Expats Review – Unleashes a Rollercoaster of Emotions & Powerful Performances

Based on Janice Y. K. Lee’s novel The Expatriates, Prime Video’s Expats demands the viewer’s full concentration. This isn’t the kind of show people can watch while scrolling through their phones or preparing dinner. It needs the audience to sit down and pay attention because what’s said is equally as important as what isn’t. Fortunately, the payoff of the first two episodes makes it worth it.

Created by Lulu Wang and starring Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, and Ji-young Yoo, Expats follows three women Margaret (Kidman), Hilary (Blue), and Mercy (Yoo), and how a tragedy influences them as they navigate their lives in the new setting of Hong Kong. However, the story isn’t spoon-fed right from the start, as new details unravel that shock and might change the viewer’s perception toward these characters. Each episode adds another layer to the narrative but also creates new questions everyone will want answers to immediately. The bad news is that episodes (except for the first two) drop weekly, so no one will be able to binge it all in one go to find out.

The nature of loneliness in a crowded room

The show digs into the issues of classism, superficiality, and isolation. While Margaret and Hilary live the good life, as opposed to Mercy who struggles to get by, they are only rich on a surface level. No one wants to reach out to help them as their woes are only gossip fodder for their peers, regardless of how these matters could affect and devastate any human being. There’s a sense of isolation among all three women (despite all of them knowing each other) as they are in a new country and place, out of their comfort zones and experiencing their lives falling apart.

At the same time, they numb themselves to – and distance themselves from – their family or loved ones. They internalise their problems and shut out the world, which also creates additional pressure and anxiety for them to deal with. It’s a catch-22 situation, though. If they open up, no one truly listens to their cries for help, so what are they expected to do? There’s a deep sense of loneliness that follows Margaret, Hilary, and Mercy around throughout these first two episodes of Expats.

Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo and Jack Huston shine

In terms of performances, three characters stand out here. Nicole Kidman’s Margaret experiences the greatest loss. She’s broken and alone, lost in an endless loop of grief. Kidman carries this in every scene she appears in, as her character walks around in a dreamlike state – only being snapped out of it when something reminds her of her loss.

On the other hand, Ji-young Yoo’s Mercy feels like the liveliest of the lot. While she is younger and in a different stage of her life compared to Margaret and Hilary, Mercy comes across as carefree and someone who is living in the moment. However, as the episodes unfold, it’s clear there’s something missing in her as well, which Yoo conveys through subtle but powerful mannerisms.

Hilary’s husband, David, who is played by Jack Huston, also captivates in the early stages of the show. He notices the distance between him and his wife, trying to bridge the gap, but he continues to be shut out. His subsequent behaviour comes from both a place of selfishness and loneliness, too, and Huston ensures the audience sees that in David who is equally as lost as his wife here.

Is Expats worth watching?

The first two episodes of Expats aren’t short of drama and intrigue. From the start, the story hooks and reels in the viewer, making everyone wonder how it will turn out for Margaret, Hilary, and Mercy in the end. With each character on their own respective path, it’s clear their courses are set to collide. And when they do, expect an explosion of emotion and pain.

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Expats debuts on Prime Video on January 26.