If you’ve happened onto Max during the last month, you’ve probably heard of The Regime. This limited series stars Max darling Kate Winslet and features a laundry list of production staff from top shows like Succession. Not only does it seem like a slam dunk for every possible award, it also seems like a really decent, high quality show in its own right.
Since the first episode aired last week, its reviews have been very poor, to put it charitably. According to ScreenRant, the Rotten Tomatoes score went from 89% to 57% practically overnight. The show itself didn’t change, of course. It was just seen by a much larger cross-section of reviewers. Folks with mid-size blogs like this one don’t get the same early access to shows that big organizations like The New York Times get. We have to watch stuff at the same time you do. And, it’s pretty obvious that mid-size bloggers didn’t like the show, not at all.
What didn’t they like?
These later reviews tended to call the show derivative and unoriginal. They chided the scripts for saying nothing new about autocracy and privilege. In an age where we all expect extremely dense, dark comedies, The Regime simply didn’t measure up in the eyes of a lot of people. So, I thought I’d throw my hat into the ring and give you my impressions of the show. Like you, I’ve only seen the first episode. So, here goes.
My review of The Regime
The Regime takes place more or less in the current time, but definitely lives in an alternate world from ours. In this world, a rather nameless central European country is led by a democratically elected dictator, played by Kate Winslet. Winslet’s character is, essentially, The Office’s Michael Scott if that person tried to run a country rather than an office. She’s a walking talking bag of insecurities, disguised by two-fisted declarations that may not be questioned no matter how stupid they are.
I’m not going to go through the entire plot, but it becomes clear after about half the show that her only friend and confidante is a fairly random soldier. This soldier, played by Matthias Schoenaerts, was chosen because he may or may not have viciously squashed an anti-government uprising. He’s not incredibly smart, but he’s shrewd enough to get into Winslet’s inner circle and get back into it after being thrown out. With that, the stage is set for whatever the next five episodes will bring.
The first thing you’ll notice is the production design. If you’ve ever wondered what Wes Anderson would do with the prewar Soviet Union, you’ll find your answer here. Sets are lavish, dominant in blues and oranges, and the cinematography by Alwin H. Küchler is quirky and memorable. Instead of following Anderson’s lead of strictly linear shots, Küchler uses Dutch angles and odd closeups to add humor. Based on the sets and costumes, you’d be forgiven for thinking this took place in the 1930s or 1940s, but prominently placed cell phones and flat TVs convince you it’s current.
It’s not how it looks, it’s how it behaves
Let me say this right now: Kate Winslet absolutely carries this show. Her accent is an odd combination of Margaret Thatcher’s real-life accent and Tilda Swinton’s weird made-up accent for Snowpiercer. She carries herself almost like a swaggering linebacker, yet absolutely bathes in her own femininity. Her every quirk is slightly terrifying but always funny. She’s literally terrified of breathing other people’s air, terrified of mold, but keeps her embalmed father’s corpse in the presidential palace. That, of all things, speaks volumes about who she is.
Sadly, none of the supporting actors really rise to Winslet’s level. Other than the soldier played by Schoenaerts, it’s hard to know what anyone does. They’re just anonymous henchmen. There’s no attempt by any of them to live in Winslet’s world, really. Some sound American and look contemporary, while one (Andrea Riseborough’s Agnes) seems more like a Tim Burton character. Schoenaerts himself is the only character with anything close to a central European accent, and yet no one says anything about it.
Yeah, it’s not the most original thing ever
Yes, I’ll admit that the anti-American sentiment is unoriginal. It’s right out of Love Actually, actually. There are threads of the plot that make no real sense. For example, there’s a small child in a lot of scenes who doesn’t belong to Winslet’s character and it’s not clear why the child has run of the palace. But none of that mattered much to me. The scene in the middle of the episode where Winslet’s protective carriage is carried, Egyptian-style, into a room by unnamed henchmen, was simply hilarious. It brought to mind our greatest fears of Covid and the silliness in which we indulged in them. And yet the way that all of Winslet’s fears of infection disappear as soon as she gets an unexpected talking-to tells you that it’s not her real fears that are the issue. It’s her lack of vindication.
I’ll keep watching
I have to be totally honest here. I have absolutely worked for people who were as utterly nuts as Kate Winslet’s Chancellor Elena Vernham. Thing is, I don’t want to libel anyone so I can’t get into too much detail. All I can say is that the archetype of the narcissistic leader who doesn’t tell people what they want, gives conflicting orders at top volume, and never understands why other people aren’t perfect… is totally real. The boss I had who acted like that even looked a bit like Kate Winslet. I’ll watch this show because, as harrowing as it is to work for someone like that, it’s incredibly funny to watch someone else do it. The Regime may not break much new ground in toxic workplace situation comedy, but it still brings believable performances (well, at least 1) and some rarely found belly laughs. I recommend it.
The Regime streams on Max. New episodes premiers Sundays.
