Yahoo News ‘Under the Bridge’ Review: Lily Gladstone Carries Hulu’s Tender, Overburdened Crime Drama
Officer Cam Bentland, played by Lily Gladstone in Hulu’s eight-part crime drama “Under the Bridge,” is tired. Not tired in the way that a good nap can fix, nor is she merely bored of her job with the Saanich police. “Weary” would be a better word for the drained disposition with which she carries herself, whether she’s helping her father (and captain) hit the punching bag or listening to yet another complaint about wayward teens. It’s during the latter that something clicks. A girl is missing, and even though runaway high schoolers are a routine occurrence around the greater Victoria area, hearing her brother (also a cop) refer to the young woman as a “bic girl” sparks Cam to action. “Bic,” referencing the cheap lighters found on gas station counters, is local slang for recalcitrant teens who have no one looking out for them. (“Why do they call you that?” someone asks later. “Because we’re disposable,” the girl answers.)
While tempted to fall in line with her fellow officers and not give a shit, Cam follows up on the complaint. She puts her ass on the line for this missing young woman — Captain Papa is skeptical, plus she’s got a transfer pending for a better job in Vancouver — and she’s rewarded with… added exhaustion. If she thought she was tired before searching for Reena Virk (Viritika Gupta), well, there’s always another level of fatigue, isn’t there?
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At first, it seems like Cam’s weariness stems from her hometown; that she’s just a dreamer whose loving family and steady job have tied her down for too long. But as “Under the Bridge” unfolds, it becomes clear that Cam isn’t just frustrated by the limited vantage point that comes with standing in one place; she’s frustrated by how pervasive that narrow perspective can be, even for those who’ve seen so much more. It’s the town, it’s the people, it’s the job, and it’s the uneasy feeling she gets from wearing a uniform that’s loved and respected by people like her white dad and brother, yet so often evokes fear from people of color like her.
“Under the Bridge” builds its slippery story from the bedrock of cop dramas before it. There’s a search, a discovery, and two trials. Families are torn apart, and objective observers become personally invested. “Mare of Easttown” comes to mind immediately (with Canadian “surry’s” replacing those Delco “wutter’s”), as does “Twin Peaks” (we’re only a few islands away from Washington) and virtually every other dead-or-missing girl detective show. Having Gladstone play the conflicted central cop is a godsend, not only because the recent Oscar nominee is still riding a wave of well-deserved goodwill from “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but because she’s an actor who can play in the genre without feeling redundant. Her demeanor, as described above, could be mapped onto virtually any agent in the aforementioned series (save for our beloved Dale Cooper), but Gladstone’s emotive eyes and gentle approach give a richness to each situation, making Cam’s experience feel both unique and compelling. She shoulders Cam’s burdens with self-awareness. She may not be able to put her weariness into words until this case forces her hand, but Cam’s eyes aren’t being opened to anything she didn’t already know, somewhere, deep inside. Her attitude, her outlook, and her exhaustion don’t change over time. They just expand.
It’s just a shame she’s not the center of this story.
“Under the Bridge” is adapted from Rebecca Godfrey’s book of the same name, and Rebecca is the narrator and co-lead of the series. After 10 years away, she returns to Victoria in 1997 with plans to write about the young women who live there, right before Reena’s disappearance. This is just one in a handful of convenient happenings that hinder the series’ verisimilitude. Played by Riley Keough, Rebecca is based on a real person, just like Reena’s case is based on a real tragedy, but her unassigned reporter/aspiring author is trampled by the same cliches and half-truths that Gladstone (as a composite character) is able to transcend. One lead feels incomplete and omnipresent, the other full but underutilized. The result is an unbalanced drama built with admirable ambitions yet only able to fulfill a few.
Showrunner Quinn Shephard bundles a few different shows in one. There’s Cam’s investigation and call to action, where what she uncovers as a cop brings her face to face with her personal frustrations. There’s Rebecca’s parallel investigations — one involving Reena, where she infiltrates the group of teenage bullies/friends (mainly because she’s “not a cop,” “not old,” and “not from Victoria”), and the other a self-assessment that includes painful memories and her racial blindspots (eventually).
Then there are flashbacks to Reena herself, captured with raw exuberance, anger, and fear by Gupta. “Under the Bridge” uses all the tricks in the prestige TV playbook to keep Reena in the spotlight. There are split timelines, ending plot twists, and a departure episode dedicated to Reena’s grandparents (and parents). Still, the material chosen combined with the show’s expansive structure struggle to elevate Reena to equal footing as the adults. She’s only a high schooler, after all. Part of the tragedy of her disappearance is unfulfilled potential — she may never get to become the woman she was growing up to be, and her family may never get to mend the fractured relationships standard to parents of hormonal high schoolers.
Honoring that specific kind of loss is effective, but it’s a side note in a series where every significant point feels half-made. Rebecca’s arc reflects the ingrained subjectivity to our supposedly objective pursuits, be it writing a nonfiction book or following the rule of law. How race, gender, and money affect the legal process — and thus, people’s lives — is also dutifully observed. Cam’s best line hits when she snaps at Rebecca, “This might be a story to you, but it’s fucking terrifying to me” — a line delivered with such conviction it still resonates days later, even if it deserved a more thorough unpacking. While short-shrifting its insights, the truncated storytelling helps keep the pace at a steady clip, and the performances are strong, namely Gladstone and the ensemble of teens (including a moving, restrained, late-arriving turn from “Euphoria’s” Javon “Wanna” Walton).
“Under the Bridge” deals with tough material, but it’s relatively easy to watch if you’re braced for the anguished gloom that accompanies most true-crime tales (one that’s amplified here by the stormy skies and pervasive sogginess of its Northwestern locale). But if you’re a true-crime veteran, you’ve also seen this story and heard these points before, only with ample attention and insight. Gladstone’s weariness eventually transcends another boundary — this time, it’s felt by the audience.
Grade: B-
“Under the Bridge” premieres Wednesday, April 17 on Hulu with two episodes. New episodes will be released weekly through the finale on May 29.
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