The recent announcement that Emmy-award-winning actor Kyle Chandler has been in talks to play the role of Hal Jordan in the upcoming DC television series Lanterns is an exciting one, and not just because it suggests that the project is finally moving forward after years of development. Chandler has frequently appeared in acclaimed films for well over two decades, but a majority of his best work tends to be on television, so it’s nice to see that James Gunn’s DC Universe is interested in acquiring a veteran of the medium. While his performance as Coach Taylor on the cult sports show Friday Night Lights turned him into a household name, Chandler gave one of the best performances of his career in the underrated Netflix crime series Bloodline.
Bloodline aired its first season in 2015, an era in which Netflix had not quite established itself as the most dominant distributor and producer of new television content out there. While the streamer had found success in previous years thanks to the overwhelming acclaim for House of Cards, this was still before shows like Stranger Things and The Crown turned into blockbuster events. Bloodline represents what Netflix’s original intentions for its dramatic television arm may have been: personal, complex stories that couldn’t fit on a traditional network. While admittedly the show had its ups and downs, Chandler’s performance as both a family man and a grizzled police officer showed the depths that he was capable of as an actor.
What Is ‘Bloodline’ About?
Set within a relatively isolated village in Florida, Bloodline centers on the exploits of the dysfunctional Rayburn family, which holds a massive stake in the local property. As he prepares to celebrate his birthday, Robert Rayburn (Sam Shepard) and his wife Sally (Sissy Spacek) invite their children to return home for a celebration. Among them is John (Chandler), an emotionally reclusive police officer for the local department; Meg (Linda Cardellini), a successful attorney known to be the “peacekeeper” of the family; Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz), a handyman who wrestles with a dark past. However, the most surprising appearance is by the siblings’ most troublesome brother, Danny (Ben Mendelsohn), who is effectively the “black sheep” of the family. Danny’s appearance begins to revitalize old wounds, as Robert still blames him for a childhood accident in which his youngest daughter was killed.
Chandler has the challenge of playing a relatively restrained character within a cast of actors who are embracing their idiosyncrasies. Mendelsohn’s performance is obviously the scene stealer, as Danny goes out of his way to escalate the tension of any given situation, and always wants to get a reaction out of his parents in particular. Chandler had to show how John had become resistant towards his brother’s teasing, and how trying to conduct himself with professionalism was something that he applied to both his professional and personal life. It’s implied that John was particularly suited to serve in law enforcement because of the challenging circumstances in which he grew up; while his success has eventually earned the respect of his community, John is still in a place of vulnerability whenever he is supposed to act as judge when his family gets into a series of petty feuds.
‘Bloodline’ Isn’t a Standard Crime Thriller
Although there is enough time devoted to John’s experience in the field to establish that he is a talented police officer, a majority of the tension in Bloodline revolves around the future of the Rayburn dynasty. Danny is the first to point out that his father is not immortal, and that choosing an heir to take hold of his resources is an important decision to make. What’s unique about John is that he’s less interested in personally obtaining his father’s property than he is in preventing the chaos that would occur when Danny is in control; John more or less assumes a position of leadership because he knows how incompetent his siblings are. The dynamic between Mendelsohn and Chandler is easily the most exciting aspect of the series, as both actors bring enough depth to the characters that there is an entire history between them that is left purposefully ambiguous. Although Bloodline becomes an increasingly dark show as it goes along, there are moments of dark comedy in which both John and Danny reflect on the irony that they are still getting into the same petty disputes that they had when they were far younger.
Bloodline allows Chandler to get deeper with his performance as the show began to focus on John’s status as a father; while his marriage to his wife Diana (Jacinda Barrett) is somewhat troubled, he feels a deep desire to give his daughter Jane (Taylor Rouviere) the type of affection and support that he was never afforded given growing up. The few moments that John actually loses his cool is when he suspects that Danny is trying to corrupt Jane by getting her to act more erratically, in what would be the ultimate act of revenge. John certainly does some terrible things, but Chandler outlines a clear motivation for even his most egregious actions. It takes an actor of his caliber to craft such a relatable family man character whilst also suggesting that he has a dark side.
‘Bloodline’ Features Kyle Chandler’s Most Vulnerable Performance
The decline in quality within Bloodline’s third and final season may have prevented it from joining the ranks of the greatest television shows of all time, as the show that had started off with a bang ended in a whimper. However, Chandler was given the opportunity to show John’s fluctuating mental state in later seasons of Bloodline, as the show began to take a surrealist direction that left some aspects of the story ambiguous. Friday Night Lights may have been a great show that reached another level because of the sensitivity that Chandler brought to the role, but Bloodline was admittedly a mixed bag that became completely compelling because of his excellent performance.
Bloodline is streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
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