Writer of Pop Culture

In case you are not familiar with the term “expatriate” (or “expat” for short), it describes a person who lives abroad outside of their own country of their citizenship. Prime Video’s newest offering focuses on the term. Written and directed by Lulu Wang, the limited series, Expats, is about three American women living in Hong Kong set about ten years ago. Two of the women are pretty wealthy (which is not uncommon among the expat community) while the third is not.

Nicole Kidman’s name is the most recognizable of the cast and so it might appear that she is the star of the show, but this ensemble is not all about her. Her character Margaret Woo shares the stage with Hilary Starr (played by Sarayu Blue) and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo). In the first episode, we meet Margaret who appears to be just existing. Emotionless, she’s trying to prepare for her husband’s 50^th birthday. She meets with a party planner with zero enthusiasm for the big day. Earlier, husband Clarke (Brian Tee) questions whether they should be celebrating “so soon” after some ominous event. She assures him that she’s fine. Of course, we know that if a character says that they’re “fine” on a TV show, they’re not. It is soon revealed that they couple had recently lost their third child.

Hilary is Margaret’s neighbor living in the same apartment complex. She has her own issues. Her husband, David (Jack Huston) struggles to stay sober. He also really wants to have a baby but she isn’t so sure. However, she can’t really talk about it with her good friend Margaret due to some disagreement that happened between the two women. The two end up in the same elevator at the same time and it’s awkward. Margaret tries to invite Hilary to the birthday bash, but she says that she’ll talk to Clarke about it.

We meet Mercy, a recent Columbia graduate, serving appetizers at Clarke’s party. She spots Margaret, begins to panic and looks for an exit. But Margaret spots the young woman and begins wondering out loud, “Why would you come here?”

So begins the story based on Janice Y.K. Lee’s best-selling novel, The Expatriates. It’s a slow burn that gives the audience a little bit of information at a time – and not in order. The events that occur during the second episode actually take place before the events in the first. It’s not a mistake. It’s good storytelling. It makes the story more mysterious and intriguing. It’s more sophisticated than a soap opera, but the drama that ensues is similar.

I have only seen the first two episodes of the six-episode series, but I haven’t seen why this same story couldn’t have been told on U.S. soil. Not that it needs to be. The images of Hong Kong are fascinating. You can learn a lot about the culture or at least some of it. I just wonder if the three main characters being outside of the states will somehow hurt them in some way.

It is no surprise that Kidman does a great job in this role. We’ve seen versions of this character in her previous works. Margaret is complicated. At times, she is likeable and relatable while at other times, she’s difficult to be around. She’s paranoid and fearful. The other actresses hold their own as well. If the three could just sit down and talk, they might get somewhere.

Expats debuts on Prime Video with the first two episodes on January 26 with new episodes added each Friday afterward.

All Images: Prime Video