Urggh, in the Santa Clarita Diet there’s those loved-up couples that exercise together (aka chase after the bad guys), that prepare dinner together (aka selecting who to eat) and that kill together, because well…the undead have to eat. At this point you might think I’m talking about Zombies, but we don’t use that term here because “it’s inherently negative” so instead you could say that Sheila Hammond (Drew Barrymore) has just lost all impulse control and is really REALLY lacking in iron, and so she’s effectively following medical advice when she eats a ton of people. And what does her husband Joel (Timothy Olyphant) feel about all this? Well…urrrm, while Joel wants to throw-up like the rest of us at seeing his wife chomp down on a 180-pound and very hairy guy like he’s a chocolate souffle, he loves her and wants to be a part of her new-found life, even while he searches desperately for a cure.
Technically undead, the looking and feeling really good Sheila is killing people, but only in order to live. I mean she wouldn’t do it otherwise, she has morals people! Therefore Sheila will only eat bad guys; drug dealers, neo-nazis and murderers, so what’s the big deal? They might be bad, but their meat tastes so good – at least Sheila thinks so as she’s often left to look as though she’s auditioning for a toothless vampire; the blood having run down from her mouth like a faucet, while her arms are covered up to the shoulders in so much red goo that makes it look as though she’s been helping to birth cows – what, too gross? Just wait till you see Santa Clarita Diet, it certainly doesn’t shy away from anything darkly sick, whether that’s in the dialogue or through the physical humour of a room over-filled in vomit.
Life however wasn’t always this way, with Sheila and Joel once upon a time being a happily-married middle-aged and retiringly dull couple, complete with a sullen teenage daughter called Abby (Liv Hewson). In truth the Hammonds lived the suburban life to the extreme; selling the settled, normal, average-American dream, for after all their realtors! But following one explosive house-showing, in which Sheila soaks the upstairs in what I’m guessing is lentil soup, and has a somewhat finger-licking meal that will turn your stomach, it becomes clear that something’s happened to her and now she’s ruled by her urges, lacks impulse control and needs fresh human meat to survive – despite her trying to becoming the equivalent of an undead vegetarian in a hilarious cockerel-chasing scene that will have you holding your bladder for laughter.
Drew Barrymore plays Sheila perfectly, which should come as no surprise when the writers had her in mind when creating the show. Even so, Barrymore is fantastic at capturing the transformation of Sheila from a calm-almost-dead persona to someone with the energy of a newborn puppy; albeit one that’s not house-trained (leaving trails of food everywhere), is eager to…ahem “play” and is trying, but failing to control her f-barking mouth. Completing the incredible pairing, is Sheila’s husband Joel, played by Timothy Olyphant who portrays a man that still loves his wife and is trying with everything he can to keep some semblance of their family life together – it’s like watching a person try to shut an over-loaded suitcase, even as more of its “intestines” keep falling out.
Santa Clarita Diet largely follows the Hammond family as they readjust to their new normal. Dividing its time between Sheila and Joel, to another comedy duo; their daughter Abby and the besotted nerdy-neighbour Eric (Skyler Gisondo) – who’s in on the whole dead-undead predicament. His knowledge of the supernatural making him not only an asset, but similar to a very excited child who’s found out Santa Claus is real – and in this case Santa is an undead eating machine.
Focusing around Sheila’s “condition” Santa Clarita Diet explores the catalyst of her actions on those around her, in particular how her family changes as a result and not necessarily for the worst, just different; with the supportive daughter Abby becoming more and more rebellious as the seasons progress, to Eric who becomes more confident, and finally Joel, who gets braver with the risks he takes, all the while squealing like a little baby when it becomes all too much.
It seems however that there is always more to come in the show with religious zealots, talking-heads, undead-hunters and spider-ball-organs (which will all make sense). But when the threat of being discovered edges dangerously near, the show takes down the tension with comedy – after all that is its staple. Teeming with well-placed quips on political issues such as a lack of government funding in mental health, to outdated views such as those regarding gender inequality; with Sheila being disgusted at the level of pervasive sexism in society when a man is automatically suspected as a killer, rather than a woman – in this case herself.
Santa Clarita Diet uses all the techniques of comedy at hand, but it’s the slapstick physical humour that stands out the best, for Joel and Sheila are dreadful killers with botched jobs a plenty and it’s all because they lack that killer instinct – okay, so one of them does have this, but it’s not as though they’re psychopathic-genius-murderers, instead their killer tips are more likely to come from daytime TV Soaps.
“We’re realtors, so killing people and stuffing them into freezers doesn’t come naturally.”
Each season has a new pivotal focus, with unexpected and sometimes ludicrous results and I just can’t get enough! In the first season there’s a bit of finding their feet (or toes), while the second season really takes off, but with only three in total and a doozy of a cliff-hanger there should be some warning: get invested at your peril. Still, the laughs are well worth the pain of when it ends.
“I’m just settling into being a real estate broker who kills people. And the only thing I like about that job is I get to be my own boss.”
To survive Santa Clarita Diet you’ll need: A poncho, a nerd-horror-filled-encyclopaedia of a neighbour, to remember to avoid food when watching or otherwise…what the hell, embrace the ketchup! And finally, a paper-bag to control your breathing, as you’ll be laughing non-stop.
Creator: Victor Fresco
Other notable works:
- Better Off Ted 2009-2010
- My Name is Earl 2005-2009
- Andy Richter Controls the Universe 2002-2003
