Crime
Dope Thief
Dope Thief comes with all the drugs, language and violence that you probably expect in a such an aptly named show.
Sophie remembers being underwater, her body dragged by the current toward the propellers of a boat. She remembers being pulled up by the Coast Guard, saved from imminent death.
Everyone around her–doctors, therapists, friends and even her own husband–tell her that she attempted suicide. Medical records confirm this. But Sophie can’t remember why.
Why would she want to end her own life, when it seems so perfect? Her husband, James, is an investment manager that’s afforded them an easy, affluent lifestyle. Her best friend, Caroline, is wild but seemingly consistent. She owns top-of-the-line clothes and appliances. She volunteers at a hospital. I mean, the only thing she really must worry about is how to keep herself busy.
Someone like that wouldn’t want to end their life. Right?
Unless, of course, that life is a lie.
The problem is that Sophie can only remember small details of her daily routines before the “accident.” Large memories, especially memories about who she really is, have vanished. It’s like she’s living in someone else’s body, going about her day in a haze.
That all starts to change when Sophie attends a neurofeedback session–therapy that’s supposed to jog her memory and help her piece together the shards of her reality. And the more she uncovers, the more her idyllic existence proves to be a muddled falsehood.
Turns out, Sophie’s forgotten life is complicated. Very complicated. She’s also a woman named Tess, in fact. And in Season Two, Sophie sets up shop in London, where “Tess” once lived. She still can’t remember why she nearly died, but she knows it has something to do with another mysterious death: her mother. And Sophie believes London may hold some very important clues.
Her first task: to link up with an old lover named Eliza Huntley. Sophie/Tess learns that the Huntleys are moneyed members of the British aristocracy, awash in high fashion, real estate and scandal. Turns out that Tess worked at the Huntleys horse stables years before, where she and Eliza connected.
But while Eliza’s never forgotten the ensuing heartbreak, Tess has blanked on pretty much everything. Not the easiest set of conditions to reingratiate oneself into one of Europe’s wealthiest families. But given that more than a few all-too-literal skeletons litter the Huntley closet, she grows to suspect that someone in the family orbit may have killed her mother.
And who better to help with her investigation than an actual investigative reporter? Callum Walsh has been working for years to unlock the sordid story surrounding the Huntleys. Tess just might be the key.
Surface, Apple TV+’s long-simmering series, is founded on the mysterious.
This TV-MA thriller has a few things going for it. It’s a well-cast show, and it’s pinned to a pervasive mystery that continues well past the first episode. The draw here is, of course, the fact that the main character has no idea what is going on in her own life–and each episode attempts to reveal a bit more about the truth.
But truth is subjective here, as it seems no one can be trusted. Including the show itself.
The world that Surface sinks its viewers into is one filled with sex (including same-sex relationships), violence and murder. Foul language (including the f-word) are part of the dialogue. So far, sexual scenes are shot at angles that only insinuate what’s happening, and blood and trauma are experienced in flashbacks. But as this is in fact an MA-rated show, there’s no telling what else may lie underneath the surface of future episodes.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Sophie remembers, during a therapy session, that she attempted suicide: She just cannot remember why. Sophie attempts to piece missing details together to help her figure out her life.
Sophie nearly dies by a boat propeller before being rescued. Sophie is rushed to the hospital, covered in blood. An injured, bloodied patient is rushed to the emergency room. Sophie uncovers medical documentation of a past broken arm, and the record states that she could be a victim of domestic abuse.
Sophie and her husband, James, kiss, make out and have sex (we only see them in bed together, afterward, as James lies in bed shirtless). Sophie uncovers a video of her with another man. This same man tells her that they had been having an affair. (Again, this video is shot at such an angle that it’s evident the two had sex, but the scene is not graphic).
Men and women alike consume hard liquor, wine and champagne.
The phrase “oh my God” is heard three times. The f-word is used nearly 10 times, the s-word is used once and other profanity includes words like “b–ch” and “d–n.”
Sophie is in London, recovering the life she knew as “Tess.” First step: to reconnect with an old female flame of hers named Eliza at a swanky charity event. It’s about the only piece of her old life that she remembers. When they bump into each other, Eliza suggests that perhaps it might be better for both of them if Tess just disappeared again. Does she mean it? Of course not.
But Sophie renews acquaintances with someone else as well: an investigative journalist named Callum. Seems that eight months before, “Tess” contacted Callum and encouraged him to keep investigating the Huntleys. Might they be connected with her mother’s death?
Female characters wear revealing eveningwear. (Eliza, for instance, wears a gown wherein the neckline dives practically to her navel.) We see Tess step into a bathtub, though only her back, lower legs and shoulders are visible to the camera. Eliza is in a same-sex relationship: We see Eliza and her lover in bed together before Eliza gets out of bed to get dressed. (We see her in her bra.) It’s clear that Eliza and Tess also had a romantic relationship.
Quinn, Eliza’s brother, is engaged to be married, and we see him and his fiancée, Grace, in their apparently shared living quarters. But Quinn was apparently linked to a call girl, too.
Sophie/Tess discovers that she’s been keeping a number of newspaper clippings that demonstrate the Huntleys’ close association with mysterious deaths. (Headlines talk about a number of dead and missing women. Quinn and Eliza’s father, William, have been linked to several alleged murders—his great wealth shielding him from the full brunt of the law, apparently.) Tess has a dream in which she’s nearly attacked by someone.
Quinn smokes. Several people drink. Callum downs whisky. Eliza smokes what may be marijuana. (She offers it to Tess, who declines.) We hear that Tess had a rap sheet as a teen, getting charged for petty theft and shoplifting. (We also hear that she worked as a bartender.) Characters lie and mislead. We hear the s-word twice, along with two misuses of God’s name.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
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