Welcome to Rayburn House - a quaint family inn situated in an idyllic part of the Florida Keys. It is the perfect place to forget troubles if you're there on vacation. But it is a near constant reminder of tragedies that have plagued the family who own and operate the resort.
The place in the sun the Rayburns enjoy is one they have carved out through hard work and determination guided by the vision of their folksy yet menacing ex-sailor/ex-ranch-hand patriarch Robert Rayburn (Sam Shephard) and his adoring yet industrious wife Sally (Sissy Spacek).
Though seemingly every tropical acre evokes painful memories they have put far too much in to consider leaving. Life there is just that much more sweet than bitter. The very thought of losing it makes them so defensive it scares them.
Their dutiful children - John the cop (Kyle Chandler), Megan the lawyer (Linda Cardellini), and Kevin the boat captain (Norbert Leo Butz) each maintain their own strong presences in the community whilst helping run the inn in various capacities as needed. John and his own wife (Jacinda Barrett) and children live in one of the bungalows the inn used to rent out.
The periodic return of the troubled eldest son Danny (Ben Mendelsohn) elicits feelings of anger and guilt for all of them. Often an embarrassment, hard-living low-level criminal Danny is their chief tormentor yet also the victim of past family excesses. His cringe-inducing antics are continuously forgiven because they know they own the biggest stake in why he is the way he is.
All the men in this family, as it turns out, have criminally violent tempers. All, including the women, tend to like their alcohol a little too much and do illegal drugs and have sex in inappropriate places. Danny will pretty much take a leak anywhere. If anything this is a soap opera family people might look down on. Their tendencies are THAT redneck.
This is a more realistic take on the genre of night-time soap opera. Unlike the super wealthy families of other night-time soap operas of the past the Rayburns don't seem that different than the average viewer. Innkeepers who live where they work are obviously more down to earth than oil tycoons or corporate raiders.
Megan is a lawyer who attended Florida State instead of an Ivy League school. Kevin has a boat and a business which repairs boats but he is no yachtsman. Failed restaurateur Danny went to cooking school and is a decent enough cook but he's no world class gourmet even though he acts like one. Their parents aren't educated people and the most romantic night of their marriage was spent in the back of a pick-up truck.
The Rayburn family fortune is presumably substantial but it isn't so much to be beyond comprehension. The less they mention amounts of money the more identifiable they seem. They have been successful because they picked the right location (even if it is in the way of hurricanes) and somehow stayed there long enough to learn the business, establish a reputation and manage their expectations. They live well mostly by living at their own inn.
There is a precariousness to it. These people are also highly sensitive and suspicious. Danny gets the worst of it. They cloak their treatment of him in family but to them he is more like the jittery member of their criminal gang that they are afraid will talk. They watch everything he says and does looking for signs of betrayal of their secrets.
The rivalries within families about the direction of their legacy play out in a more compelling way in a more believable setting on this show. But where the narrative really takes it a step further is in capturing those private moments we all have with family making it seem that much more common to the experiences of audiences. That recognition elicits real emotional attachment.
Danny bonds with each of his siblings, his mom and his young niece in ways that suggest this family has hope. But the tension beneath the surface bubbles up every once in a while particularly when something happens that reminds them of past friction. The normalcy of it has a disquieting effect when juxtaposed with ruthless criminality.
This is a story that with universal themes and timeless appeal. It could be set in Australia. It could be set in South America or the Mediterranean etc. It could even be set in a different age up to a hundred years in the past if not more. That is how good the writers were in finding that commonality.
The opening montage with its time-lapsed view of the beach during a thunder storm is coupled with suitably haunting theme music beginning each episode with dark mysticism. It is perfect for the intricate rhythm of each teleplay.
Bloodline is nothing less than exceptional viewing worthy of multiple Emmys particularly for writing and for the acting portrayals delivered by the entire brilliant cast. A show this subtle, nuanced and thoroughly appealing could only be on cable or Netflix.
