‘Dirty John’ is a suspenseful break from the usual Bravo fare

Bravo has spent a lot of time selling the bejeesus out of “Soiled John,” its true-crime drama starring Connie Britton, Eric Bana, Juno Temple and Julia Garner. The eight-episode collection gained’t premiere till Nov. 25, however right here’s the scoop: all that promotional effort — dropping a first-look picture again in August, then a trailer and several other episodes (to TV writers) — ought to reward Bravo with stable viewership: “Soiled John” provides compelling turns from Britton, Bana et al. And, if something, it’ll give the community’s viewers, fed a regular weight loss program of assorted “Actual Housewives” iterations, a much-needed break from that tiresome franchise. “Soiled John” is based mostly on LA Instances reporter Christopher Goffard’s podcast, which premiered in October 2017 and garnered over 10 million downloads in its first six weeks in telling the story of real-life con man John Meehan (Bana) and his relationship with well-to-do LA inside designer Debra Newell (Britton). However you needn’t have listened to the podcast (I didn’t) to shortly get the essence of “Soiled John.” Viewers study in the collection opener that Debra’s been married (and divorced) 4 instances — and has nearly given up on assembly anybody — till a date with Meehan. He’s the too-perfect man: a divorced, good-looking anesthesiologist with excellent hair and enamel who was wounded in Iraq whereas embedded as a physician with the army. An early awkward second with John units off some early alarm bells in Debra, however he sweet-talks his method again into her good graces, and eight weeks later they’re married in a tacky Las Vegas chapel, retaining the secret from Debra’s household. However John isn’t fooling anybody; virtually Debra’s whole household thinks he’s hinky, notably her two intuitive daughters, Veronica (Temple) and Terra (Garner, so good in “Ozark”), who suspect the worst and begin to channel their greatest Nancy Drew. The blunt Veronica thinks John is a creep, a sentiment shared by her sister. Debra, although, gained’t brook any criticism of Husband #5, even after coughing up $90,00 to purchase him his “dream” waterfront condominium. The “Soiled John” opener does a good job establishing the premise, slowly, and fleshing out the foremost characters (together with 67-year-old Jean Sensible as Debra’s mom, sporting a white wig and granny glasses). By the time you get to the finish of Episode 2, John’s psycho bona fides are firmly established as his lies begin to unravel — although there’s nonetheless way more to return. At instances you would possibly really feel there’s a Lifetime-ish “lady in jeopardy” really feel to the collection, however the indisputable fact that it’s based mostly on a true story just about negates that. The pacing works effectively, as does the preliminary connection between Debra and John. Britton (“Spin Metropolis,” “Friday Night time Lights,” “Nashville”) delivers the items and conveys a broad vary of feelings, each towards John and her household, as Debra begins to appreciate her “excellent man” is simply a unhealthy man. Large-screen star Bana (“Black Hawk Down,” “Hulk”) makes his American tv debut right here and performs the smarm card to the hilt. It’s properly carried out suspense. [embedded content] Share this: https://nypost.com/2018/10/29/dirty-john-is-a-suspenseful-break-from-the-usual-bravo-fare/ The post ‘Dirty John’ is a suspenseful break from the usual Bravo fare appeared first on My style by Kartia.