APPLES NEVER FALL shines a glaring light on the misrepresentation of family dynamics. Smiling, happy, faces are not an indication of what goes on behind closed doors. It is a total mystery to everyone else who is not a member of the Delaney clan.
Stan (Sam Neill) and Joy (Annette Benning) have four amazing troubled, adult children who are polar opposites of each other. The parents represent a tennis school and foundation that is being chipped away and losing their legacy through a missing person report. The series travels back and forth in time filling in necessary information while blasting audiences with the emotional highs and lows surrounding their imperfect sibling/parental relationships. It is a wild, roller coaster ride, especially with the additional mix of a total stranger taking up residence.
Each episode focuses on one specific member of the family. Yes, there are holes in the plot line. Yes, it is very soap opera-ish. Yes, there are cliffhangers, surprises, and physical violence. “Violence rests in all of us.” APPLES NEVER FALL does draw viewers deep within the story on a whirlwind path. This is due to the entire ensemble, especially Alison Brie, Jake Lacy, Essie Randles, and Connor Merrigan.
For me, I hope there is a season two. My curiosity is tapped, and I want to know more. I believe APPLES NEVER FALL opens a window for all of us. There are no perfect families. There are only moments of showing the public what we would like to be true. Are we really fooling those around us or are we only kidding ourselves? It is streaming on Peacock.
