Netflix has subtly been a place where some of the most powerful and unnoticed storytelling on television has happened – Alias Grace is a shining example of this. This six-part psychological drama adapted from Margaret Atwood’s 1996 novel is one of the streaming titan’s most chilling, stylish, and intellectual miniseries.
While some may have missed Alias Grace in its initial run, it is now becoming a well-received Netflix title – and it deserves the recognition. With its ghostly atmosphere, captivating performances, and its exploration into a real-life historical mystery, this miniseries comes with a heavy weight.
The crime story that inspired a story
Alias Grace is based on nineteenth-century Canada, and the true story of Grace Marks, a young Irish maid who was charged—and found guilty of murder—of her employer Thomas Kinnear, and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery, in 1843.
Grace was still a teenager when she was the subject of one of the most sensational criminal trials of the time. Her accomplice James McDermott was executed for the crime; Grace received a sentence of being imprisoned for life, and a discussion sprang up that continued for decades: Was she really guilty, or merely a victim of circumstance?
The series, Alias Grace follows Dr. Simon Jordan; a psychiatrist who speaks to Grace years later in order to uncover the truth from her memories and the stories she told.
A Performance That Haunts
At the center of the series is Sarah Gadon, in a performance that is a remarkable harmony of vulnerability, mystery, and understated intensity. Her performance is one of the most underappreciated jewels on television—subtle, layered, and totally riveting.
Opposite her is Edward Holcroft (Dr. Simon Jordan) and most often his probing questions only create more uncertainty than clarity. Their sessions embody the bones of the narrative, filled with tension, emotions, and psychological dissonance.
Adding to that uncanny context are supporting performances by Anna Paquin (Nancy Montgomery) and Paul Gross (Thomas Kinnear). They create a dark brooding element to the layers of period around the subject matter.
The Creators Behind the Curtain
Alias Grace is directed by Mary Harron, famous for American Psycho, and is written by Sarah Polley, whose adaptation captures the complexity of Margaret Atwood’s tone perfectly—not only a period drama, but an engaging feminist critique and psychological tension.
It looks beautiful: candlelit rooms, foggy fields, and dank prison cells create a viscerally beautiful landscape that also feels stagnant and oppressive. This does not feel cheap, instead the series seduces with slow-burn storytelling and pinpoint emotional precision.
Themes That Resonate Today
Alias Grace, like all White’s novels, is about much more than a murder. It’s about class conflict, the oppression of women, and how a society characterizes guilt, innocence, and madness among women. Throughout Grace’s telling of her life’s story, we see how much Grace continues to be used, judged and silenced by men and by broader systems.
The narrative is constantly juxtaposing memory and perception. Is Grace telling the truth? Is Grace interfacing with us in a way that manipulates our perceptions of what it means to be guilty? Or is she simply living as a product of a cruel and unjust world?
These are the questions we consider as we listen to every episode.
Why You Should Watch
Alias Grace is just six episodes long, so it is a relatively quick binge—but it still leaves you with a heavy emotional burden. If you have enjoyed Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit HBO’s Sharp Objects or BBC’s The Fall
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