Drama
House of Guinness
Lawlessness brews in House of Guinness as the children of the late Sir Benjamin Guinness vie for political power and personal pleasure.
Andy’s turning 30 years old, and her life feels unfulfilling.
She left New York years ago to come back to Belle Isle, Georgia, to take care of her mother, Laura, when she had breast cancer. Laura beat the disease, but Andy still lives with her, working a tiresome job as police dispatcher. She’s depressed, and she feels like a failure.
What better way to celebrate her birthday than a lunch with her mother where she begs Andy to see a therapist?
But then, this uncomfortable lunch takes a tragic turn. A distressed man begins shooting people in the restaurant, and he’s about to shoot the terrified Andy. But suddenly, Laura springs into action–taking a knife through her own hand and cutting the man’s throat with it—the blade still sticking through her hand—to protect her. And now Laura’s on national news being lauded as a hero.
But now Laura’s acting strange. She’s avoiding the media and refusing to speak to detectives—all while telling Andy that she needs to move out immediately and go into hiding for her own safety.
Because as it turns out, everything Andy knows about her mother may not be entirely true, and like it or not, the pain of Laura’s past is going to catch up to her.
And Andy’s about to discover just how much pain there is.
Pieces of Her is based on crime writer Karin Slaughter’s 2018 book of the same name. In both the book and show, Andy learns the truth about her mother Laura’s past: She was involved in an anti-capitalist cult with terroristic tendencies called the Army of the Changing World, led by a man who took an “any means necessary” approach. (So, in pursuit of that goal, some people brutally die on screen, and others almost brutally die on screen.)
But that was long ago, and Laura’s turned her back on that, choosing to forget in the hopes that she could protect her daughter Andy. However, as it is with many cults, once you’re a member, you can never really leave. And they’ll use every resource to punish you if you do.
Viewers join Andy as she discovers just how much red is in Laura’s past, and they’re likely just as shocked and confused as she is as she unravels a mystery that’s more tangled than my wired earphones every time I pull them out of my pocket. And many elements of this mystery are of the morally defunct type.
The book Pieces of Her contains rape, physical and mental abuse, murder and more, and Netflix puts much of that right on screen (though rape is implied and not shown). Gunshots ring out over the drama, and blood launches from wounds like it was trying to recreate Old Faithful. And prospective viewers should be prepared for a story that is consistently dark with little room for joy. In fact, there’s no smiling allowed while you watch this show.
Pieces of Her isn’t completely free of positivity, however. Though Andy isn’t quite sure who she can trust, viewers watch as Laura does everything in her power to protect both herself and Andy, which is sweet in itself, even if Laura’s actions may be questionable at times and even if she isn’t afraid to lie and mislead in order to get that.
After Laura takes down a raging gunman in surprisingly apathetic fashion, she sends her daughter Andy far away from others who may be coming to harm them. Andy begins to learn that her mother is not who she seems.
Andy pulls her pants down to use the toilet, though we do not see anything. Various pairs of underwear are seen hanging in the shower. Briefly, we see Andy in her underwear, and we see her take a shower, though nothing is shown. Laura is seen shirtless, and one of her breasts has been removed through a mastectomy, and we see the scar from the surgery. The other is partially seen from the side in the same shot.
An upset ex-boyfriend arrives at a restaurant, shooting and killing three people. The man stabs Laura through the hand, and Laura uses the blade to cut the man’s throat while it is still skewered in her hand. The knife remains in her hand for a long time before it is surgically removed off-screen. Andy vomits as she remembers the events of the shooting.
Another man breaks into Laura’s house and beats and attempts to strangle her to death with a plastic bag. Andy hits him over the head with a ceramic paper towel holder, and Laura tells Andy to take the man’s truck and flee before police arrive.
Andy and her ex-stepfather Gordon drink liquor together. We also see a mysterious man drink alcohol.
The f-word is used 12 times, and the s-word is used six times. The phrase “WTF” is seen typed once. “B–ch” is used four times, and we also hear instances of “d–n” and “h—.” God’s name is misused seven times and is sometimes followed with “d–n.” Jesus’ name is misused three times.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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