Mary Kills People Review: Bloody Mary (Season 1 Episode 1)

On Mary Kills People Season 1 Episode 1, “Bloody Mary,” we are introduced to the morally messy business of assisted suicide. This is a really strong pilot episode.

It is funny; it is dramatic, and it is philosophical. “Bloody Mary” achieves all this without trying too hard or being heavy-handed. All of those elements are there from the very first scene.

A seemingly routine job does not go as planned. The man that they are helping die peacefully survives his lethal cocktail, and Mary has to smother him with a pillow. This is following a heartfelt exchange between man and hired murderer about being afraid of uncertainty.

“Bloody Mary” is filled with little poetic nuances like this.

Caroline Dhavernas’ performances are always so authentic, and that is obviously the case in this titular role. Whether she is new to your screens or you already know of her talent, it is clear that her role as Mary will be skillfully executed.

That first scene is intense and affecting, but then lightened by the amusing banter between Mary and her colleague, Des.

Mary: You feel that? That’s called a pulse. When you feel that it means someone is alive.

Mary is horrified at what took place, but sees it as a bad day on the job and tries to figure out how to prevent it from happening again. You can see how she is constantly struggling to reconcile the humanity with the work, which she thinks of as ethical and humane.

And then she orders a bunch of chalupas from the drive-thru of what is probably a really good taco place. I like how the crazy opening scene is tempered by a totally average thing like getting fast food.

As with most stories of people who lead double lives, we are shown Mary’s pretty average home life.

Usually the need or desire for the double life is obvious, but with Mary, it’s not. It really seems that it is all about doing something that she strongly believes in that also happens to be illegal.

Mary: I believe we should be in control of our life and our death. That’s liberty. And dying isn’t a crime.

Des’ reasons are the usual obvious kind. He is a recovering addict who hates the mundanity of a sober life.

It’s interesting that they both do it for different reasons. I think this might cause some friction down the line, but as it is now I like their camaraderie. They are funny with a good amount of teasing that goes both ways, but you can also see the trust and companionship between them that can only come from someone who is in the secret life with you.

Mary: I don’t know sometimes if you’re a compassionate doctor or a serial killer.
Des: Says the woman who just smothered a guy with a pillow.

The main premise of the show seems like it would be enough to fill each episode, but they manage to fit in some compelling subplots.

Her relationship with her daughter Jess has the potential to get pretty complicated. Jess is a thoughtful young woman that seems to consider moral issues like her mom—more than your average teenager. “Bloody Mary” sets up this mother/daughter tension well.

You can tell that Mary always wants to do the right thing, tries to do the right thing, but her involvement in assisted suicide forces her to blur that line between right and wrong or at least reconsider the broad definition of them.

Lying for Naomi and to Jess adds a whole other layer to the morality with which Mary is already wrestling and puts more on the line.

With her family being involved, it drives the stakes higher. The stress of the secret life seeps into the normal life. This makes me more invested and concerned with what happens with Mary.

Abigail Winter and Katie Douglas do a great job of portraying two very different teens. Jess is introverted, and Naomi is a little bit wild, but their friendship and connection is believable.

This can be attributed to the combination of both good writing and acting.

Between Naomi’s scare and Des’ “you need to get laid” pep talk, Mary decides to visit their new potential client, Joel, off hours.

He asks her why she does what she does. Her short answer is that she thinks it is a person’s right to decide their fate. When he asks if there is a long answer she kisses him.

Mary may always strive towards doing the right thing, but people are flawed, and she is human. It’s provocative watching her go off the deep end like that.

She is always thinking about the philosophy of helping people kill themselves, weighing the reasons, she wants to let go of that if only for a moment.

And wouldn’t a dying man want to forget about dying if only for a moment?

The catch here is that Joel is not dying; he is undercover investigating Mary.

Their brief (like, really super brief) moment of passion puts both of their work in jeopardy, and throws yet another fascinating component into the mix.

Joel is a good foil for Mary. He’s like the villain in the story, but is also doing what he think is right and just. And, like Des, you kind of want to root for Joel and Mary, but the situation does seem impossible.

Mary brings Casper to Des’ house for him to cat-sit for her…forever? I’m not sure how she’s going to get around this cat cancer lie.

She tells him that she slept with Joel, took advantage of him. She’s not very happy with herself and her poor decision(s), but that doesn’t diminish her conviction in mercy killings.

Mary: We can’t stop helping people.
Des: You’re like Joan of Arc on a divine mission.
Mary: She got burned alive.
Des: Blaze of glory.

There are different ways to look at things. “Pain is subjective. Suffering is subjective.” Yes, Mary kills people, but she also helps people. It depends on how you look at it.

Stray Observations:

• There are so many things to debate within this one episode. I like how Mary and Des debate themselves, too. The drink versus injection debate is an interesting one. I see both sides of it, and I wonder if it will come up more.
• Mary’s ex-husband, Kevin, lays the guilt on pretty thick. I don’t like him.
• There is, like, a big judicial scale on the table at Des’ house which is kind of on-the-nose set decoration, but it made me laugh.
• Showing Mary try so hard to save the stabbing victim is a cool contrast to her taking someone’s life earlier that day.
• Des’ drug dealer and his Greek philosophy rant might be on-the-nose, too, but I think it played well. “I’m all about that kyros, man.”

What did you think of the premiere of Mary Kills People? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Mary Kills People airs Sundays at 10/9c on Lifetime.

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