'The Girl from Plainville' Episodes 1 to 3 Review: Chilling account takes its time to unfurl
"No more thinking." "Yes, no more thinking. You need to just do it." These are some of the text messages you see as 'The Girl from Plainville' begins. Taking its name from an Esquire article written by Jesse Baron, the Hulu miniseries follows the events that led to and the aftermath of the tragic death of Conrad Roy, who was talked into taking his life by his girlfriend Michelle Carter in 2014.
Starring Elle Fanning ('Maleficent') as Carter and Colton Ryan as Roy, 'The Girl from Plainville' starts with brief sequences of the digital exchanges between the two and quickly switches to his mother Lynn (Chloë Sevigny) reporting Roy missing. He's found dead soon after and the police discover that he died by suicide after locking himself up in his truck that was filled with carbon monoxide through a hose attached to a generator. What follows is Carter's attempts to bond with Roy's close ones while trying to portray herself as the single most important person in his life. Parallelly, we also see Carter gel with her friends while seemingly using Roy's death to her advantage.
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However, Carter's stories begin to fall apart by Episode 2 and this is also when the police begin to notice the inconsistencies while simultaneously looking into the thousands of messages that Carter and Roy sent to each other. By Episode 3 they're even more sure of Carter's involvement in Roy's death, as they procure a warrant to look into the devices that she used to communicate with him.
Titled 'Never Have I Ever,' Episode 3 of 'The Girl from Plainville' ends with the authorities finding out that Carter had told him to get back into his truck when he began to have second thoughts about ending his life.
Created by Liz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus, 'The Girl from Plainville' is a slow-burner for most parts, but it pays off as we get a peek into the minds of Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy. In fact, by the midpoint of the premiere episodes, we see a side to Roy that just shows how vulnerable he was and though there are disclaimers that emphasize the creative liberty and exaggeration, it honestly feels like a genuine portrayal of a boy struggling with depression and social anxiety. Michelle Carter is humanized as well in a series that serves as an explanation of the events surrounding Roy's death.
Where 'The Girl from Plainville' really stands apart is that it is an explanation but never a justification. It gives us a better understanding of things but it manages to never sensationalize it and kudos to the makers for ensuring that it maintains the stance throughout. Elle Fanning is chilling as Carter while Colton Ryan gives an earnest performance as Roy. The background score amplifies many scenes, and the bits where respiratory sounds are used truly make us feel uncomfortable.
In all, 'The Girl from Plainville' is a chilling account that takes its time to unfurl but is worth the wait.
The first three episodes of 'The Girl from Plainville' are available for streaming on Hulu and the remaining will drop on Tuesdays starting April 5.