If You’re Not Watching Mare Of Easttown, You’re Missing The Best TV Show Of 2021

Starring Kate Winslet in the kind of role which makes you want to go back and watch everything they've ever starred in, Mare of Easttown is the best thing on TV so far this year, 2021. And don't even come at me threatening to take me away in an OCG Land Rover.

Tonight, the crime thriller show/drama airs its fifth of seven episodes on Sky Atlantic, so here's a public service announcement: if you've not started watching Mare Of Easttown yet, this is the week. Pick up on episode one tonight (on Sky Go or NOW) and you'll be hooked and probably caught up by Wednesday. HONESTLY.

Also, the end of episode four of Mare of Easttown is SO GOOD and you, you lucky thing, will be able to go straight to episode five.

We've also heard NO SPOILERS NO SPOILERS that the ending of episode five of Mare of Easttown is just as shocking - and by the time you've caught up, you'll have less time to wait than the rest of us poor mortals who've been loving the show since day one, and now desperately googling 'Mare of Easttown Episode Six Preview'.

What is Mare of Easttown About?

Not to get too heavy on you, but it's kind of hard to say what Mare of Easttown is 'about' until we've seen the whole series... Why? Because on the face of things it's a procedural crime thriller about a murder and a kidnapping in a small town. But as time goes on, you wonder if it's actually more about Easttown itself - and what has happened to a small town America ravaged by opioids and seemingly left behind when it comes to the so-called 'woke revolution'. More specifically, what's happened to the women of those towns? But as the title suggests, it's also as much about the crimes being investigated as the lead character, Mare, played by Kate Winslet, and her life unravelling (even further than it has when we meet her).

Kate Winslet plays Detective Mare Sheehan, tasked with the continued missing person's investigation into her former friend's daughter, Katie Bailey, and the new apparent murder of young single mother, Erin McMenamin.

The problem is that... well, everyone could be a suspect really. And Mare knows all of them, and their kids, and their parents, any probably has their fingerprints memorised. Oh and another problem is that Mare is dealing with 798,675 other issues in her personal life - forefront being the care of her young grandson, whose father (Mare's son) has died, and whose mother wants him back.

Kate Winslet carries Mare's life and woes to perfection. Like many of us this year, complete with eye bags and terrible roots, Winslet's Mare looks like a woman who hasn't had a decent night's sleep in... well, she's got no time to reminisce and remember. She's a hero every tired woman can get behind - everyone in the community seems to have had a run-in with Mare and dislikes her as much as they respect her for one reason or another. Somehow though, exposed to Mare's flaws, her love of Philly Cheese Steaks and Rolling Rock, as a viewer you grow to love her.

Who is Evan Peters' character, Colin Zabel?

Not long after her investigation begins, Colin Zabel, a County Detective, is called in to help Mare with the investigation, which she ABSOLUTELY HATES at first. Played by Evan Peters, the character of Zabel and their relationship isn't straightforward though and one of the things that makes Mare of Easttown stand out is the relationship between the two detectives. It plays on the classic riff of two detectives begrudgingly pulled together, but never falls into cliche. Also, sorry, but the Emmy for drunk acting goes to Evan Peters as Colin Zabel.

Is Mare of Easttown based on a book?

No, Mare of Easttown is not based on a book. And that's another thing that's so great about the show - it feels like ages since we've all had something great you can sink your teeth into with absolutely no idea where it's going, collectively, with the rest of the internet.

That's also because the show is aired weekly and so you have to wait a painful week to find out what's happened at the end of every cliffhanger or shock episode ending. Which we all love to hate, don't we...

How can I watch Mare of Easttown?

New episodes of Mare of Easttown air weekly, Mondays on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV. The whole series so far is available on Sky Go and Now.

There are seven episodes in the series of Mare of Easttown - and they're around an hour long. Tonight's episode will be episode five.