From Scratch (Limited Series)

Available – Netflix

Time – 49 to 58 mins / episode

Total Episodes – 8

Age – 13-15 years (parent’s discretion)

Genre – Drama

Recommendation – Definitely watch

After a long time, I watched a series that had tears streaming down my cheeks. No, not because it was bad, but because it was good. I could connect with the characters, their struggles, belief and marriage values. Since it was a limited series, I could compare it to a short story too. It had everything we keep saying about what works for a short story if your plot is not original. There are few original stories left now, so what do you do to make your story work? Well, you make characters that readers can connect with and a consistent narrative and that’s what From Scratch has done so well.

This is Amy and Lino’s story – played by Zoe Saldaña and Eugenio Mastrandrea. He is a chef, she is studying art. He is a Sicilian, she is an American. He is white and she is not. He is a catholic she is not. But they decide that their love will overcome all these differences. So, is the premise new? No, far from it. So, what do you do to keep the audience? Read the review to find out.

You create a consistent narrative, the characters behave consistently throughout the series, there is no out of character behavior which has you scratching your head. The tone through out the series remains the same, love is the theme with all the supporting relationships adding layers and depth to Amy & Lino’s love story.

What I loved about the series…

• Zoe Saldana – she is fabulous. So many instances, especially in the last 3 episodes, it’s her face that does all the acting and she brings out the pain and anguish her character is feeling. I cried with her.
• Amy – the character is strong and stubborn yet vulnerable. She is confident and yet when life throws her curve balls she fumbles, picks herself up and learns to deal with it. Her relationship as it develops with her mother-in-law is so relatable.
• Amy & Lino as a couple – they talk and discuss. They do not shut each other out. The drama is not from the fact that one decides to hide things and suffer in silence while the other is left grappling in the dark. They communicate and I loved that aspect of the narrative. Even in real life I think that is the biggest ingredient for a happy marriage. They understand their differences and work to find common ground. That is what makes a marriage work. I really enjoyed this mature depiction of how a life as a couple should be lived.
• Relatable – the story, believe me if I did not tell you the name of the characters and their countries, you would think I was talking about an inter-caste or inter-religion marriage in India. There is talk of their differences, the shame bought upon the family, the struggles of a couple who are going through a difficult patch due to an illness, the struggles of a caregiver, the way family and friends come together to support her, the tentativeness of her relationship with her mother-in-law and how it develops.
• The friends & family – at one point a character tells Amy that she wants her daughter to be brought up by a tribe. And that is exactly what the friends and family are. They are a tribe that rally around Amy. It makes it so easy to see that without support we would be incapable of handling all the troubles on our own. We need them. Have a tribe and be someone’s tribe. The values are so Indian and yet so universal.

All these things put together made this a series that I really enjoyed and the Sicilian locales sure helped. There was no surprise element or twist, I knew what was coming and yet I cried and rejoiced with Amy. I felt her and Lino’s love. I felt, I too had that kind of love and understanding in my life. If I must nitpick, I would say that they could have reduced an episode, but that’s it. This is exactly how we make a short story captivating when we are presenting something that has been told a thousand times. A must watch according to me.

And if you are looking for a limited series that is cerebral, emotional and period drama check out Queen’s Gambit.

Image Credit – TV Insider