Blame

Well-crafted drama by star-writer-director Shephard is a little too long to sustain itself; despite its pretensions, it really scores best as a lurid melodrama (think CARRIE meets WILD THINGS) and its best assets are its performances; Shephard herself is terrific, Messina bringing a slimy ambiguity to the teacher, and Alexander stealing the show as Shephard's bitchy rival. In the #MeToo era, the inconclusive finale feels like a brave move!

I suspect there is a little bit of smoke and mirrors with the title (Who is to "Blame", and for what? ) and the (very) loose connection to the Crucible, but that is not to downplay a remarkable achievement by Shephard. Whilst nothing much actually happens, "Blame" still manages to grip your attention, with a palpable sense of "how is this going to end?" running throughout. "Blame" plays out like a thousand teen school dramas of bullying, nastiness and sluttiness but rises above most with ease.

Weak connection to "The Crucible", especially the ending where being hung was translated into a big question mark.

Blame might not be telling the best story in the world--its overarching plot takes a backstage to its smaller, scene-to-scene moments and interactions--but it's an engaging drama about the awfulness that occurs between high schoolers. Its characters feel authentic, the dialogue sounds real, and the cattiness and pettiness and mean-spirited nature of its characters ring true. It doesn't do much beyond that, and it might not feel terribly original, but it mostly works.