IR TV Review: DEATH AND OTHER DETAILS - EPISODE 5 [Hulu]
The aspect of conscience, protection and needs-to-an-end permeate Episode 5 of "Death And Other Details" entitled "Exquisite". After getting some stowaways off the ship to protect another paramour, Imogene (Violett Beane) gets down to the reality of what drew her in in the first place. The series takes an undeniable stop in Malta (which they actually shot there). It finally gives the series a practical reality and a sense of romance after the show has primarily been on a digital ship. Granted the mystery of the murder onboard still permeates but the reasoning on everyone's side seems to be growing more pronounced. There is of course another power brewing underneath.
Anna (Lauren Patten) continues to lose control of what she believed was a done deal. Political intrique seems to simmer underneath but those subplots are not as dynamic as Anna or Imogene (though Leimi, Anna's wife has some interesting background elements -- which we see in a flashback). Of course Mandy Patinkin as Rufus Coatesworth is the underlying pulse of the show, offering his off-center but keen logic while Imogene is the heart though she will undeniably have it broken through and through. Of course, there is always Interpol Agent Hilde (Linda Emond) who shows a slightly other side of her personality as the festivities of the episode end. While it is trying to be a Poirot-lite, the tone of the ssries sometimes is touch and go, meandering between vaudeville, thriller and a satire, an interesting mix to be sure, but it depends where it all ends up...and if it doesn't become too soapy. B
By Tim Wassberg
