Synopsis
Plum Kettle (Joy Nash) ghost writes a teen advice column for the country’s largest beauty magazine, “Daisy Chain”. Plum’s life revolves around working from her apartment, visiting the cafe owned by her gay bestie Steven and attending Waist Watchers meetings. She is waiting for her “real life” to begin, but believes this will only happen after she has weight loss surgery. As mysterious new women enter her life, Plum is drawn into a feminist cabal called Calliope House. Her desire for weight loss surgery is challenged by friends old and new as bodies literally start falling from the sky. Plum must cope with her patronizing and botoxed boss Kitty (Julianna Marguiles), a nosey detective and her own emotions, as she faces life without antidepressants for the first time in years.
What Works
The casting is solid, with a viper like Kitty (Marguiles) and sympathetic Plum (Nash). New characters created to expand the story lines feel authentic to the source material, though I am not sure why they felt it necessary to add more men to the cast. Plum’s closest friend in the book was a woman named Carmen, here she has been replaced by Steven. The dialogue is often smart and honest with some moments of raw emotion.
The Failings
The book is a call to arms: reclaiming the word “fat” as a description not a judgement, redefining beauty, and taking on misogyny. However, AMC’s version seems to muddle the message. Sure the novel is satyrical but the television series walks a fine line between satire and camp. I fear once the initial plot lines from the novel wrap up, the show will quickly go off the rails trying to surpass its initial shock value.
Perhaps a two hour film would have been a better vehicle for this story. The plot feels stretched thin to fill each 44 minute episode. Some of the dialogue and fantastical visions incorporated into the show seem to go on too long, slowing the overall pace. For a novel that has so much going on, this is a disappointing side effect of the transition to television.
If you have not read the book, Dietland on AMC may feel fresh and entertaining. For fans of the book, it looses some of its impact as the darkly humorous and scathing social commentary that Sarai Walker wrote. Check out the book here.
