On April 7, Friday, the latest period Drama Series Transatlantic premiered on Netflix with a stellar ensemble for a cast that seeks to shed light on a lesser-known chapter about the WWII. Starring Gillian Jacobs, Cory Michael Smith, Lucas Englander, Corey Stoll, Ralph Amoussou, Deleila Piasko, Amit Rahav and several others, the 7-part series is a loose adaptation of Julie Orringer’s novel The Flight Portfolio.

Anna Winger as the creator and writer of the show has previously delivered a similar concept with her 2020 German mini series Unorthodox, was joined by Daniel Hendler for this task. Winger also produced the project with Camille McCurry, while Stéphanie Chuat, Véronique Reymond and Mia Meyer were part of the directing team.

Netflix’s official description for the series reads:

Celebrated artist and intellectuals who fled Europe during WWII, from Marc Chagall to Hannah Arendt, come to life in this vibrant historical drama.

-Transatlantic Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-

Transatlantic: What’s It About?

Inspired by Orrigner’s novel, which is in turn based on real events with real people in it, the show is actually a fictional retelling of Varian Fry’s brave history. Illustrating the unspoken American resistance during the initial chapters of WWII, the drama series chronicles the work put in by the American journalist’s Emergency Rescue Committee to help European intellectuals like Max Ernst, Walter Mehring, Andre Breton and others escape fascist holds in this anti-Nazi war.

He’s accompanied by other instrumental players in this resistance like the heiress Mary Jayne Gold, who later worked her way out as a spy for the British forces (the only side officially working against Nazis at this point) to smuggle out prisoners of war. In a way, the show speaks their efforts into existence yet again and hopes to salute their bravery as well. However, in terms of depicting what the minorities actually went through at this time, it falls short by slipping into a glossy picture of it all.

Transatlantic: Discussion

The actual visual grandeur of the show takes a complete U-turn from the official log-line mentioned above. One would’ve hoped to hear more of the artistic edge that sought to drive the plot. However, all of that has been merely condensed into the short and curt speeches delivered by certain characters. Smith’s Varian Fry, too, takes the opportunity at Max Ernst’s surrealist party to speak about why saving this group of intellectuals and artists was a such a paramount deal for him, but that’s all what speaks for this account.

Marseilles as the original setting of the plot speaks to you more than the characters do in terms of highlighting the historical relevance of the account. Authentic picturesque locations and the setting of the Hotel Splendide nearly come to life as characters of their own. Justine Seymour, the costume designer for the series pays grave attention to make historical magic happen onscreen, and it works as far as the outfits donned by the actors are concerned.

Their performances also go a long way in the sense that the scenes in which most of the ensemble is huddled together work seamlessly. However, the series as a whole turns out to a be a washed out and mellow translation of history that is quite forgettable. Making it clear from the very beginning, the show doesn’t take on grand looks as other artistic expressions from the same category. And while that could’ve worked out as its winning factor, it only peels away the impact we, as audience, should’ve experienced.

In spite of being set up as a wartime plot, it lacks any sense of urgent terror lurking in the near distance. There was not a single moment, wherein I felt myself driven to the edge in fear of what awaited in a particular character’s fate. The hackneyed employment of multiple romances is brought in, but neither of them leaves you rooting or feeling profound emotions for them. One could say that the U.S. taking a neutral stance initially highlighted in the first few episodes is exactly how the series left me feeling too – neutral, i.e. minus any form of catharsis.

The one time the 40s aesthetic sense slipped in was when the credits rolled out in black and white at the end of each episode. The limited series was claimed to have been more on the side of comedy than tragedy, in order to highlight that each time period is an amalgamation of all sorts of emotion, never just sad or happy. Though this concept itself takes on a realistic step forward, the actual portrayal of it never assumes that realism, and seems to be more concerned with adorning itself with the garb of the “golden age” of Hollywood.

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Final Thoughts

Overall, Transatlantic is a light, breezy and laid back period drama that doesn’t quite feel like one either due to its modern sensibility and appearance. Winger claimed to have sought inspiration from Casablanca for this war-time drama piece, but, unlike the source of this influence which ultimately took on the guise of an epic, this Netflix series doesn’t have much of a rewatch value despite its digestible and accessible packaging. Aesthetically, it definitely comes across as a pleasing watch, but conceptually, it doesn’t leave you with much to ponder about.

Its understated humour, as also mentioned as “comedies taking place in dark times” by the crew, leaves you with a warm feeling, but only momentarily as the show seems to be playing a game of push and pull with each genre – that of a comedy, musical, period drama – but never settling as one firmly enough. Moreover, the 7-episode-run stretched things further and deprived the show of any emotional gravitas.

All 7 episodes of the show are now streaming on Netflix.

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