FX’s The Shards Review

The following is a spoiler-free review of FX’s The Shards. The first 2 episodes premiere at 6pm PT / 9pm ET today on Hulu on Disney+ (and Hulu in the US)

When a new season rolls in, so does a new Ryan Murphy series, like clockwork. Arguably the king of trainwreck television, for better or worse, viewers keep coming back as there is admittedly some entertainment value within that organized (or not) chaos. His latest series, The Shards, continues that trend, this time turning his lens towards a takedown of the privileged with the help of another serial killer. Based on the autofiction/horror novel of the same name by author Bret Easton Ellis, who is also credited as a writer and co-creator of the series, it is a fictionalized memoir of Ellis’s final year of high school in 1981 in Los Angeles. Tackling so many genres, without nailing any single one, the series amounts to a mess with parts that could never quite fit together, which is par for the course for Murphy. Granted, its success will likely come with whether or not viewers can consolidate those parts in a compelling enough way. A part teenage coming of age, erotic thriller, and early 1980s Los Angeles time capsule, though not lacking in style, the series features far too much substance. Opting for quantity over quality, it packs so much in without itself consolidating with it all in a coherent way.

As mentioned, The Shards takes place in 1981 Los Angeles and follows Brett Easton Ellis (Igby Rigney), an aspiring writer whose friend group is among the most affluent and influential in the Hollywood scene. All students at an elite prep school, they routinely had access to drugs, went to lavish parties, and drove luxury cars. Very much a product of their time, the characters will be a but of an acquired taste, as the series plays up their personalities to near off-putting levels. Flaunting their wealth and privilege, they amounted to the cool kids who were always at the center of attention, for better or worse. Set during his last year of high school Brett, his girlfriend Debbie (Hayes Warner), their best friend Thom (Graham Campbell), and his girlfriend Susan (Kaia Gerber) were friends from a young age, making for a seemingly unshakable bond.

Looking to disrupt that dynamic was Robert Mallory (Homer Gere), a suave and mysterious stranger with a troubled past who joined Brett, and his friends, for their final years. For whatever reason, there was something about Brett that drew Robert to him. Seeing him for what he was from the start, his concerns fell on deaf ears as his friends decided to rally around Robert, a new kid who they wanted to make feel welcome in a new city and school. Over time, Brett’s friends found themselves falling under his spell, as the charming stranger just had a way with them, further entrenching himself into their breaking dynamic. Meanwhile, trying to make the most out of their last years in high school, that time would not be without drama. On top of the personality clashing one would expect from these kinds of characters and this setting, add in a serial killer targeting the privileged.

On one side, there’s a coming-of-age story, as Brett and co. navigate their way through one more year of high school, and then, there’s the serial killer story leaning on psychological thriller elements. Existing separately for the most part, occasionally intersecting before converging as the season goes on, the balance just isn’t there as the series fumbles weaving in both sides in a coherent enough way. Viewers attached to one of the other are sure to find themselves losing their patience, the longer it goes. Disrupting the dynamic of Brett and his friends through the addition of Robert, who may or may not be the serial killer, there are still many unanswered questions as the series attempts to dive into them as individuals, unearthing all their many insecurities and little secrets. All parts of a bigger puzzle, be it Debbie’s complicated relationship with her parents Liz (Evan Rachel Wood) and Terry (Wes Bentley), or the love triangle between Susan, Thom, and Robert, the only bright spot is Brett.

Using an older version of Brett as the narrator, his perspective, as he reflects on the story and his struggles of his younger years, made for an interesting choice. Trying to figure who he was as a person, find his voice as a writer, all while struggling with his own sexuality, through the lens of the early 1980s, presented its own set of challenges that looked to take their toll on him. Inspired by his idol Joan Didion, Brett set out to write a book about his own experiences during his formative years. Mining for material, Brett kept up with the serial killer case as a backdrop for his story. In parallel to that, suspicious of Robert and his motives, he conducted an investigation of his own.

Digging into his past and the mysterious circumstances that brough Robert to Los Angeles, Brett became a target, whether or not he was a target of Robert or the serial killer was not clear. Keeping that line blurry, not playing its hand too early makes sense, but the incoherent storytelling makes it a chore to follow. Killer or not, Robert was certainly a disruptor, one whose antics were designed to get under Brett’s skin. That being said, this did not make him immune to his many charms. Dismissing the prospects of Robert not being the person he said he was, or the fact that there is a serial killer in their midst, something had to give when it came to his friends. As their lives and their dynamic continued to devolve, the consequences of their collective actions await.

A celebration of the excess of the 1980s, The Shards perhaps works best as a time capsule. Looking the part, from the way it is shot, to the technical work behind what fills the screen. The production design, the costumes, the hair, and the soundtrack all scream 80s. Making for a decent backdrop, the nostalgia factor will undoubtedly be a draw, but there is still a disconnect between the setting and the characters. In typical Ryan Murphy fashion, it seeks out to maximize the drama at every turn, but in a minimally productive way. Throwing all the characters out there, and shaking things up with a serial killer, it makes very little effort in giving viewers a reason to care about either, or if any of them survive. Creating a protagonist and antagonist in Brett and Robert, they were two sides of the same ideological coin. While the main driving force of that dynamic also remains to be seen, Rigney and Gere have the charm and chemistry to sustain both sides of Brett and Robert’s quasi-adversarial relationship. Victims of the material more than anything else, turning the dial up to eleven as these over-the-top characters, the direction only amplifies their unlikable nature.

In the end, should The Shards be renewed for another season, maybe those rough edges will even themselves out, but that the choices made here place too much of a burden on this presumptive first season. A series that will push buttons with viewers, both positively and negatively, it is yet another divisive effort from Ryan Murphy whose parts exceed their whole. Ultimately, those who can find enough redeeming qualities in the midst of its narrative flaws may find some entertainment here, but most will find it testing.

still courtesy of FX

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.