Netflix has become a hit or miss with a lot of its content, specifically with its multi-season series. The streaming platform is not alone in this, as many longstanding series struggle to deliver continuously well-executed storylines as it continues. Game of Thrones is a popular example of how a show is capable of being one of the most popular before it becomes heavily criticized by both critics and fans.
There are quite a few Netflix shows that fit this bill but amongst them is Bloodline. Bloodline aired on Netflix beginning in 2015 and had three seasons before it ended in 2017. The first season was received well by Netflix users and critics, as many found that Bloodline's plot and complex characters helped drive the story forward. Bloodline's next two seasons were met with mixed reviews, as quite a few found issues with how the story continued to unfold. No matter what issues people have found with Bloodline, it is well worth the watch.
Bloodline is a thrilling tale that takes place in the Florida Keys. Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard, Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, Linda Cardellini, and Norbert Leo Burtz make up the Rayburn family, who are (almost all) respected members of the Florida Keys community. Sally (Spacek) and Robert (Shepard) Rayburn, the matriarch and patriarch of the family, are the owners of the Rayburn house, a beautiful seaside hotel. Bloodline begins with the pair celebrating the hotel's anniversary where they will receive an honor from the community. The occasion allows their children John (Chandler), Kevin (Leo Burtz), and Meg (Cardellini) to join their parents in celebration. It also gives the family's black sheep, Danny (Mendelsohn), a reason to return and try to reintegrate into his family.
Danny's presence begins to cause a problem for many members of the Rayburn family, especially his siblings. Wishing to repair his relationship with his family, Danny wishes to make his visit home a permanent stay and asks to take on a permanent role working at the Rayburn house. His family is clearly hesitant about bringing Danny into the fold and Sally and Robert choose to leave the decision in the hands of Danny's three younger siblings. Aware of the dark family history Danny carries with him, the siblings find it best to have Danny leave. As the black sheep of the family, Danny doesn't pay much mind to their decision.
Danny is a difficult character to read during the first few episodes of Bloodline. His largely unsupported decision to stay in the Florida Keys can be admired for its courageousness, but it's also clear that some part of Danny is staying out of spite. As pure as Danny's motives may or may not be, his decision to stay ultimately puts his entire family in danger. Rekindling his relationship with long-term friend and fellow troublemaker Eric O'Bannon (Jaime McShane), Danny quickly finds himself making bad decisions that begin to compromise his family. Against the wishes of Eric's younger sister Chelsea (Chloë Sevigny), Danny and Eric venture deeper into darkness set to swallow them both whole.
In comparison to his siblings, Danny couldn't stand out more (broody attitude and obviously bad decision-making aside). John is a prominent detective and devoted family man. Kevin is a local marina while Meg works as a local attorney. Already skeptical of his older brother's presence, John keeps an observant eye on Danny and the company he keeps. While working on one of his cases, John makes an unfortunate discovery relating to his family, and he struggles to decide whether or not to work inside the law. Realizing he can't make a decision like this without discussing it with some of the others this discovery would impact, John pulls Kevin and Meg into the mix. In their wish to stop Danny's actions from causing much bigger problems for the family, specifically their parents, the Rayburn siblings are forced to compromise their own moral integrity.
Bloodline's first season tracks the consequences of these choices in what becomes a mind-bending navigation through time. There are several glimpses of the Rayburn children's upbringing, which is drowned in secrecy and mistruths. The alienation of Danny is rooted in what becomes one of the darkest memories in the Rayburn family: the death of Sarah Rayburn. This event kickstarts the dark stain on the family that continues to affect their modern actions and treatment of one another. The secrets have bonded some siblings while further damaging the relationships between others. By the end of the first season, the Rayburns reach a place that they will never be able to return from.
The frustrating second and third seasons continue to explore the consequences of season one’s actions. The Rayburns are compelled to conceal even more secrets and are strangled by additional guilt. As more hidden truths come to light, it becomes harder for the Rayburns to move past the mistakes they have made. What makes these two seasons more questionable than the first is the progression of the plot. The second and third seasons drag out storylines that become frustrating to continue to see. With this, some have found an issue with Bloodline's deterioration of the characters they've established. It’s similar to the criticism of many Game of Thrones character arcs from the series’ final season. After being a part of such horrendous actions, people are subject to change, but not in some of the drastic ways a few Rayburns undergo.
Arguably, these decisions are all a result of some form of guilt, which is an accurate depiction of the emotion. Guilt isn’t linear and it’s not an easy thing to overcome, especially in situations as grand as the ones Bloodline puts its characters in. This is not to say that these characters are impossible to root for, as all the characters in Bloodline are morally imperfect. Because of that, there are plenty of people in Bloodline that many hope to see turn things around. By the end of the series, some of the characters that have been the easiest to hate become some of the easiest to love.
While the slow progression of the plot can become hard to push through at times, Bloodline's complex family history and perfectly casted characters help make it worthwhile. Some of the twists the characters experience may not come as a surprise, but the reasoning behind some of the choices makes Bloodline a fun series to watch.
Bloodline is now streaming on Netflix.