The Big Picture

The fifth episode of Expats showcases the ambitious potential of the series. Nicole Kidman delivers a strong performance as a mother grieving the loss of her son. The show falls short in making the audience care about its self-centered characters and doesn’t live up to its best moments.

In 2019, Lulu Wang released her breakout feature, The Farewell, in which Billi (Awkwafina), a Chinese-American, returns to China after her grandmother is given a terminal diagnosis—while her family attempts to say goodbye despite keeping this news from her. The film states that it’s “based on an actual lie,” but the tremendous film from Wang was always honest in its emotions, as she told a story that felt lived-in of a woman returning to a culture that both felt like home and foreign to her. On paper, Expats seems like a perfect fit for Wang. Based on Janice Y.K. Lee’s book “The Expatriates,” Expats tells the story of three women who have moved to Hong Kong and how their lives intersect in this place that is foreign to all of them. But while Wang directs all six of the series’ episodes, Expats only has the touch she brought to a film like The Farewell in the show’s two episodes she both writes and directs—which only highlights the weaknesses of the other four episodes.

Expats A look at the personal and professional lives of a tight-knit group of expatriates living in Hong Kong. Release Date January 26, 2024 Creator Lulu Wang

What Is ‘Expats’ About?

“I want to know about the people who cause the tragedies—people like me,” begins Expats, as we hear Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) give this ominous narration. In this first episode, we’re already in the middle of this tragedy, as Margaret (Nicole Kidman) and her husband Clarke (Brian Tee) are dealing with the loss of their young son Gus (Connor James). The details of what happened are kept secret from us, but this pain looms over Clarke’s 50th birthday party. Expats will flashback to what happened, yet at this party, we come to realize how much Gus’ absence has altered our three leads. Margaret is clearly distraught and is undone by the appearance of Mercy catering at her husband’s party. Meanwhile, Margaret has had a falling out with her friend Hilary (Sarayu Blue), who has still managed to make it to the party, albeit without her husband, David (Jack Huston). Expats explores how these three women’s lives intersect in Hong Kong, the tragedy that brings them all together in unexpected ways, and how one choice can have unexpected consequences.

Expats is quite often an odd series—both in intentional and seemingly unintentional ways. For example, the aforementioned first episode jumps forward in time, before the second episode takes us back to a more direct, linear structure. In doing this, when we finally see the inciting incident in the second episode, we know what’s coming, which seriously undercuts the impact of the show’s most integral scene. Similarly, the first episode throws us into the action, leaving the audience to try and catch up, as they try to piece together who is who and what is going on.

This is also a show that often struggles with tone and how to present its ideas effectively. Some moments are played as though they’re meant to be grand gestures or rousing, powerful moments for our characters, but they almost always fall flat—whether it’s standing up to a parent or showing an example of moving on and moving forward. Whereas The Farewell could make these moments seem real and relatable to anyone watching, these scenes often feel forced and manufactured in a way that doesn’t work. Expats also occasionally struggles with making its dialogue sound natural. Whenever a group of friends gets together, and we watch them banter—which is at its most egregious in a dinner party in Episode 3—it’s more uncomfortable than it is humorous. In these failures at finding the right tone, Expats is at its sweatiest, trying to be empathetic but coming off as false.

‘Expats’ Can’t Quite Nail What Its Characters Need to Be
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Expats also has a hard time presenting characters that are both egotistical but also explain why they’re worthy of our time. Expats works best for Kidman’s Margaret, as the question of what happened to Gus is the most intriguing aspect of this show, and we understand her frustrated, frenzied behavior due to the great loss she’s experienced. Kidman does a good job of showing how becoming a part of a different culture for an extended period of time changes a longtime visitor. We see she’s confused by the customs at times, but still makes her and her family feel like part of this other land.

Expats is less effective with its other two leads. We understand that both Mercy and Hilary are self-centered, yet the show rarely does anything with this trait. Mercy makes poor decisions and then believes herself to be cursed, whereas almost all of Hilary’s actions serve only herself and no one else—with no pushback on why this is a problem. Most of these attempts at rousing moments are given to Hilary, and yet, because of the way she’s written, they never feel earned or deserved. Meanwhile, Mercy is sort of brushed off as a kid who shouldn’t have to worry about things like accountability. If these traits appeared for an episode or two, maybe these characters would work better, but maintaining this narcissism hinders these characters and their overall stories.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of ‘Expats’ Become Clear in the Penultimate Episode
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But it’s when we get to the episodes written and directed by Wang—the best episodes of the series—that we start to see something closer to what this show should’ve been. The fifth episode of Expats almost works on its own, a feature-length story that expands beyond our three leads to flesh out more of this take on Hong Kong. In this episode, we spend more time with Puri (Amelyn Pardenilla), the housekeeper for Hilary who is preparing to try out for a singing competition, and Essie (Ruby Ruiz), the housekeeper for Margaret’s family who is reckoning with a major change they are making. Margaret’s family also receives a visit from Pastor Alan Mambo (Blessing Mokgohloa), whose church Clarke has been visiting recently, much to the chagrin of Margaret.

As we start to see the story from their eyes, we realize the people on the fringes of this series should’ve been the focus all along. Through Puri’s viewpoint, we see the give and take of working for Hilary; with Essie, we understand how someone in her position can become like a member of the family, even though she could potentially be let go at any time; while Pastor Alan’s stories present a life far more intriguing than anything we’ve seen in the show thus far. Wang’s fifth episode puts this story in the context of those who help others before they help themselves, and we start to see the potential within this story, as it is concluding.

But this much richer episode than the rest also shows where the series has been lacking. We get to follow other characters who don’t connect to our main trio, and while their stories aren’t essential, they do build up Hong Kong in a way the series hadn’t before. One story shows a mother who is worried about her son becoming a part of student protests that are drawing thousands in a desire for an independent election, and while we get glimpses of this protest throughout the series, we’re not given any real reason for its inclusion until this episode. This protest becomes emblematic of Expats’ constant issue of presenting some detail or color to the story, but never quite finding a way to fit it in effectively.

‘Expats’ Finds Beauty in Simplicity
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In a way, Expats feels like it needs to be both smaller and grander. Outside of the episodes written by Wang, some of the best moments are when characters have simple heart-to-hearts with each other, such as Margaret and Clarke trapped in a room together, trying to figure out what’s best for their family going forward, or Hilary and David finding common ground in their relationship. These moments work beautifully in their simplicity, rather than trying to make a show of emotional development. But also, the culture of Hong Kong shows that Expats needs to expand more consistently beyond its three leads to give us a better sense of this city. We get bits and pieces of China, but these are always too few and far between. Expats certainly comes to life more when its taking place outside the apartments of Margaret, Hilary, and Mercy, but that’s unfortunately too rare.

For all its ups and downs, its strong choices and its weak ones, Expats always seems like it would be better if it was solely Wang’s vision—or even if this had simply been a feature-length project that just expanded the show’s fifth episode. When Expats finds its footing, we start to see the untapped potential that Lee’s book has, and it’s hard not to want a series that beautifully captures Hong Kong in the way that The Farewell was able to. If The Farewell felt like a lived-in experience, Expats too often feels like a glimpse at something greater that the show never quite captures.

Expats REVIEWExpats, from Lulu Wang, shows a trifecta of stories, which works best when Wang is both writing and directing. Release Date January 26, 2024 Creator Lulu Wang ProsThe fifth episode of Expats shows the ambition of this concept at its best. Nicole Kidman is quite good as a mother dealing with the loss of her son. ConsExpats never gives us enough reason to care about these narcissistic characters. When the experience is at its best, it only reminds of how the show could’ve been improved.

Expats premieres with its first two episodes on January 26 on Prime Video in the U.S., with a new episode premiering every subsequent week until February 23.

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