That Alice (Nicola Walker) would react badly to learning that Steve (Jemaine Clement), her ex-boyfriend turned best friend of 30 years, is dating her 26-year-old daughter (Yali Topol Margalith) was a given. For one thing, it’s hard to imagine who wouldn’t be weirded out by such a situation. For another, Alice is the kind of brash, impulsive, self-centered personality unlikely to take anything in stride, much less a piece of news as explosive as this one.
So even as she throws herself into petty vengeance, going to further and further extremes in her feud against Steve, it’s hard to say any of it feels unexpected — amusing, sure, and horrifying, maybe, but not unexpected. What does surprise about Hulu’s Alice and Steve, however, is the poignancy of the emotion behind it. Perfectly encapsulated by Walker’s barnburner of a performance, it lasts long after Alice’s rage has sputtered out.
Alice and Steve
The Bottom Line
Maybe not all's fair in love and war.
