In the first episode of Dennis Cahlo & Bethany Watson’s series, The Trouble with Tessa, we meet Tessa Fowler, a disgraced documentarian fleeing a high-profile scandal and looking for solitude in the secluded mountain town of Lowery. Her new landlord, Simon, welcomes her with a warning: Lowery is a place where folks are friendly, but she should get used to following the town’s rules—number one being a strict curfew. Tessa shrugs it off as quaint and settles into her rental home.
After a night of drinking alone and listening to the local radio, which reminds her of the town curfew, she sleeps until noon and then calls her friend and former producer, Aaron. Their conversation reveals why she’s there—after exposing the exploits of an influential figure in her documentary, she was hit with lawsuits and backlash, leaving Aaron to deal with the mess. She’s unsure if she ever wants to make another film.
Later, Tessa is visited by her chatty neighbor, Betsy, who brings her a starter stash of cash and a warm welcome. That night, Tessa is startled awake by a loud crash outside the house. With a flashlight in hand, she explores the house and discovers a strange, plastic-lined storage room.
There, she accidentally knocks over a box of old VHS tapes and finds a cassette with a haunting voice recording: a woman humming and lamenting, “This is no way to live. Taping everything.” The tapes appear to be surveillance footage of the house itself. Tessa’s curiosity is piqued when she notices that someone may have been entering the house and moving things. Just as she starts piecing this together, she is confronted by a mysterious man named Freddie.
Tessa (Katrin Nugent) contacts her producer, Aaron, as she hides out in the quiet town of Lowery.
“…she accidentally knocks over a box of old VHS tapes and finds a cassette with a haunting voice recording…”
This episode again proves that episodic stories are not the sole property of networks and studio streamers. Right away, you understand the basics of the story: a sympathetic protagonist trying to escape her troubles, whether to clear her head or disappear permanently.
Next, we’re introduced to the idyllic small town of Lowery, whose slow pace and simplicity are attractive, especially for the now tech-averse Tessa. Here, the rules are strict…but manageable…or so they seem. This makes for an excellent setup for a cool and creepy mystery. Then it all ends on a forbidden discovery of something very dark.
Katrin Nugent makes a great protagonist as Tessa. The character isn’t so different from you or me, which makes stepping into her shoes and the mystery that much easier.
With a sympathetic character, a story with stakes, and a mystery worthy of being unpackaged, the first episode of The Trouble With Tessa does precisely what it’s supposed to do…get me to want to see the next episode. The series also exudes that indie spirit that sets it apart from the big boys.
"…Then it all ends on a forbidden discovery of something very dark."
