Thanksgiving dinner at the end of the world — pass the wine and existential dread.
Eight months after we first meet the Gabriels, Patricia, the family matriarch, joins her children and daughters-in-law as they prepare a meal from the past and consider the future of their country, town and home. Paying tribute to the difficult year behind them, the Gabriels compare notes on the search for empathy and authenticity at a time when the game seems rigged and the rules are forever changing.
Acting
Ensemble achieves lived-in intimacy; Plunkett and Sanders devastating.
Direction
Nelson's invisible camera lets silences land like body blows.
Writing
Dialogue so natural you'll forget it's scripted.
Director
Richard Nelson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Nelson wrote this during the 2016 primaries, rewriting daily as events shifted; the actors received new pages each morning.
The entire trilogy spans real-time from primary season to post-election; Maryann Plunkett and Jay O. Sanders are married in real life, lending their on-screen estrangement brutal authenticity.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
US
