Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Total Control’ On Sundance Now, About An Unlikely Aussie Senator And The PM Who Put Her There

Stories about everyday citizens suddenly rising to the highest levels of government intrigue us because we have no idea what we’d do if we went from, say, a bartender to a member of Congress, like in the real-life cases of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Cori Bush. Seeing the inner workings of government from an outsiders perspective is always good fodder for interesting drama… if it’s done right. A new Australian series on Sundance Now, Total Control, is about that very topic.

TOTAL CONTROL: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: We see footage of the ground as someone shoots cell phone video while running towards a shooting scene. Then we see other phone footage of the scene.

The Gist: Alex Irving (Deborah Mailman), a visiting nurse in the Outback territory in Queensland, somehow manages to diffuse a situation where a disgruntled ex-husband runs over, then shoots his ex-wife, and shoots a bystander looking to help. She says something to the man, after which he kills himself, sparing the rest of the people there. Talking notice is Australian prime minister Rachel Anderson (Rachel Griffiths).

Three months later, we see Alex, living with her mother — a fan of Queen Elizabeth — and her young son, in the town of Winton. Jonathan Cosgrove (Harry Richardson), a representative of Anderson, comes to Alex’s modest house to say that the PM wants her to fill a Senate seat of a recently-deceased member of her party. Alex thinks the move is a cynical one, because of her notoriety. Jonathan sort of acknowledges it, in a very political way, and she tells him that if the PM wants to ask her, she should come to Queensland and do so herself.

That’s what Anderson does, walking through the town with Alex, asking her what she wants to accomplish. Alex is frank about the programs that Anderson pulled money from that would really help her town and other areas in Queensland. Anderson convinces the reluctant Alex to take the job, even if she feels it’s a publicity stunt, because it’s still the most effective way to accomplish even some of what she wants.

As this is going on, two women in a correction facility are baiting one of the guards, who throws a smoke bomb into their cell. The one who is baiting the guard has an asthma attack and dies. Jess Clarke (Shantae Barnes-Cowan), who recorded the entire incident on a mobile phone, manages to escape.

On her first day in Canberra, the capital, she’s introduced to her staff, including Jonathan, who will be her point person — a favor he’s doing for Anderson’s chief of staff, Peter Solomon (Huw Higginson) to advance his career. The next day he tries to get her to read a generic maiden speech instead of the more personal and incendiary one she wrote, telling her that playing the game lets her stay longer and get a chance to accomplish what she wants to get done. She capitulates, disappointing her liberal brother Charlie (Rob Collins). But the next day, she goes on a talk show and tells it like it is, saying women — especially women of color — are all under the gun, and mentions the incident where the inmate died in custody.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? This feels a lot like an Australian version of Madam Secretary.

Our Take: Total Control, which was co-created by Griffiths, with Darren Dale and Miranda Dear, sure seems like it’s a show that not is going to work on a couple of levels, not unlike political procedural shows like The West Wing or the aforementioned Madam Secretary. There’s a larger story that blankets the series, about the green newbie politician who thinks she can make a change and cut through centuries-old patriarchy that oils the gears of government. We know that Alex will be underestimated and dismissed at every turn. But there’s also going to be the episode-to-episode stories that Alex and the PM will have to address.

So, yes, we’ve seen shows like Total Control before. But Mailman and Griffith elevate this form due to their strong performances, and the writing is smart enough to give its audience credit for having some brain cells to process the story. There will be scenes like the Senate president condescendingly helping Alex find the right car to take her back to her hotel. There will also be scenes of Anderson lecturing Alex about what it means to be a woman in this job, like when she tells Alex that “I leave myself at the door.”

The writing in all of those scenes, however, is sharp and intelligent, not giving in to cliche or tropes. Was it predictable that Alex would “sell out” on her first day then redeem herself on her second? Sure. But Mailman’s monologue as Alex flips off her pumps on live TV and tells the host that she might just be a publicity stunt by the PM was a compelling one to watch. She even admitted she had a panic attack right before she came out. There are details about the incident with the gunman that we don’t know about, and the reveal of how it actually went down should fuel both Alex’s motivations and PM Anderson’s.

There are also backstories to be had, like Anderson telling Alex things like “don’t fuck across the aisle.” Having a sitting senator have stairway sex with a carpenter she just met seems like something that’s apropos for her character; she’s so damned out of her element and frustrated by being in Canberra that she just needed some way to blow off steam. For her part, we see that the PM has some difficulties, as well, as her father Phillip (Tony Barry) is suffering from Alzheimer’s, already stressing a stressful situation for Anderson.

Just because a show goes in the direction of a procedural-type show doesn’t mean that it can’t be elevated by a good cast and sharp writing. After the ace performances by Millman and Griffiths, we’re looking forward to seeing what direction Total Control goes in.

Sex and Skin: The aforementioned stairway nookie Alex gets on her second night in the capital.

Parting Shot: Flashing back to the day Alex confronted the shooter, we see her getting frustrated about the parking fines her mother has to pay, the reason why she was at the courthouse where the attack took place. Then, when she sees the car run over a woman on a curb, she springs into action, perhaps pent up by all of the anger welling inside.

Sleeper Star: For some reason, we enjoyed the little detail that the writers gave Solomon, Anderson’s chief of staff. As he talks to Jonathan in the rest room, he carefully washes his hands like he’s going into surgery. He’d be set if this show took place during the pandemic.

Most Pilot-y Line: The hotel room that the PM’s administration put Alex in looks like it’s Motel 6 level. Couldn’t they find anything nicer for their newest senator and key majority vote?

Our Call: STREAM IT. Could Total Control devolve in a pedestrian procedural-type series? Absolutely. But with Mailman and Griffith as its stars (and Griffith as one of its EPs), we doubt that will happen.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.

Stream Total Control On Sundance Now