Sarah Snook leads the thematically rich but uneven All Her Fault

Even as its quality ebbs and flows, All Her Fault keeps up a high level of intensity throughout its eight-episode run. That’s largely due to how Peacock’s mystery drama, which is based on Andrea Mara’s 2021 novel, uses a traumatic incident to probe into society’s tendency to blame and vilify women. The series opens with Marissa Irvine (Sarah Snook) realizing her kid is missing and that Jenny (Dakota Fanning), another mom from school, never organized a playdate between their sons. So where did Milo (Duke McCloud) go instead, who took him, and why? An investigation into the five year old’s shocking disappearance unravels long-buried secrets, while endless public and police scrutiny puts Marissa and Jenny in the spotlight, affecting their respective relationships and careers. Is it either of their faults that this happened or are there crueler forces at play? Much like the book, this adaptation offers a compelling but patchily constructed tale. 

An immediate win for the show is that it eliminates at least a couple of convoluted storylines from the source material. Still, All Her Fault, which was created by Lazarus and Suspicion writer Megan Gallagher, can’t resist giving in to certain trappings that make it frequently tedious. The worst offense comes in the form of Michael Peña’s shoddily sketched Detective Alcaraz, who seems perpetually surprised that rich people could sneakily do bad things. Even the way he solves clues (it’s all, for the most part, about luck and narrative convenience, not actual skills) appears ridiculous. Other supporting characters come across as one-note until later in the game, which dulls the impact of some of the twists. Despite these frustrating issues, All Her Fault delivers a poignant (albeit not surprising) journey that’s anchored commendably by Snook, Fanning, and stealth MVP Sophia Lillis (who’s also currently in HBO’s The Chair Company). 

Succession veteran Snook gives it her all to bring Marissa’s agony, confusion, and heartbreak to life, particularly once her character starts feeling isolated because she doesn’t know who to trust anymore, including husband Peter (Jake Lacy) and other loved ones. And it’s exciting to watch the actor express all of Marissa’s emotions without any restraint. She’s most evocative in her scenes with Lacy, who holds his own and nails the demeanor of a man consistently on edge for reasons this review won’t spoil. Marissa and Peter’s toxic, consuming dynamic gives All Her Fault even more weight as the couple puts pressing issues aside to find Milo.