Don’t be fooled by the deceptively virtuous start to Vanessa Gazy’s thriller, “ Echoes”, it is a mindf*** of note that devolves into a soap-esque drama.
The seven-part series opens with Gina McCleary (Michelle Monaghan) frantically trying to reach her identical twin sister Leni (also played by Monaghan).
The deafening silence becomes unbearable, with her calls to Leni as well as Jack (Leni’s husband), played by Matt Bomer, unanswered.
When she finally hears back, it is from Jack, who informs her that Leni is missing. There is a strong suspicion that she has been abducted by horse thieves.
Shaken by the news, Gina grabs the next flight to Mt Echo, the hometown where they grew up with their father Victor (Michael O'Neill ) and elder sister Claudia (Ali Stroker), who has been left using a wheelchair after being pushed by one of the twin sisters.
The only person who could tell Gina and Leni apart was their mom, who died under mysterious circumstances.
In the first episode, it is clear that nothing is as it seems as Gina continues to leave voicemails for Leni to call her back. While waiting, she slips into “Veronica Mars” mode and starts snooping around and asking questions.
Gina suspects Jack knows more than he is letting on.
In the meantime, Charles "Charlie" Davenport (Daniel Sunjata), Gina's therapist husband, tries to allay her fears during their intermittent phone calls.
Then there is Mathilda (Mattie), Leni’s nine-year-old daughter played by Gable Swanlund, Sheriff Louise Floss (Karen Robinson), who viewers will remember from “Schitt’s Creek” and “A Million Little Things”, and, last but not least, Deputy Paula Martinez (Rosanny Zayas).
The suffocating small-town feel is evident from the get-go. Gina struggles to connect with the sneering townsfolk. And the Sheriff, while polite, isn’t one to mince her words. She smells something fishy and isn’t afraid to prod everyone connected to the case until she is satisfied with the response.
Frustrated by the lack of traction, Gina then pretends to be Leni in order to douse the gossip around her disappearance.
While assimilating into her life, she discovers several secrets about her sister and it is disturbing since they promised to never keep secrets from each other.
Throughout their lives, they’ve shared everything, literally, and have been through thick and thin. I mean, these two were not just inseparable, they were as thick as thieves.
This is where things get a tad murky. It becomes difficult to tell the two apart when “Leni” returns.
Streamers are taken on a tense ride as the battle line is drawn between the two sisters, one of whom decided to, for once, choose herself and her happiness, above all else.
Of course, this doesn’t sit well with the other sister, who is willing to do anything it takes to protect their bond.
Meanwhile, their father, who doesn’t have long to live after a recent health diagnosis, just wants to keep the peace and enjoy having his daughters in the same space.
As such, he throws them a birthday party neither of them is interested in having.
“Echoes” opens in a very similar fashion to “The Sinner”. It’s intriguing and laden with twists, most of which are born from Gina and Leni swopping lives every year.
Through flashbacks, viewers get a sense of the loyalty the sisters once shared and how, a great love, has destroyed that.
Towards the end, there is a lot of gaslighting and one-upmanship between the twins and it is born out of revenge by one and by pure desperation to cling to the past by the other.
While they may be two peas in a pod in many ways, there is a clear distinction between good and evil.
Monaghan deserves praise for the fluid way in which she oscillated between the contrasting characters. Whether menacing or righteous, she delivers with aplomb.
And if your focus hasn’t been thrown for a loop by the final episode, you would have enjoyed the bumps along the way.
“Echoes” is currently streaming on Netflix.