Warning! SPOILERS about Expats episode 5 and The Expatriates ahead.
Expats episode 5’s perspective change introduced a new focus different from anything shown before in the Amazon Prime Video series, but the shift also made two characters appear particularly worse than before. The storm caused by the typhoon and the day off of various domestic workers only briefly mentioned before in Expats characterized every aspect of episode 5, which shifted the focus from Margaret, Mercy, and Hilary to Essie, Puri, and their social circles. While previous episodes might have discussed Margaret and Hilary’s relationship with their helpers, Expats episode 5 brought Essie and Puri’s lives and wishes to the forefront.
Expats episode 5 not only showed Essie and Puri’s sides in their interactions with Margaret and Hilary, but it also finally painted them as complete characters with their support systems, wishes, and feelings. Expats episodes 1 to 4 showed various facets of Margaret’s pain in losing Gus, but it never shared how impactful it was for Essie. Expats episode 5 finally revealing how the ordeal devastated Essie due to her close bond with Gus did her justice, underlining another important character in Gus’s life that was shattered by the tragedy despite feeling like she had no right to do so.
Margaret & Hilary Trampling Essie & Puri’s Wishes Makes Them Way Less Likable
The absence of boundaries gives more to Margaret & Hilary, hurting Essie & Puri
The 1 hour and 40 minutes episode managed to introduce Essie and Puri’s lives and wishes outside their jobs, but it also doubled down on their innermost feelings. By letting the two catch up and explore Essie’s prospects and feelings about what happened with Gus, Expats episode 5 finally humanized them in a way it didn’t in previous episodes because they were always discussed from Margaret and Hilary’s perspectives. This also showed how Margaret and Hilary were viewed as more than employers from Essie and Puri’s POVs, which ended up benefiting Margaret and Hilary while simultaneously hurting Essie and Puri.
21 Biggest Changes Expats Makes To The 2016 Book
Expats’ story structure changes greatly from the book it adapts, but the series retains the book’s atmosphere and keeps various sentences the same.
While Margaret and Hilary’s relationships with Essie and Puri were seemingly more personal, the power disparity was evident. Puri’s domestic worker acquaintances warned her not to consider Hilary her friend, but Puri didn’t have the freedom not to do so when Hilary basically forced her to drink with her because of David upsetting Hilary. Similarly, Margaret’s wish to involve Essie in their move back to the US might have continued Essie’s employment, but she also never asked Essie if she wished to follow them or instead return to her family before springing the plan on her after an emotional talk.
Expats’ Focus On Essie & Puri Makes The Domestic Workers More Realistic Than In The Book
The Expatriates would still filter their different perspectives through Mercy
Expanding on the lives of characters like Expats’ Essie and Puri made the Amazon series more balanced than The Expatriates, where the domestic workers were solely mentioned in relation to their work or their oversights. In the book, only Mercy’s POVs shared more about Hong Kong locals and domestic workers, and even then, their stories weren’t personalized, despite describing clearly how their experiences in Hong Kong greatly differed from the expats’. Expats episode 5’s focus on Essie and Puri thus made the show more enriching as it offered a nuanced depiction of multiple characters, not just Margaret, Hilary, or Mercy.
Expats
- Cast
- Nicole Kidman , Ji-young Yoo , Jack Huston , Sarayu Blue , Brian Tee , Bonde Sham , Flora Chan
- Release Date
- January 26, 2024
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Lulu Wang , Janice Y. K. Lee
- Directors
- Lulu Wang
- Creator(s)
- Lulu Wang , Janice Y. K. Lee
- Where To Watch
- Prime Video
