A New York family’s life unravels after a tragedy; they process their grief while vacationing in rural Montana, where they explore human connection amid their profound sorrow.
“The Madison,” created and written by Taylor Sheridan, is a labor of love that blends scenic Western landscapes with biting criticism of the upper crust in New York City. Kurt Russell stars, at first, as Preston Clyburn, an absurdly wealthy businessman who’s also a really nice guy. It won’t be giving too much away to say that the vast majority of Preston’s scenes appear as flashbacks since he and his brother die in a plane accident in the mountains during the first episode. Michelle Pfeiffer as Stacy Clyburn essentially takes the lead role from there, dealing with her husband’s untimely death after thirty-nine years of marriage.
Every year, Preston traveled from New York to the Madison River Valley in Montana to go trout fishing with his brother Paul (Matthew Fox), who lives in idyllic simplicity in a log cabin with the Madison River right outside the front door. When the two interact, it’s the ultimate male-bonding experience, full of short sentences and quiet moments of reflection.
Unfortunately, it ends tragically when the private, single-engine aircraft Paul flies to remote areas rarely fished by others encounters severe weather and crashes into the trees.
Notified in New York of the accident, Stacy and her family must fly to Montana to identify Preston’s body and make funeral arrangements. Stacy is accompanied by her oldest daughter, Abby Reese (Beau Garrett), divorced with two children, Bridgett (Amiah Miller) and Macy (Alaina Pollack), her younger daughter, Paige (Ellie Chapman), and her husband, Russell McIntosh (Patrick J. Adams), married just two years.
Cade Harris (Kevin Zegers), the neighbor from the adjoining ranch, arrives soon after the family’s arrival to welcome them and offer his condolences. Cade is married to childhood sweetheart Kestrel (Danielle Vasinova). The couple has a daughter, Kayla (Najiah Knight), about the same age as Bridgett.
Stacy mourns the unexpected loss of her husband, abruptly terminating what might be termed a near-perfect marriage. She tries to enlist her daughters in the grieving process, but they seem only able to complain about the elemental conditions. Between the whining, having to identify Preston and Paul’s bodies, and listening to the flight recording of the men’s last moments before the plane goes down, the toll taken on Stacy adds up. Her spoiled rich kids, both the adult children and grandchildren, as well as the son-in-law, find themselves completely out of their depth in rural Montana. They recoil at the dissimilarity with their pampered city life: wasps in the outhouse, elk for dinner in the freezer, and so on.
Preston clearly treasured the mountainous outdoors, living next to the snowmelt-fed river. It’s a wonder he succeeded so mightily in Manhattan. His personal journal indicates that he hoped to convince his wife at least, if not also his daughters, to move to the Madison with him. Stacy is taken aback because she had never seen the diary before or known of his thoughts about these things. Stacy’s friend Lili Weeks (Rebecca Spence) provides insightful advice about the journal, saying that Preston wanted her to read it only after he was gone. Interestingly, after Stacy had decided to bury Preston on his land in Montana, she learns that he had already stipulated as such in his will.
The family meets county deputy sheriff Van Davis (Ben Schnetzer), who lost his wife four years earlier in a senseless ATV accident. He offers Stacy advice based on his experience, but it’s unclear how much it helps. As they get to know each other, Paige, Abby, Russell, and Van take a boat down the river for a diversion, an activity to take their minds off their troubles. Abby and Van develop a relationship as they sit by the river together, talking about life and love.
After Stacy arranges for Preston’s burial, the family must return to New York to resume their daily activities. Abby’s deadbeat husband, Dallas (Tanc Sade), makes a mercifully brief appearance, just long enough to show what a loser he is. Abby is conflicted because of the way she left things with Van back in Montana. Meanwhile, Stacy finds her existence in Manhattan nearly unbearable without Preston.
Will Arnett appears in later episodes as therapist Phil Yorn, whom Stacy agrees to see on Lili’s strong recommendation. Phil seems like a goofball at first, with his dorky sweater ensemble, which he claims he bought at a thrift store to minimize his carbon footprint. As the session progresses, Phil shows more insight than meets the eye. Most importantly, he lets Stacy flout social conventions, something not easily done in the cloistered Manhattan community, yet something she desperately wants.
Introspective, pensive, and full of beauty and longing, “The Madison” is a mood piece in a mini-series. After a fleeting six episodes and an open-ended close, the series has been renewed for a second and third season. Not surprisingly, the show is dedicated to Robert Redford, who directed “A River Runs Through It,” an acclaimed film that shares many of its themes. “The Madison” offers a stylish, engaging contrast between opulent, urban New York and rustic, rural Montana, populated with a panoply of disparate characters that keeps things lively to the very end.
Now available on Blu-ray™ and DVD
