La Maison

Of the current shows streaming, this is the only one I am excited to watch every week. The premise probably isnt for everyone, much like couture fashion is not for everyone. Judging a show because it's too high brow without really giving it a chance is just hypocritical in itself.

The story is relevant, the acting is superb, the fashion is realistic, the power of the great French fashion houses is spot on. Halfway through the season right now, I'm hopeful it continues to get better and better. This is the type of show that shines a spotlight on an elusive industry that to this day is still very private and guarded. I'm not sure if this is meant to be a limited series or if more seasons are planned, but i for one, am all in!!

I would have loved to see a fun, soapy, behind-the-scenes tale of what 'really' goes on in a French couture house, but this is not it.

Every character is ripped from the cliché attic: the house's art director is foppish and authoritarian, oblivious to what's happening in the world of style outside his microcosm. His sister, a former model, obsessively records her weight daily in a series of hundreds of notebooks dating back to her glory days. The head of La Maison's rival fashion house is comically villainous.

Then there is the 'new girl', who designs raggedy clothes that literally look like rubbish - but is suddenly appointed the fashion house's new art director because of her amazing talent.

Awful. An absolute slog to watch.

In the brilliant, and still greatest series ever, 'The Sopranos', Christopher says to Adriana, in response to her saying to him that they could leave the life and start over and he could be a male model: "As far as male modeling goes, I'd probably be a success, but I don't want to be around those fkn' people."

Now, Christopher was a junkie, woman beater, and a made Mafia guy, but no truer words were ever spoken regarding the fashion industry!

I made it up to the 'eco-warriors.' I am sick-to-death with these self-indulgent ankle-biters thinking they own the patent on self-righteousness!

I'll take the mob over these fashion effete poseurs!

The french version of 'Succesion', yes to all the negative reviews and yes to all to good ones. No one will like everything from this series, some will like or dislike the writing, others will like or dislike the fashion aspect of it. Yes there are some weak points and sometimes cliches present themselves, but thats okay.

The case for me is that this series shows me a great cast with great acting, interesting visuals, thorough thoughtful production design. But above all i see all the hard work and enthusiasm of the people working on this production. My hope is that Apple will give 'La Maison' the room to breathe and to elevate itself to the level of 'Succesion', especially concerning the psychology between the main characters. Also I ask the viewers and reviewers to consider looking at the aspects that are motivating for you to watch and don't let your biases and preconceived notions about how the show should be, stand in the way of your viewer experience.

This is the series I didn't know I needed, but of which I cannot get enough! Is it the dichotomy of the sublime locations set against the sub slime back stabbing? The handmade couture set against the digital cowardice? Was there an intention early on to highlight the unequal distribution of responsibility for actions between individuals who bully or complain on social media and those who engage directly in the real world?

And who doesn't want the option to hear the French language? The quality of the English audio track is just as top notch as the quality of the French audio track. I like having the English audio track selected along with English closed captions. The words do not match up but the sentiments are aligned. Having both approaches active to the dialogue seems to give a richer insight to what the characters are communicating.

I sincerely hope there are several more seasons of La Maison to come! I'd love to see more French content and more old world locations as well.