As a mystery-driven crime drama, Mare of Easttown treads pretty familiar territory without necessarily digging too deeply into the sociopolitical context it seems to hint at throughout its seven-episode run. But as the miniseries' focus shifts from the usual procedural elements to more personal drama among the townspeople of Easttown and certain past events they haven't moved on from, the series gets to evolve as well. The details of who was responsible for the inciting crime are ultimately less important than the conditions in the town's history that led to the crime in the first place, whether by consequence or by fate. Some reveals here may come off as anticlimactic to some, but the series ultimately has more on its mind that's definitely worth paying attention to.

But no matter how you feel about the storytelling in Mare of Easttown, it would be hard to fault the performances, which are stellar practically all across the board. Kate Winslet slips into the role of the unglamorous, burnt out cop effortlessly, while Evan Peters makes a particularly endearing turn as a normal detective just trying to do his job in a place he isn't at all familiar with. As Mare's best friend, Julianne Nicholson grows more interesting and more emotionally complex with every appearance; and as Mare's mother, the great Jean Smart gets to have fun in a role that both functions as a much-needed source of levity, while still remaining essential to the drama at heart.