DTF St. Louis is slow and intriguing, with the character depth and acting to back it up
Jason Bateman and David Harbour in 'DTF St. Louis'
DTF St. Louis (Sky Atlantic and NOW) is slow and intriguing.
Weatherman Clark (Jason Bateman) befriends Floyd (David Harbour) who does the sign-language for his forecasts.
Enter Floyd’s wife Carol (Linda Cardellini) who takes a shine to Clark. Fast forward eight weeks and Floyd is dead (poisoned), Clark arrested, his phone over-flowing with texts to and from Carol. We don’t see many of the texts, but we’re told they had an affair before she ended it. That’s the end of episode one.
It’s just another love triangle in suburbia. So why would you watch episode two? First of all, there is enough who-really-dunnit in the story to suggest that the writers are taking us for a spin. And I like a spin.
But mainly, I like the main characters. Bateman’s Clark is smooth and self-satisfied, but there is something vicious and unhappy just under the surface. We’re not told why. It’s all in Bateman’s acting. I don’t know how he does it.
Floyd is deeply unhappy. We meet him at some kind of bonding event with his stepson, Richard, where they have to hug and talk the truth to each other.
Floyd reveals he is unhappy with his weight and vows to get healthy so he can be there for Richard, but he delivers the news with a bit of spite, as if Richard is wrecking his life. Not surprisingly, his stepson pushes him away. The distance between the two of them is a proxy for Floyd’s failing marriage.
(The actor David Harbour is in the news after his ex Lily Allen released a scathing album about his use of a dating app during their marriage. People think that’s relevant in this show. It really isn’t.)
His wife Carol is equally hard to read. We see her eyeing Clark like a wolf, suggesting she started the affair, but they have done a good job of creating a nothing-is-as-it-seems feel in the first episode.
DTF St. Louis isn’t perfect. Some of the quirky comedy falls flat — such as Floyd being turned off by Carol’s baseball umpire outfit. But there is enough depth in the characters to make me wonder where it is going.
And in the background is the fact that Clark introduced Floyd to a hook-up app called DTF St. Louis. (DTF stands for ‘Down to Fuck’ in case you’re wondering.)
We’re not told if he met anyone on there. But there is enough mystery in the characters to keep me hooked in. And I can also just stare at Jason Bateman and wonder how he gets so much personality into one face.
