Flesh and Bone, Season 1, Episode 1, “Bulling Through”
Written by Moira Walley-Beckett
Directed by David Michôd
Airs Sundays at 8 pm ET on Starz
After exploring the world of airline pilots and stewardesses in the 60s and meth dealers in modern-day New Mexico, writer Moira Walley-Beckett is set to take the reins of a show as the creator. For this venture, Walley-Beckett delves into the world of ballet dancers in New York with Flesh and Bone. Although the pilot hits many of the story beats that have been seen in other stories about ballet dancers, the characterisation makes up for it, with a strong central character and supporting characters with potential of their own. Combined with strong work by director Michôd, this makes for an engaging episode that starts the miniseries off well.
The story of Claire makes for a compelling aspect of “Bulling Through”, a promising sign of things to come, given the amount of time the audience spends with her this week. While the doe-eyed but talented rookie performer could have been a tired aspect of the series, Claire’s backstory adds a level of intrigue that successfully elevates it. The history of incestual sexual abuse that’s hinted at in the trailer, coupled with how Claire’s own sexual exploration and exploitation of sexuality that the artistic director coerces Claire into, suggests numerous fascinating directions the character can go in. The lack of a solid familial structure for Claire to lean on for support makes her particularly susceptible to the pressures she is already facing and is going to face in her first few months at the Ballet Company. On the other hand, the fact that Claire has had to deal with sexual abuse from her own sibling means that she’s already dealt with much worse circumstances than anything the other dancers can throw at her, and her resilience is bound to surprise many. It will also be intriguing to watch how Claire deals with her sexuality, given the shadows of the traumas that haunt her. Her trip to the strip club with Daphne and subsequent exploration of her body suggests that Claire is open to the idea of sex and perhaps even using her body as a source of income or more in time, but the fact that she’s being coerced into it for the benefit of others by people like Grayson might mean it’ll end up pushing Claire into her shell even more. The possibility of being pursued by her brother, and having to always keep a watchful eye to ensure he doesn’t find her and come after her, is also bound to affect how Claire deals with strangers, as the strip club incident proves.
The story of the other dancers in the Ballet Company is also intriguing in the pilot. The miniseries nature of the show will allow for a deeper look into the lives of ballet dancers who may not necessarily be the apple of the artistic director’s eye, but who nonetheless are still key parts of the performances and who also have to make sacrifices, and hopefully the writers choose to delve into the lives of dancers other than Claire, as the pilot promises. Daphne may be the most compelling secondary character so far, as the combination of both her secondary income from the strip club and her rich father means that she’s in the Ballet Company due to a desire to dance, rather than a need to earn money or build a career with no other options. As Mia points out, Daphne is the only one who can be trusted in the group, an assertion that seems to hold true given her background, but that very strength also brings up the question of why she’s there, a question that hopefully the writers tackle. Mia herself is also an interesting enigma. As Claire’s roommate, she’s the one with closest access to Claire, but her disturbance at the fact that Giselle is no longer being performed maybe indicate that her loyalties are with Kiira, or atleast with the established order. If Claire trusts Mia, which is a strong possibility, then how Mia reacts to knowing Claire’s secrets will say a lot about Mia as a person, and whether or not she sees Claire as an interloper who hasn’t earned her stripes yet, or if she’s loyal to Kiira due to it being advantageous for her. How the entire troupe divides themselves between Kiira and Claire, in fact, will be worth keeping an eye on.
The promise of the miniseries appears set to come from the characters, as the story elements themselves unfortunately come off a bit cliché in the pilot, from the overbearing artistic director who sexualises the performers to the rising star who displaces the established lead. Dedicating more time to these elements, however might allow for a deeper exploration, and if nothing else, watching the Ballet Company participants deal with change will be worth seeing on its own. Sarah Hay handles herself wonderfully capably in the pilot, with much of the shades of Claire’s character coming from her performance, whether it’s the look of barely concealed fear she wears in the minutes after her phone rings or the determination born from desperation that she displays in her pursuit of a place at the Ballet Company. The supporting cast being filled with dancers is an exciting aspect of the series as well, as it allows for some exciting ballet sequences that could be highlights of the miniseries if shot and choreographed well. Speaking of shooting well, director David Michôd and DP Adam Arkapaw indelibly leave their mark in the pilot, with a number of gorgeous shots, particularly in scenes that take place during the night, and it’ll be exciting to see how subsequent directors follow up on the standard Michôd and Arkapaw set here. Tovah Feldshuh’s presence on the show interestingly makes this the third currrently-airing show that she’s a part of, as she also appears on The Walking Dead and lends her voice to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. How the characters develop and interact from here on out, as well as how Walley-Beckett and the writers subvert or further examine the more cliché aspects of the story, will be worth watching for as the show continues.