‘Land of Women’ series review: Eva Longoria-led family drama needs to do some soul-searching

A still from ‘Land of Women’

The plot of AppleTV+’s Land of Women isn’t exactly a novel proposition. A New York socialite, stripped of her wealth, finds herself in the middle of a small town, where she learns some life-changing lessons. Swap out the Hallmark-signature Christmas backdrop for the sun-kissed vineyards of Catalonia, and you get Land of Women. While the Eva Longoria-led dramedy does plenty to infuse its script with the richness that the Spanish countryside has to offer, its reliance on its more comic-thriller aspects, coupled with its intentions to leave plenty of conflict resolutions for its subsequent season, leaves much to be desired.

Gala Scott (Eva Longoria) is about to achieve everything she has dreamed of – a high-end wine store in New York, but has to give it all up when she is accosted by her husband Fred’s creditors. With Fred (James Purefoy) on the run, Gala gathers her mother Julia (Carmen Maura) and her daughter Kate (Victoria Bazúa) and flees to Julia’s tiny Spanish hometown of La Muga.

La Muga has its own set of problems waiting for the trio. While Gala makes a bad first impression by knocking over the vineyard produce in an accident, even before she enters the town, Julia realises that even after 40 years, the town still sees her in a bad light.

Based on a novel by Sandra Barneda, the six-episode series finds its feet in its first half, with its more slice-of-life approach. Gala’s interactions with the women who run the winery, her will-they-won’t-they subplot with Amat (Santiago Cabrera) — the only man who works at the vineyard — and a Mamma Mia-inspired quest to find out who her real father is, lends the show its more easy-going moments. On the other hand, as Julia, Carmen Maura brings in the more sombre tones. With her dementia creeping in, Julia often finds herself transported back in time, and in La Muga the memory lane is more colourful. Maura plays the fun family matriarch with ease, and handles the cheeky as well as the earnest bits, with a thoroughly arresting screen presence.

With Julia’s past issues creating roadblocks for Gala in the present, and as Kate finds her own place in the lineage, Land of Women finds a comforting, if predictable, rhythm to deliver a tale about going back to your roots. But, when it chooses to fast-track this self-realisation journey, with the help of some goofy hitmen, the script becomes muddled.

A still from ‘Land of Women’

Jerking us away from the routine of the small town, interrupted by fumbling New Yorkers, we are thrown back into Gala’s escape from those seeking to recover the money Fred borrowed. A pair of hitmen – who frankly seemed like they might have learnt villainy by watching Home Alone – land in La Muga, following Gala’s trail. The second half of the show shifts its focus to their antics, as Gala finds new ways to escape them.

Land of Women borrows a lot of its foundational narrative from the comfort films about relocating away from big cities, and into the unique chaos of small towns. With the backdrop of Spanish vineyards, we get a slightly new angle to enjoy the expected twists and turns. However, even with six episodes at the show’s disposal, there’s not a lot of substance to be derived from these characters. Besides Julia and perhaps Gala, the script seems to ignore the journeys of those that surround them. On top of that, a dedicated segment to some less-than-impressive hitmen takes away the time that could have been spent colouring in the contours of La Muga.

Land of Women is clearly gunning for a second season, leaving plenty of loose ends. Hopefully, it can find its way back to its roots, as a show that is made better with simplicity.