‘Apples Never Fall’ Recap: ‘The Delaneys’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

APPLES NEVER FALL -- "The Delaneys" Episode 101 -- Pictured: (l-r) Conor Merrigan-Turner as Logan, Essie Randles as Brooke, Sam Neill as Stan, Annette Bening as Joy, Alison Brie as Amy, Jake Lacy as Troy -- (Photo by: Vince Valitutti/PEACOCK)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘Apples Never Fall’.
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There are a great many reasons that we collectively do our best to avoid crisis, in any capacity. Simply because, we know through others and through past experiences, that crisis is difficult to navigate. It can be an emotional nightmare, and it can put us in a tough place where it seems as though there is no escape. But there is another reason that we tend to avoid crisis or try and stave it off. In that, we also know that the biggest crises we will ever face, will also force us to look inward and uncover truths about ourselves and our lives that we aren’t sure we are ready to face. But alas, despite our best efforts to avoid the strife and the truth, crisis always finds us.

If anything, crisis and what it prompts us to ponder upon and face is top of mind today, simply because it will serve as one of the central themes of the new limited Peacock series, Apples Never Fall. As evidenced by how the series premiere of the show plays out, since ‘The Delaneys’ wastes little time in placing that family within quite the crisis. For just like that, their mother, Joy, disappears from the face of the Earth and that immediately causes concern from her children, Amy, Brooke, Troy, and Logan. Because they hear from her day and night really, and to have that silence just doesn’t make sense and well, the dodgy nature of their father, Stan, regarding the matter… prompts all of them to take inventory regarding their family life.

Which leads them to quickly understand that perhaps the picturesque nature of their life isn’t quite as lovely as they remember. Because despite being raised by charitable tennis stars and instructors, there’s a lot of darkness in their past. Such as the fact that Stan is and was abusive toward his kids because of his hyper aggressive competitive nature. One that pushes the kids even in adulthood and that anger, and the reality that he and his mother are going to drive one another crazy in retirement, allows for the kids to understand… that they might cause harm to one another emotionally and/or worse because of the grating nature they exhibit. Which leaves the kids wondering… if by chance their father lost his temper and crossed a line.

A possibility that unsettles them deeply, to the point where others in the family look elsewhere, to another critical moment that showcased cracks in the foundation of the family. For a year ago, a mystery woman named Savannah showed up at the house after suffering through a domestic violence incident and stuck around for a bit. Enough to showcase to Joy the lack of appreciation she felt regarding her family and helped her to ponder upon what she might want out of life in this next chapter. But Savannah did not stick around for reasons unknown and that quick entry and exit from the family’s orbit is why everyone harbors concern. As though the exit in question was ugly enough to give rise to a need for revenge which in turn prompts Logan to speak with the police in this tale regarding Savannah. 

But what matters most here, is that this series premiere, does an amazing job of setting the stage for what crisis can expose to us. Because now we know, this family has buried a lot of secrets and emotions and used the admiration they enjoyed from mom and dad’s fame… to push forward and not give their problems a second thought. But with mom gone, all will be revealed and that makes for one compelling tale. One that properly introduces us to the family, and what makes them tick and of course… gets us ready for an ugly journey of discovery. One where this family will not be the same because of the truths that lie ahead, the kind that might devastate them in ways they never could imagine, depending upon how this story answers the greatest question of all; what happened to Joy Delaney? Until next time.

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