The story here is everything. Noele Gordon is fired from her long-running daily soap opera and must confront the reality of the situation.
We see Nolly as both domineering on the set but also caring deeply for her co-workers and appreciating her fans. She's not a hero or a villain and even the executives who fired her turn out to be sympathetic characters.
It's not good versus evil. There are no scenes designed to manipulate our emotions, it's just a simple story. The acting is top-notch from top to bottom, everyone is believable in their roles. The sets, the score, the cinematography, and all the rest are beautifully done.
Even the ending doesn't give us the triumph we want but just completes the story nicely.
This show truly illustrates the concept of telling a compelling story without embellishment. I can understand why an audience expecting a happy ending with the bad guy defeated might find this a bit slow, dull even, but I loved it.
I wish we had more this and less of the blockbuster stuff, but I suspect I'm in the minority.
