Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
In 2015, non-Lifetime devotees scrambled to figure out how to watch UnREAL, a show unlike most of the Lifetime lineup. In 2017, that honor goes to Mary Kills People – a series that lifetime Lifetime viewers and newbies alike will enjoy, available on demand and on Mylifetime.com (as well as Amazon Video). And now that you know where to get it, find the time this weekend to watch it.
Mary Kills People stars Caroline Dhavernas as Dr. Mary Harris, a single mother and ER doctor by day, and an “end of life consultant” on the side, which means she helps people kill themselves. Patients reach out to her as a way to put an end to their pain, their diseases, and their cancers, and she serves them up a champagne and pentobarbital cocktail in a comfortable bed or on the beach so they can drift away in peace. Along with her partner, Des (Richard Short), a former plastic surgeon, Mary makes her house calls while remaining confident in her work, which many consider unethical.
In that camp is Joel (Jay Ryan), a man Mary is told has an inoperable brain tumor, but it’s evident right away that he’s not like her other patients. Soon, the ethical dilemma is the least of Mary’s problems. In fact, she’s face with a whole lot more of them. Tangled up in drama from her supplier Grady (Greg Bryk), to her teenage daughter Jess (Abigail Winter) and Jess’s mischievous friend Naomi (Katie Douglas, who’s got many years of playing an obnoxious teen ahead of her), Mary’s life gets incredibly complicated, even for someone who is a euthanasia specialist.
Mary Kills People has got all the drama Lifetime fans will relish: sexual tension, endless drama, and a woman making her own rules and kicking ass along the way. For those not frequently tuned into the channel, there’s plenty for you in this show, too. The series presents new twists and turns at just the right time, never dragging but also not throwing every trick in the book at viewers at once. MKP does a great job of keeping things intriguing, consistently blurring the lines of each character’s intentions and making you guess a lot along the way. At just 6 hour-long episodes, it’s the perfect binge-watch for a long weekend, leaving you with a feeling of satisfaction not just for completion, but in the storytelling as well.
This series is smart and compelling, and yet still easy to digest. It will have you thinking about a lot of things along the way in the decisions Mary makes, and not the least of which is euthanasia. However, such a heavy topic is still approached in a respectful and morally-conscious way. Oh, but there is still tons to discuss with pals over brunch. It’s an impressive balance that the show never goes too gory or too fluffy, and does a great job of bringing in new viewers to the women-centric programming, while still serving faithful viewers. This series has figured out how to feel simultaneously edgy, sexy and comforting, and will leave viewers wanting more. Kind of like a spicy popcorn: you pretty much know what to expect, but it’s still interesting. For those in the mood for something fun, to unwind without turning their brains entirely off (we have The Bachelorette for that on Monday night), Mary Kills People is the binge-watch for you.
