The black comedy drama Mammals is about a Michelin star chef who finds out a personally shocking secret about his pregnant wife that throws his entire life into a complete array. The relationship-dissecting events that follow afterwards form the bulk of this six-part series. The show stars The Late Late Show host James Corden (Begin Again, Cats) in the titular role of Jamie Buckingham, and is created by James Richardson.
The rest of the cast includes Melia Kreiling as Amandine Buckingham, Sally Hawkins as Lue, Colin Morgan as Jeff Wilson, Naoko Mori as Siobhan, Rasmus Hardiker as Briggsy, Isla Gie as Greta, Nina Toussaint-White as Jane, Henry Lloyd Hughes as Jack Elliot, Karl Johnson as Mr Lewis, and Samuel Anderson as Dan. The average running time of each episode is 20-30 minutes.
-Mammals Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
Mammals definitely feel like a piece of relationship advice wrapped under a philosophical belt, with all the worst possible outcomes. The series is filled with meticulous themes about marriage, sex, infidelity and a classic animal recurrence to showcase the point, which reminds you of a Paul Thomas Anderson movie (Magnolia).
The black comedy show starts with a hard-working chef Jamie Buckingham (played by James Corden) who goes on a vacation trip with his pregnant wife Amandine (played by Melia Kreiling). The trip is short-lived because of a certain incident and leads to a series of revelations about Amandine’s personal life. Notably, this continuous flow of information drives Jamie nuts and forces him to get to the bottom of things.
It is one of those shows that reminds me of the obscure nature of cinema. Like a close study of a Bergman movie, or a certain theoretical concept, that aims to peel the idea layer by layer. The show creator Sam Richardson is successful in analysing his point, in the form of some darkish humour.
The series also presents the story in a limited time and doesn’t fall prey to its pace. In fact, the short and cutting episode length helps to keep everything compact and digestible for the audience. Even though there are few moments of boredom that seemingly find their own place.
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No matter how much bias the internet gets, the series finds its core strength in the expressive performance of the cast. James Corden is effortfully great in the role of Jamie and secures an arc of his own. I have seen him doing deadpan comedy numerous times on Television, but the role needed some dramatic weight, which the English actor provides skillfully.
Meanwhile, Melia Kreiling perfectly explores her character and finds some strong ground towards the end. She is basically the thread around which the entire show is constructed. Furthermore, I believe that Sally Hawkins is such a tremendous actor, that even a second of screen time is enough for her to make the mark.
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Mammals Final Thoughts
The series takes quite an unusual approach in coming to the point and has a detailed relationship with the subject matter. Therefore, if you are a fan of PTA or Aronofsky movies, then this black comedy-drama is a must-watch for you.
You can stream the series on Amazon Prime Video starting on 11th November 2022. Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below.