Fallout has one of the most impressive ensembles of any current show, but one of the biggest scene-stealers of Season 2 has been Justin Theroux in the role of Robert House, an enigmatic villain with a cunning plan to dominate New Vegas. While Theroux’s presence has already changed the stakes of Fallout, he has a history of great television show performances, as The Leftovers is one of the best dramas that HBO ever made, but never quite got the credit that he deserved for The Mosquito Coast, an Apple TV crime drama that was unfortunately cancelled after its second season. Not only was the show a clever interpretation of beloved source material, but it was also proof that Theroux was at his best when playing dogmatic, morally dubious characters that viewers still found themselves root for.
Interestingly enough, The Mosquito Coast is based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Theroux’s uncle, Paul Theroux, and later adapted into a 1986 film directed by Peter Weir and written by Paul Schrader. The film starred Harrison Ford in one of his darkest, most unlikable roles, dismantling the charismatic persona that he had concocted with characters like Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Although there were tremendous expectations that came with revamping the story, Apple TV’s The Mosquito Coast updated the source material for modern times and turned it into an immersive crime thriller that examined many hot-button issues. While the two seasons that aired were immensely satisfying, The Mosquito Coast had the potential to get even better had it been given the chance to reach its natural conclusion.
What Is Apple TV’s ‘The Mosquito Coast’ About?
The original film starred Ford as Allie Fox, an anti-authoritarian inventor who moves with his wife (Helen Mirren) and children to find their own paradise deep in the jungle. The rejection of capitalistic greed and allusions to American exceptionalism were the perfect way to analyze the novel’s themes in the setting of the Reagan era, but Apple TV’s The Mosquito Coast had an interesting new slant on the novel that turned it into an ensemble series. Rather than being a clueless victim of her husband’s erratic schemes, Allie’s wife, Margot (Melissa George), is complicit in his rebellious activities and shares his strong environmentalist views. The family’s decision to leave their home country with their children, Dina (Logan Polish) and Charlie (Gabriel Bateman), isn’t just motivated by a desire to strike out on their own, but because the authorities are closing in on Allie and his suspicious activities. The presence of an overarching threat only heightens the suspense of the series and forces the family to be more frank with one another about their intentions.
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Theroux’s performance is the reason to watch The Mosquito Coast because he successfully plays a character who is unabashedly sincere, yet unclear about how far he is willing to go in order to fulfill his goals. While the show has often been compared to Ozark because of the family and crime components, Allie isn’t solely motivated by greed and power in the same way that Jason Bateman’s Marty Byrde is. During the instances in which Allie talks to Dina about his feelings about the corruption, environmental ignorance, and capitalistic rot that have become synonymous with America, it’s easy to see why he might want to exit the grid and search for a better future. However, Allie is continuously forced to be in a situation in which his ideology comes into conflict with his ethics; although he believes strongly that the tools of fascism and industry should be dismantled, he isn’t quite sure if he’s willing to get blood on his hands or force his family to make similarly dark decisions.
‘The Mosquito Coast’ Deserved To Go On for More Than Two Seasons
The Mosquito Coast was frequently able to host interesting debates about the responsibilities people have to themselves, their families, their communities, and their planet, but it was also a fast-paced show in which the Fox family dealt with a multitude of threats. Venturing off into Latin America meant that Allie had to make a few dangerous deals with local crime lords, a situation that was made more precarious due to the fact that he wasn’t willing to call in authorities if he was in danger. The show was able to paint a broader portrayal of the character’s past by exploring the events that first introduced him to Margot, considering why they dedicated their lives to not being confined by authority. As grim, violent, and intense as The Mosquito Coast often became, it served as an interesting family story about the lessons that parents pass on to their children. Allie’s attempts to explain his perspective to Dina end up giving him more clarity, especially when she makes points about how the world has changed since he first took up his causes.
The cancellation of The Mosquito Coast represented an unfortunate case in which Apple TV wasn’t able to market what it had. The series was unquestionably a slow burn and wouldn’t have provided the type of heightened suspense found in other popular crime shows; it also was only ever available on Apple TV, meaning that it couldn’t experience a resurgence in the way that Breaking Bad did when it peaked in popularity on Netflix following its initial premiere on AMC. Perhaps the show’s willingness to raise uncomfortable points about the mechanisms of oppression hit too close to home with viewers, as the series has only felt more timely in the years since it was off the air. The Mosquito Coast had an open future ahead of it, and it’s disappointing that Polish wasn’t given the opportunity to expand on her role, given how much Dina changed as a character within the seasons. While Fallout has proven that Theroux still has an impressive range, The Mosquito Coast deserves to be remembered as one of his greatest performances.
