TV Tuesday: The Flight Attendant

Our adult son is living at home now, due to his job circumstances. Since he's enjoying free cable and all of our streaming services, he decided to buy HBO Max and share it with us (our profile is named Parentals). One of the shows I immediately started, that I've wanted to see since its release last year, is The Flight Attendant. It's based on the novel of the same name by Chris Bojhalian, one of my favorite authors, though I haven't read this particular novel yet. My husband and I are loving this unique twisty thriller with a dark sense of humor.

Cassie, played by Kaley Cuoco of The Big Bang Theory,  works as an international flight attendant who takes full advantage of her youth and freedom. Cassie is the consummate party girl, going out every night, drinking heavily, and sleeping with whomever she finds attractive. On one flight to Bangkok, working alongside with her fellow flight attendants and friends, Megan (played by Rosie Perez) and Shane (played by Griffin Matthews), Cassie flirts with the cute guy in First Class 3-C and ends up going out with him that night. That cute guy is Alex, played by Michiel Huisman, and he and Cassie really hit it off, going from one restaurant/bar to another, until they end the night together in Alex's luxury hotel room. Cassie really likes this guy, and Alex seems to feel the same way about her. Unfortunately, their perfect night together is marred when Cassie wakes up with Alex dead in a puddle of blood beside her and no memory of how the night ended. Cassie has a drinking problem, and this isn't the first time she's been blackout drunk, but it's the first time she's been involved in a murder. Shocked and terrified, Cassie leaves the hotel, tells no one, and gets on the flight back to NY, seriously shook up. Of course, the authorities soon figure out that she was with Alex. Thus begins a frantic, whirlwind mystery/thriller, as Cassie, the FBI, and some mysterious (but clearly bad) people all try to figure out what happened to Alex. Cassie herself is, of course, a suspect, and her spotty memory doesn't help. She avoids her kind, stable brother, Davey (played by T.R. Knight, who will always be George from Grey's Anatomy to me), and enlists her best friend, Annie (played by Zosia Mamet, of Girls fame), who's a lawyer, to help her, but soon she is running from both criminals and the authorities, as she tries to get to the bottom of Alex's murder.

Wow, this is one twisty thriller! Each episode is filled with surprises and new plot turns we never see coming. Kaley Cuoco is outstanding in her role as Cassie, the perfectly unreliable narrator who comes across as a hot mess but is nonetheless likable. The rest of the cast is also outstanding. The writing and dialogue are quick, witty, and engaging, with a dark sense of humor that makes you laugh at Cassie's escapades, even as you feel sorry for her, root for her, and fear for her life! We have just started season two, and with each new episode, we never know where the plot is headed or what is in store for Cassie and her friends (and enemies). We're thoroughly enjoying this fast-paced, zany, unpredictable, and fun show and can't wait to see what happens next!

The Flight Attendant is an HBO original and is available on HBO Max or YouTube TV.