Little Birds Review: Season 1 Episode 5
Little Birds begins to jell on Season 1 Episode 5 with a thematic throughline of what freedom can mean to different people.
The show wears cohesiveness well—I just wish it happened way sooner than the penultimate episode of the season. Granted, little details have been built upon leading up to this episode which adds richness to the story at this point. Still, though, it seems a little late in the game.
But not enough to be unenjoyable.
The story is catching up to the incredible visual beauty of the show. The aesthetic is strong enough to carry a weak, disjointed plot, but when both aspects are running at full intensity, the result is magical.
The acting has been consistently stellar since Little Birds Season 1 Episode 1, and the cast especially shines here with everything working in harmony. I continue to be blown away by Yumna Marwan’s portrayal of Cherifa. In the scene with the Secretary, she is practically hypnotic.
Along with the dreamy look the show excels in achieving, this makes for a bewitching combination.
Juno Temple is perfect for the role of Lucy—it almost seems to be made for her. We’ve seen her submissive side, and a wild side has shown up here and there, but on this episode we get to see Lucy take charge.
As fun as this episode is, it is still lacking what the entire season has been lacking: Lucy-Cherifa interactions.
Bill: You remind me of someone. She was the freest person I ever knew. And I knew she was free because that’s the way that she made a person feel. Like you could do anything, go anywhere, and be anyone. And just being near her gave you that feeling like you were more awake.
I feel that way about Cherifa, and I can see it in Lucy, too, just as Bill does. I hope that Cherifa finds a way to live as freely as she is in her soul and for Lucy to free herself from the cages that hold her. I am optimistic for this outcome because of how they both exude power and authenticity with such rawness.
However, not everyone views freedom the same way.
Bill (Matt Lauria) comments on Lucy’s father’s version of freedom as well: “I’ll tell you about your daddy. One type of freedom he cares about, the freedom to make money.”
A scene Adham (Raphael Acloque) has with the opinionated Aziz (Fady Elsayed) at a cafe plays like a separate vignette within the story, possibly to highlight the structure of the source material. It’s informative in the way it explains the political atmosphere in Tangier, and it’s a passionately constructed scene that even though it’s tangential, it’s quite compelling in its own right.
Aziz: This is not about Algeria. It’s not about national borders. It’s about humanity. It’s about demanding freedom and respect for human beings.
Different ideas of freedom link each scene on this episode, whether explicitly or symbolically, and those connections add a whole lot to the story overall.
What did you think of this episode of Little Birds? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Little Birds airs Sundays at 9/8c on Starz.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.