‘The Baxters’ Prime Video Series Review - Even Jesus Cannot Save this Flat Family Drama

First, Netflix gave us Testament: The Story of Moses. Now, Prime Video has released The Baxters, a web series based on the Redemption literary series from author Karen Kingsbury. According to Wikipedia, Kingsbury is an American Christian novelist who used to be a sports writer for the Los Angeles Times. Prime Video has rolled out all three seasons at once on its platform, though by the time I was finished with Season 1, I had no interest in going for the other seasons. What's up with the streaming services? Why are they all so hell-bent on sending their subscribers to the church? Do they think that by giving some space to Jesus, they will be forgiven for greenlighting all those forgettable, mediocre films and web shows?  If so, then atonement through a forgettable, mediocre show is definitely not the right way forward.

There is a scene in The Baxters where Reagan (Cassidy Gifford), after listening to a speech on love, asks Kari (Ali Cobrin), "Can you teach a class on this?" Well, her wish is granted by this series, which doubles up as a class on love, faith, and Christianity. The Baxters preaches to the audience like a priest. It tells us to be kind, caring, gentle, and other good things. Goodness, on the screen, looks repulsive when it turns into a lecture on morality. Why spend resources on a show if it will be similar to a sermon from a priest? You should at least use your medium effectively. The tone of The Baxters is entirely saccharine. It's made by directors who can just see everything through a lens full of pity. It's like being in a room with someone who continuously tells you, "Trust God because everything's going to be alright."

Since every scene is dipped in the same mood, there is no difference between a scene like the one where Angela (Taylour Paige) breaks a cup angrily and the one where Luke (Josh Plasse) and Reagan jump into a pool happily. Every place has a soft, emotionally distant aesthetic. The local bar is covered in red lights to imbue it with a hellish quality, but its atmosphere feels similar to the one inside the church or the home of The Baxter family (the bar, too, has a bartender who refuses to refill his customer's drink if the customer has had too much alcohol for the night. No wonder, the bar has so few people in it). Characters might be held at gunpoint or playing with their family, but the scenes remain in the realm of monotony.

There are moments, like when a priest prays for Kari's relationship, when The Baxters enters the so-bad-it's-good territory. The song that plays over the opening credits is incredibly cheesy. I have never clicked on the Skip Intro button so quickly. The scenes are arranged so laughably, so obviously, that the points get underlined heavily. In the first episode, Kari's mother, Elizabeth (Roma Downey), informs, wait for it, a kid that Kari "loves with all her heart even when she is hurting." This is meant to be taken as a clue regarding Kari's decision to not leave her husband. She doesn't let go of things so easily. If only the point was not laid out in big, bold letters, but then, that's how The Baxters is. When John (Ted McGinley) and Elizabeth pray for Tim (Brandon Hirsch) and Kari, we see Kari finding Tim and Angela together in the latter's apartment. So, as soon as the cracks appear in this relationship, they are processed for repairs through orison.

What do you know, Tim and Kari get back together! Moral of the story: Pray to God, and he will fix everything. Tim initially asserts that he is in love with Angela and that his marriage has gone into ruins as Kari doesn't support him (for instance, she didn't turn up for an award function). His reasons, however, turn out to be phony. Tim simply starts walking on the wrong path. He fails to be a good Christian due to alcohol. Moral of the story: Alcohol is the Devil's drink. Tim never feels suitable for Kari from the beginning. This match doesn't seem to be made in heaven but forced into existence by a clumsy screenwriter. Kari and Ryan (Jake Allyn) look better together, so much so that even god decides to remove Tim from the equation.

The Baxters is the kind of show where Kari, after learning about her husband's infidelity, cries in the bathroom and says, "Please, lord, guide my path." When Dirk (Kai Caster) holds two characters at gunpoint, one of them asks him if he is a man of faith. Of course, Dirk pulls the trigger after talking to them. There is one genuinely good and amusing scene in The Baxters involving Ashley (Masey McLain) complaining about superhero films, given she speaks with a childish bearing. The rest of the show comes across as inconsequential because you feel as if someone is flipping through the pages instead of reading them thoroughly.

Final Score- [3.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times