Fatal Attraction episode 1 review: Jackson Jackson, Lizzy Caplan sizzle in intriguing thriller

One of the most popular and iconic movies of the 1980s, Fatal Attraction had all the ingredients to be remade. Nominated for six Academy Awards, the story revolves around Daniel Gallagher (Michael Douglas), a married man who has a short-lived affair with Alex Forrest (Glenn Close). After he tries to break it off, she becomes obsessed with him and threatens to ruin his career and family, before going to increasingly drastic steps to do so. 

The Fatal Attraction remake immediately looked compelling when Paramount Plus announced Joshua Jackson (The Affair, Dr. Death) and Lizzy Caplan (Party Down, Fleishman Is In Trouble) had been tasked with portraying Gallagher and Forrest in the eight-episode long mini-series. Caplan has firmly established herself as one of the funniest, smartest and most captivating actresses of recent years, while Jackson has also perfected playing deeply flawed every-men with his mysterious presence. 

There's nothing mysterious about the opening scene of Fatal Attraction's pilot though. The show begins with a shot of Jackson's Daniel Gallagher as he takes a seat. But Jackson is barely recognizable. He looks gaunt, his face is covered in a scruffy beard, and he's wearing prison clothes. That’s because he's at a parole hearing, as he's trying to get his 15-year-long prison sentence reduced after the murder of Alex Forrest. 

Over the course of the show's first few minutes, Gallagher gives a seemingly sincere, passionate, introspective and well thought-out speech, all of which Jackson delivers with aplomb. Gallagher insists he's spent every waking moment in prison thinking about what he did, how she died and why he killed her. He contritely says he wasn't the man he thought he was, has been trying to understand who he really is and he genuinely wants to atone, all while teasing the idyllic family life he gave up when he killed Forrest. 

Moments like this are where Fatal Attraction's premiere is at its best. Showrunners Alexandra Cunningham and Kevin J. Hynes immediately make Gallagher likable and intelligent, as well as cunning and dark, in an effortless and captivating manner. All while also teasing the themes and subtext that will spring up more powerfully as the season continues. 

But it's not until the appearance of Caplan that Fatal Attraction really goes up a knotch. After diving into a prolonged flashback, we're shown exactly how Gallagher and Forrest met. A lawyer on the cusp of becoming a judge, Gallagher is happily married to Beth (Amanda Peet) with a young daughter. When Forrest steps in as the Victims Services Bureau associate for one of his defendants, the pair instantly have a connection. 

Even though their initial interactions are seemingly innocuous, Caplan and Jackson are immediately able to create a sexual tension that sizzles through the screen. Fatal Attraction takes its time to build up their relationship, too. There's one scene in an elevator in particular that's delightfully handled by director Silver Tree and the actors. Tree, who previously oversaw episodes of The Flight Attendant and You, is an expert in bringing the show's thriller aspects to the fore. 

The fact that Fatal Attraction's opening sequence and Jackson and Caplan's chemistry are so strong actually causes the rest of the episode to struggle somewhat. It's never underwhelming, but you can see it putting pieces into place for future episodes, while its ending is also entirely predictable. Considering the undeniable talent involved, the power of its source material and the way that the best moments soared, the rest of the season should flourish. 

The only question is whether there's enough plot to last for all eight episodes. Or, like many other shows that have gone before, will Fatal Attraction be stretched too thin and ultimately peter out. For the time being, though, this was an impressive start and tease of what's to come. 

Fatal Attraction premieres on Paramount Plus on Sunday, April 30, with its first three episodes. New episodes release on subsequent Sundays.