The best prequels are the ones that have clear ties to an existing world we know and love, but ultimately have a separate identity… and that’s something the new HBO Max series The Seduction has achieved effortlessly.
Starring Diane Kruger, Anamaria Vartolomei, Lucas Bravo and Vincent Lacoste, we follow Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil’s (Vartolomei) rise to power in the French cultural elite. If you think you’ve heard that name before, it’s the character Glenn Close played in the 1988 movie Dangerous Liaisons (based on the book of the same name).
Therefore, it tracks that Vicomte de Valmont (Lacoste) was played by John Malkovich, with Madame de Rosemonde (Kruger), the old lady who frequently regaled on opulent couches with judging eyes. It took me the entirety of episode 1 to make this connection, and that’s to The Seduction‘s huge credit.
We can see the lore links as the series continues (including to Michelle Pfeiffer’s character Madame Tourvel), but the HBO prequel feels like an entirely different beast. Sure, all of the sex and scandal is still there, but it’s much more calculated and considered this time around.
As far as legacy prequels go, The Seduction on HBO Max impressed me
Anybody who has an issue watching foreign language shows and movies is going to need to get off their high horse for this one. With all six episodes solely in French, The Seduction takes the drama of 16th century France all the way back to its native language and location, and I think the overarching story is a lot richer for it.
Enemies-to-friends Isabelle and Rosemonde are navigating a man’s world, and finding out how to hold power within it. The result? Risky alliances, illicit affairs and plans that could bring entirely families crashing down with one wrong move.
All of our characters are enigmas, proving incredibly difficult to read. Isabelle hides her vulnerability to everyone around her, orchestrating multiple schemes at once to make up for the fact she doesn’t trust a soul. Rosemonde has her own agenda, and that threatens in the only genuine friendship she has in her live at every turn.
Then we’ve got the boys. Valmont starts off causing the biggest betrayal of Isabelle’s life, and that’s ammunition against him for years to come. Positioned as an elitist playboy, it’s difficult to tell whether his feelings for Isabelle are every genuine or not (and to be honest, I still don’t buy them).
Gercourt (Lucas Bravo) is presented as our evil pantomime villain. However, I think it’s a case of honesty – he isn’t actually the most malicious, he’s just not cloak and dagger about it. Regardless, he’s the embodiment of the worst patriarchal traits in human form.
Between the four, personal vendettas make way for rich and intimate drama. Truthfully, this loses impact as the series reaches its conclusion, but the build-up is so well structured and dynamic that any lulls are easy to overlook.
Lucas Bravo is the real hero in The Seduction, and I’m thrilled for him
I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that Lucas Bravo isn’t the biggest fan of Emily in Paris – and every interview with him in the lead-up to Emily in Paris season 5 all but confirms that. He’s existed under the Netflix character’s shadow on a global scale for years now, but his performance in The Seduction comes with night and day difference.
Everything that constrains him in Emily in Paris (namely having to fit the on-off romantic interest TV mould) isn’t present in The Seduction, leaving him free to play with stereotype and identity. Bravo is a ridiculously good villain, both vindictive and charming in a single breath. He acts solely on selfish whims, but yet he’s weirdly not the worst of the bunch.
For me, he’s the standout performance of the series. Perhaps that purely because I’m so thrilled that he’s been given a chance to do something so different, but it’s equally clear that he’s been underused in previous roles. Vartolomei is the other clear standout, and if the Wonder Woman rumors surrounding her are true, I think she’s more than proved her craft here.
Given that period drama could so easily fall into a safe TV series blueprint, The Seduction has pushed the boundaries. And don’t get it twisted – there’s sex in what feels like every other scene, and while it’s always explicit, it’s never gratuitous.
The Seduction premieres on HBO Max on November 14, with episodes airing weekly until December 19.
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