“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me” is a popular idiom dating back to the 19th century – but it couldn’t have foreseen the power of the text message. In 2017, an unprecedented “texting-suicide” trial made national headlines when Michelle Carter was accused of urging her boyfriend Conrad Roy III to end his own life. Thousands of messages were used as evidence; the case divided America on the level of intent and coercion from the then-teenager.
But sensational headlines never tell the whole story. Hulu’s latest excellent limited-series offering, “The Girl From Plainville,” dives deep into Jesse Baron’s long-form Esquire article, from which it was adapted. Rather than playing judge and jury, co-creators Liz Hannah (“The Dropout,” “Mindhunter”) and Patrick Macmanus (“Dr. Death”) paint a vivid picture that explores the laundry list of “what-ifs” from the Roy family while also giving both teenagers a voice. Elle Fanning switches out corsets and the historical-bending “The Great” for an uncanny transformation into the Massachusetts teen who was thrust into the national spotlight, which goes beyond mimicry.
It is a story that requires sensitivity, and the opening two episodes directed by Lisa Cholodenko (“Unbelievable,” “The Kids Are Alright”) set a tone that avoids sensationalism. Each installment opens and closes with information regarding the Crisis Text Line and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which indicates an understanding of the subject matter and the importance of mental health resources. As with all dramatized versions of real-life events, there is a level of artistic license, one emphasized by another title card (“Certain parts have been fictionalized solely for dramatic purposes”). There has been much debate about these kinds of warnings — particularly concerning Netflix and “The Crown” — and while it isn’t always necessary, it does feel appropriate on this occasion. An additional disclaimer before Episode 7 ensures the viewer knows the evidence one “expert” gives in court has been disproven.
Text messages are at the heart of Michelle and Conrad’s (Colton Ryan) relationship, and the role they play in the structure of “The Girl From Plainville” is unsurprisingly significant. Viewers have long become accustomed to seeing a text box on the screen, which is how we first encounter the young couple. However, the choice to take the digital conversation off the screen and replace the distance with Michelle and Conrad speaking those words face-to-face adds a level of intimacy and vulnerability. During these moments, we are reminded of the two teenagers who are at the center of this story. The disturbing missives from Michelle are intrinsic to the narrative, but Hannah and Macmanus explore the loneliness and mental health issues that attracted the pair to each other in the first place.
From the opening episode, it is made clear that Michelle lacks the attention and popularity most adolescents crave. The few friends she does have seem reluctant to spend time with her even after the death of her boyfriend. A copy of “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green sits on her nightstand, and images of Lea Michele adorn Michelle’s bedroom wall. “Glee” is threaded throughout from the disquieting final scene in the opening episode, highlighting Fanning’s ease in switching between emotional states.
Getting the rights to feature clips from the hit Ryan Murphy high school series is a boost that pinpoints how pop culture can be salvation against loneliness — while offering fuel for idolization and fantasy. Tragic teen romance is something Michelle finds solace in, and this theme is dialed up when the pair first meets while on vacation in Florida in the second episode. These early sequences of Michelle and Conrad play into romantic story tropes, speaking to the idea of perspective — but the series never loses sight of the eventual tragedy.
For Conrad’s family — who call him Coco — it is far from a tale of star-crossed lovers, and the shifting timeline opens with anguish that the 18-year-old is missing. Death by suicide is not a one size fits all scenario, and “The Girl From Plainville” is mindful of every person that stands in the blast radius of this incident. Hindsight and playing a blame game are all factors, with Coco’s mother, Lynn Roy (Chloë Sevigny), trying to piece together the why of it all. Answers are impossible to give, but this series makes sure to paint a full picture of Coco before he died. Social anxiety is a significant factor, but joyful moments underscore the complexity when portraying mental health. Masculinity, the generations of Roys shutting off their feelings, and this crisis impacting young men are recurring themes.
While Fanning is the star of the series, Ryan has the difficult task of portraying the teen at the heart of the story. His cause of death is not a mystery, but it would be easy to push Conrad to the background in favor of Michelle. Thankfully, Hannah and Macmanus dedicate time to the teenager (with and without Michelle in the rearview mirror), and Ryan more than rises to the challenge. Another standout is Sevigny as the bereft Lynn — Coco’s mother did have contact with the series creatives — who oscillates between fury and confusion at her son’s death. The knotty relationships within the Conrad family are another layer to this complicated story that highlights the many ambiguities in a case like this.
Dread permeates most of the series as there is no sugarcoating what will happen to Conrad. Even when fantasy moments — where “Glee” is further utilized — infiltrate the action, it is impossible to forget what happened to Conrad and the words Michelle sent to a young man in crisis. The significance of Michelle’s ongoing mental health issues is another factor that was maybe glossed over in the headlines but is explored in depth here.
It never comes across like Hannah and Macmanus are trying to excuse Michelle for her actions; instead, it is a nuanced exploration that takes the law enforcement investigation, the unprecedented trial (Aya Cash and Chinasa Ogbuagu are excellent as the prosecuting team), and the events in both the Roy and Carter homes into consideration. The eight-part run also benefits from episodes that are mostly below the 50-minute mark. Unlike a lot of recent limited series, it doesn’t suffer from bloat or dragging from hitting the one-hour timeframe.
Navigating a case that grabbed headlines because it plays out like a YA tragedy without leaning into the spectacle isn’t easy, but “The Girl From Plainville” digs beneath the familiar images of Michelle Carter’s severe brows in court and offers a perspective that isn’t just a true-crime retelling. If you are looking for solid answers, then you will likely be disappointed — but in a year of limited series tackling stories from the last decade, this is one of the most captivating so far. [B+]