FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE YET TO SEE HIGH DESERT, THIS IS A NON-SPOILER REVIEW.

Lost in the Reel’s video review for High Desert

Going into High Desert, I must say that I was already a little biased towards enjoying my time with it.  This is because I have always been a huge fan of Patricia Arquette– from her time on serial drama Medium, her stand-out role in True Romance, her Oscar-winning turn in Boyhood all the way to her advocacy work… I absolutely love Arquette. 

IS THIS SERIES A LOT LIKE PEACOCK’S POKER FACE?

But, there was this sinking feeling I had when watching the trailer for High Desert; that it looked almost like a copycat of Rian Johnson’s Peacock series Poker Face, which just came out at the beginning of the year. We have a down-on-her-luck self-titled gumshoe traversing the American west, running into random mysteries and kooky characters, all while traveling in an iconic vehicle.  But, I’m happy to report that even though the set-up sounds the same and I do think Peggy from High Desert and Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie from Poker Face are certainly kindred spirits… the similarities end there. 

While Johnson’s series was meticulous in execution and very much so set up in a mystery-of-the-week kind of way… High Desert is like the hot-mess drugged-up stepsister of that show, that is still discovering what all of its mysteries entail by its season one finale.  Now, that might sound like a bad thing… and in some ways it is, but it’s also a highly enjoyable no-fucks-given kind-of show, that is just as refreshing, as it is frustrating.  

WHAT IS HIGH DESERT ALL ABOUT?

High Desert follows Peggy (Patricia Arquette), an on-again-off-again addict who decides to make a new start after the death of her beloved mother, with whom she lived in the small desert town of Yucca Valley, California, and makes a life-changing decision to become a private investigator.  This journey brings her into the world of art counterfeiting, a dangerous hit family, terrible boob jobs, a tanning salon sex club, a con man self-help guru, and a missing mob wife.  But, will Peggy be able to stay sober long enough to solve any of these crimes? 

PATRICIA ARQUETTE IS THE FUNNIEST SHE HAS EVER BEEN…

The biggest praise I can heap onto High Desert and why it is 100% worth watching is… you guessed it, Patricia Arquette’s performance.  This is the actress like you have never seen her before.  Many of her more recent roles have her playing more subdued or grounded characters… but, in this series, she is allowed to completely let loose and let her “freak flag fly”. 

Her Peggy is an endearing mess, who struggles with her pill-popping and holding down a job… But, her enthusiasm for life and making the best out of bad situations, makes her a character easy to root for.  I’ve also never really seen Arquette tackle comedy in this way since possibly True Romance… but, she is absolutely hilarious in this role.  Her comic timing is impeccable, and her chemistry with the ensemble cast provides some of the most rewarding laugh-out-loud humor in television, so far this year.  

MATT DILLON!? BRAD GARRETT!? AND BERNADETTE PETERS!? HOW IS THE REST OF THE ENSEMBLE?

Speaking of the rest of the cast… there is an abundance of riches when it comes to the performers in all of the supporting roles populating this world.  There’s Everybody Loves Raymond’s Brad Garrett as Peggy’s P.I. boss, Christine Taylor as her reluctant sister, Matt Dillon as her incarcerated husband, I May Destroy You’s Weruche Opia as her wine-loving best friend Carol, Rupert Friend as woefully incompetent Guru Bob and the legendary Bernadette Peters as her dead mother.  This ensemble cast really elevates the material at every turn.  And the part they play in all of the interweaving mysteries allows for great character development in every episode.

THERE IS A LOT GOING ON HERE…

As I said before though, High Desert can be a mess.  And while the characters keep you watching, sometimes all of the mysteries at play can get a little muddled.  Each subplot is intriguing enough, and the show does make for a great binge… but, sometimes I wish the writers were able to reign in all of the events that they had set into motion.  Because there is ALOT going on in this show… and sometimes it feels a little overwhelming for no reason.  

AND THE SEASON FINALE LEAVES MUCH TO BE DESIRED.

The worst feeling is when you can sense that the writers of a series don’t have a handle on their storylines.  You hope and pray that they are able to bring everything full circle rather than letting the show go completely off-the-rails.  And unfortunately for High Desert, the season finale really let down the rest of what the writers had built before it. 

Now, I won’t give away any spoilers… but, this was truly one of the most unsatisfying season finales I have seen in quite some time.  A good way to close your first installment of episodes is to tie up enough loose ends to make it feel gratifying, but also have at least one good cliffhanger to keep you salivating for more.  With High Desert, unless Apple is keeping a secret final episode hidden from critics, there is not a single storyline that finds any fulfillment, and I was left shaking my head in annoyance.  In a world where it takes multiple years to get a new season from your favorite show; I needed more from that final episode.

IS HIGH DESERT WORTH WATCHING?

Even so, I do think High Desert is an absolute blast.  It might be way too quirky for some viewers; it comes from the director of the Meet The Parents and Austin Powers franchises, if that helps you with understanding its tone a bit more.  But, even if it might not all come together, the side-splitting comedy and getting to spend time with these outrageous characters, especially Patricia Arquette’s Peggy, is worth the journey alone.  Let’s just hope, if High Desert does get renewed, the writers are able to find a bit more focus and tighten things up, next time around.

High Desert will be streaming on Apple TV+ May 17th, 2023.

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