‘Close to Me’ Recap: ‘Episode 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Close to Me’.
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There are few things we cherish more in this world, than our memories. Because those snippets of yesterday that our brain stores away for us, are a treasure trove of powerful emotions and moments. The kind that brings us great joy and sorrow and more importantly, harbor a lesson. Since the good memories help to teach us what makes us happy and what will satisfy the cravings of our souls and the bad ones… teach us how to avoid ugly situations that will cause us the same kind of emotional harm. Which is why so many of us fear losing memories as we grow older since they do indeed define us and who we have become.
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But alas, for some folks a fading away of days gone by is their fate and those of us that have to watch that happen suffer greatly since we know exactly what they are losing. But while a great deal of us have or will make peace with the fact that losing those snapshots of a life are sometimes a part of growing old, what we don’t think about all that often… is that sometimes it happens to folks in their youth. Because brain injuries or degradation isn’t exclusive to senior citizens. They can find anyone at any time and upend their lives in a frustrating and heartbreaking manner and it just so happens that memory loss and its impact upon an everyday, healthy person serves as the central setup to a new series on Sundance Now entitled, Close to Me.

Now in this particular story, we are introduced to a woman named Jo Harding who is just waking up from a foggy nightmare. One that is mired in great pain and confusion. For Jo fell down a flight of stairs and injured her brain badly, to the point where the past year of her life has become an absolute void and upon returning home, she sets out to try and recover the past year of her life and rightfully so. After all, a lost year of memories is too much to bear, especially with so much change having happened in her family and also because… it is inherently obvious that the past year harbors some dark moments and secrets that she needs to uncover, because the truth is what matters to Jo above all else in life.

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Which is a setup that delivers on the struggles of dealing with major injury and a loss of memory. Since Jo’s inability to recall a single thing from the past year truly puts her in a broken and devastated place and rightfully so. Because she knows there are important and formative moments missing from her mind and having those gone, really does leave her out of sorts and frightened and it also leaves her struggling in her relationship with her husband, Rob. Since like so many loved ones when trauma strikes, he is helpless and unsure of what to do and he does what most men do in situations such as this… he expects his wife to just ignore the bad and move on and somehow remember and that twist… leads to some other fascinating themes in this story.

Such as how we view those with injuries in our world. Since we are a society that treasures health and vitality over anything else and to be anything less than that, somehow makes us weak and uncomfortable to be around to others and that is a stunning reality to inject into this story, one that also… hints at a great deal of potentially abusive moments from the past year. For there is an odd disconnect between Rob and Jo, as though there is more hurt and detachment there than Rob is leading on and of course, there appear to be secrets abound in this family. Setting the stage for what will undoubtedly be a grand reveal of deeper themes revolving around domestic abuse… since Rob really does seem to be holding back something dark.

But while we wait to see how this series unfolds over the next few weeks, we can marvel in the wonder of a phenomenal series premiere. One that really hammers home the shocking reality of a grand fear we all share in, all while reminding us that people really do cherish routine and greatly fear having to nurse a loved one back to health and of course… it perfectly sets up a dark and disturbing future for this story, one where Jo will undoubtedly uncover some hard truths. Plus, we have to talk about the cast in this series as well. Because Christopher Eccleston turns in a powerfully nuanced performance as Rob, one that truly leaves you unsettled and uncomfortable for all the right reasons and of course, Connie Nielsen is simply electric as Jo Harding, since she truly sells the pain and frustration of Jo’s devastating state with a raw honesty that has you instantly rooting for her to regain that past year and well, in the end… this writer is hooked. Because this one really is something unique and special and it is filled to the brim with powerful themes that are undoubtedly going to blow us away as Jo digs deeper into a life she cannot remember. Until next time.

To learn more about the creation of ‘Close to Me’, check out our interview with the show’s star, Connie Nielsen.

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