S4 E17 Mare of Easttown: A Small-town Nightmare beyond the Murder
In this episode, our hosts Juan, Diaodiao and Ina, joined by our guest Alex Lawyer, dive into HBO’s new limited series, “Mare of Easttown.” We dissect character arcs and plot points to dig deeper into the real story: the story of a blue-collar mostly-white community that’s plagued by the opioid crisis. What we discussed2:27 First impressions, potential spoiler warning 05:30 What makes this show a good thriller? Entertaining plot points, can spur in-depth discussions around social issues, and framing the thriller within familial and community relationships8:57 The show is actually a career-oriented show that focuses on Mare, her role as detective and the glue that brings the town together14:09 The deeper social issue: how the opioid crisis impacted Easttown15:43 Society’s reaction/policies to the opioid crisis, progressing from “war on drugs” to seeing it as a public health issue 22:25 “Hillbilly Elegy”, “Tight Rope”, and social darwinism27:58 Opioid crisis in China 32:54 There’s no real “big bad” in this show 34:42 Easttown as an example of a swing town/county and the lack of politics in the show39:12 What’s the verdict? (spoiler alert, we discuss the ending of the show)Our EditorZhang QuanSupport UsPlease consider supporting us on Patreon (in USD, suitable for listeners who live in the U.S.): https://www.patreon.com/loudmurmurs. Please consider supporting us on Patreon (in RMB)：https://afdian.net/p/e0a54e82ebd111e9bd2d52540025c377Read MoreTightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunnCollaborate with UsPlease reach out to us at loudmurmursfm@gmail.com for any business inquiries. Find Loud Murmurs in the iTunes podcast store, Google Play, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts (e.g. Pocket Casts, Overcast)! Please subscribe, enjoy, and feel free to drop us a note and leave us a review. RSS feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/258327.rss Itunes: https://apple.co/2VAVf0Z Google play: goo.gl/KjRYPN Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IWNuRB Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=544416&refid=stpr Pocket Cast: http://pca.st/nLid Overcast: https://bit.ly/2SL7MNJ Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/loudmurmurs)