between the two mothers steadily increases. Izzy harbors a mysterious past and, as an investigative journalist, Elena can't quite let it go. When a custody battle over an adopted child also comes into play, the two mothers take opposite stances, which incites another exploration into their past traumas. Throughout the eight episodes, the conflict between them is riveting, especially as the show steadily unpacks motherhood with the nuances of class and racial differences.

'Little Fires Everywhere' Paints a Dynamic Picture of Motherhood

Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon standing together looking tense in Little Fires EverywhereImage via Hulu

As the title suggests, there are Little Fires Everywhere in this series, where each storyline ignites its own set of themes and tension, but the driving force of the show is motherhood. Much of it boils down to the complicated relationship between Elena and Izzy, who are both drawn to and repulsed by each other's lifestyles, parenting behaviors, secrets, and identities. In the very first episode, there's an instance where Pearl and Elena's son, Moody (Gavin Lewis), aredriven home by neighborhood security due to trespassing. Elena scolds Moody, but very easily brushes the incident off, while Izzy is rattled and reminds Pearl that the cops react differently to them. The show is quick to establish the differences between the mothers' circumstances, exacerbated by the later custody battle.

While Elena and Izzy's approaches to parenting and their identities remain at the center, the custody battle further unravels layers of the show's discourse around the nuances of motherhood. It is a grueling case between a woman who put her son up for adoption due to her financial circumstances while being an illegal immigrant, and a woman who wants to complete the adoption process of that son, especially after finding out she cannot hold a pregnancy. There is never a moment when we firmly believe one side should win, even as Elena and Izzy make their stances obvious and crusade against each other. Little Fires Everywhere thrives in the gray area, never shying away from the bitter reality.

Though the rhetoric is heavy and harrowing, the way the show weaves its storytelling together allows us to be fully immersed. It ties the custody battle thoughtfully into Elena and Izzy's rivalry and backstories, building on each other to paint this intricate portrait of motherhood. By also maintaining the rich and dynamic characterizations of these two opponents, the show anchors its wider commentary into our personal investment in their development. It's truly a captivating way to approach a timeless concept, one that you can easily lose yourself in during a weekend binge.

Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington Are Magnetic in 'Little Fires Everywhere'

Reese Witherspoon staring intensely in a mirror in Little Fires EverywhereImage via Hulu

With motherhood at the crux of the show, it is only natural that Witherspoon and Washington take the brunt of the responsibility of conveying its nuance. Similar to her role in Big Little Lies, Witherspoon hits the mark of the "perfect" suburban mother, but there's also an underlying desperation in Elena as she fights to control her black sheep daughter or walks on eggshells around Izzy in fear of accidentally saying something offensive. Opposite her is Washington's erratic, suspicious, jaded, and equally desperate Izzy, who balances parenting with her career and her trauma, never knowing where to draw the line. But together, they are arresting.

Witherspoon and Washington take to their roles beautifully, sustaining a chemistry and tension that is palpable whenever they are on-screen. Their micro-expressions clearly convey the attraction and discomfort Izzy and Elena have at the beginning of the series, skirting the line artfully so we are hanging on their every twitch. As the relationship evolves into a more fearsome rivalry, their emotions feel primordial and vicious while maintaining an empathetic vulnerability that fleshes out the contentious nature of motherhood. We watch them make mistakes and struggle with impossible decisions, while still trying to cling to pieces of their identity outside of being a mother. It's a dizzying combination that sucks you right in.

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These two are the powerful duo we never knew we needed to see on the screen together, so Little Fires Everywhere needs to be on your watchlist. As they bring their characters to life with moving performances, they flesh out the show's driving exploration of motherhood, one that never backs out from facing tiny details often left forgotten. With taut tension and emotion maintained throughout its eight episodes, the show makes for a gripping and gratifying experience, topped with two wildly overlooked performances.

Little Fires Everywhere

Like Follow Followed Drama Release Date 2020 - 2020-00-00 Showrunner Liz Tigelaar Directors Lynn Shelton Writers Liz Tigelaar, Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon

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• Kerry Washington
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