Sharp Objects Review: Vanish (Season 1 Episode 1)

HBO’s new limited series, Sharp Objects, based on the book of the same name by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), is a bit of a disappointment because Sharp Objects Season 1 Episode 1, “Vanish,” distances itself too much from the source material.

Expectations are high for Sharp Objects. It comes on the heels of Big Little Lies, another female character-driven story that was a critical success. Both adaptations are directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, but Sharp Objects tackles much darker subject matter — the murders of two little girls, and a family made sick by an abundance of secrets.

It is almost impossible to separate a book from its TV or film adaptation if you’ve read the source material, and very often, the movie or series suffers by comparison.

Sharp Objects Season 1 Episode 1 is no different, and it may take a few more episodes to fully embrace and appreciate the show for its own artistic merits.

This means overlooking the fact that Sharp Objects Season 1 Episode 1 veers away from the narrative of the book almost immediately, introducing characters and plot developments much more quickly than the novel.

The pilot episode gets a lot right. Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) is a character who is haunted by her past, and Sharp Objects interweaves flashbacks and dream sequences adeptly, giving viewers enough information for them to piece together the basics they need to know about Camille.

“Vanish” has a dreamlike quality to it that reinforces Camille’s sense of isolation from the world around her. There are times when we can’t tell if she’s asleep or awake, even Camille herself, existing in an alcoholic haze, isn’t always certain.

The series captures the dusty desolation of Wind Gap. The theme of shattering the idyllic illusion of small town life isn’t new, but the residents of Wind Gap don’t put up any pretenses. They aren’t warm and welcoming, not even to Camille, since her prolonged absence and reason for returning make her the object of speculation and suspicion.

This is a town full of people with secrets, and their sense of community is built on keeping them.

Adora’s (Patricia Clarkson) sprawling Victorian mansion, and the mistress of the house are the lingering reminders of old money, and the respect that comes along with it, earned or not.

Adora is a wisp of a woman, reminiscent of Blanche DuBois. She detests unpleasantness and attempts to shield herself from it. Yet, underneath, she’s consumed by misery she’s unable to completely conceal. When it emerges, viewers can see Adora for who she really is: cold, self-involved, controlling, and angry.

The main problem Sharp Objects has to overcome is how to express Camille’s inner monologue without the benefit of a narrator. Camille’s clothing, her heavy drinking, the brief glimpse of the carvings on her body, and her detached outward demeanor are all obvious clues — easy for viewers to grasp and process — that she’s a troubled woman.

Yet, none of this really provides insight into Camille’s self-destructive behavior.

Camille exists very much inside her own head, and the people in Wind Gap, her perception of events unfolding in the present as well as her unraveling the mysteries of her own past are absent.

It’s impossible to translate Flynn’s exquisitely constructed prose into TV dialogue. Camille’s perspective takes a backseat to the viewers’.

The episode lays the groundwork for a compelling murder mystery, but if the series is unable to make Camille’s pain palpable, it won’t do Flynn’s novel justice.

What did you think of this episode of Sharp Objects? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Sharp Objects airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.

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