Rachel Weisz portrays twin gynecologists in 'Dead Ringers'

Today, we take a look at two recent drops in our streaming services. One revisits a classic body horror film and expands it into a women-centric series, while the second takes on political and diplomatic issues, with suspense and psychological drama in mind.

Dead Ringers (Amazon Prime) - Inspired by the 1988 film of David Cronenberg, this limited series opens with a bravura scene set in a bar. Twin gynecology doctors Elliot and Beverly Mantle (both played by Rachel Weisz), are sharing drinks after a hard day working at their birthing centre when a tiresome man approaches them, and they proceed to verbally abuse him with fast and fierce repartee that leaves him slinking away, totally emasculated. It’s a delicious scene that sets the tone for this inspired, feminist reworking of a horror film that’s been regarded as a true Cronenberg masterpiece (and starred Jeremy Irons as the doctor). The question with this gender-swapping reworking is how well it will succeed, and if it’ll do so on multiple levels.

As an acting piece, Weisz really hits it out of the ballpark. Beverly is the quieter, insecure sibling half, and her vision for the centre revolves around empowering women and eradicating much of the stigma attached to pregnancy and childbirth. Elliot is the mercurial half, pushing the notion of bespoke babies, and going for more scientific and medical ‘miracles’, no matter what the cost or the ethical boundaries breeched. It makes for a fascinating dual performance from Weisz. Along the way, themes of race and class act as backdrops to the internal drama of the two women, and how in their own ways, they’re both damaged. What is absent is the body horror elements we had in the Cronenberg film, as this one is more psychological drama, and what blood and guts that are spilled, have more to do with a regular maternity clinic. There’s also a lot of dark humor.

The Diplomat (Netflix USA) - The premise for this series which deals with drama, diplomacy and politics, has Keri Russell taking on the role of Kate Wyler, an experienced hand in the U.S.A.’s Foreign Department, who is suddenly picked by the President to be the new Ambassador to the Court of St. James, i.e. the United Kingdom. This occurs in the aftermath of a British aircraft carrier being attacked in the Middle East. Tension between the UK, the U.S.A, and Iran mount, as Iran is suspected of having carried out the attack. Her real work in Kabul, Afghanistan was working on Women’s rights, so she is understandably reluctant and frustrated by this sudden assignment, which she declares is more ceremonial and about appearances.

Complicating matters is that her husband Hal (Rufus Sewell) is himself a career diplomat and former Ambassador, a blend of charisma, arrogance, and bullheadeness. Now that he’s been demoted (in his bitter words) to ‘ambassador’s wife’, he leads a life of ‘mansplaining’ and adding to the conflicts in her life as Ambassador. It doesn’t help that they’re practically divorced, but just haven’t gotten around to formally calling an end to their marriage. There’s a first episode that seems to be too much about establishing the main characters and the situation, but once that’s done with, the series knows how to keep things humming. I just wonder what the British will make of how they’re depicted here, as it’s obviously an American production, and a number of observations are coming from an American viewpoint.