Hulu and Disney+ debuted a new show, The Season, which follows a group of high-flying business-people in Hong Kong whose dealings are shaken up by the arrival of a young up-and-comer, played by Shadow & Bone’s Jessie Mei Li. The Stereo Geeks were sent advanced screeners for The Season, and Ron shares her spoiler-free review of the show.

In The Season, the powerful Hexts, Christopher (Toby Stephens of Black Sails) and Fiona (Karena Lam), are courting a bidding war on their hotel, a crown jewel in the Hong Kong business sector that has all the financial sharks circling. Carrie Shen (Arrow’s Celina Jade) is one of the top financiers in the country, and she’s got her eyes set on the sale. But there’s also born-with-a-golden-spoon nepo baby Andrew Fung (Crazy Rich Asians’ Chris Pang), as well as recently-widowed Madeline (Yvonne Chapman), who is on the outs with her aunt, Fiona, and they’re circling the property. 

In the mix is recently-divorced David Ho (Justin Chien), a lawyer deemed Hong Kong’s most eligible bachelor, and a couple of Australians shilling their vodka.

Amidst all the glamour and glory of the filthy rich in The Season is Cola Pierce (Li), who is trying to make a good impression on her boss, Carrie, presumably to score a full-time role. But is that really her goal?

As the six-episode season progresses, it appears that Cola stands out like a sore thumb, almost intentionally, at times. Why is Cola snooping around? What does she really want? And what secrets are all these people hiding?

I enjoyed this show! From the get-go, the Crazy Rich Asians vibes are strong. This is a world so beyond our imaginings–where people make sales of millions of dollars at the drop of a hat, own tiny pairs of earrings worth more than one’s entire closet. Where saying one wrong thing can end your career in an instant. And, of course, there are boats, gorgeous outfits, delectable food. It’s a feast for the eyes. As long as we view the show from the point of view of the rich.

Step away, and reality hits hard. No wonder everyone in The Season is a social climber. Once you get a taste of the high-life, how can you ever go back?

But it wasn’t the aesthetics that had me entranced; the political and business intrigue had me coming back for more. As Cola focuses on her mission, she becomes more and more entrenched in the lives of the rich and famous–she gets unprecedented access to their inner workings and the magic behind their business dealings. The veneer of respectability doesn’t take long to dissipate. Who’s spreading rumours about whom? Who hides someone else’s secrets? Exactly how loyal are the Hexts’ staff when it comes down to it?

There are snakes and sharks everywhere, and if Cola can just become a bit more like them, without losing herself, she can achieve her goal. As they say, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. 

What I really enjoyed about The Season was the multiple POVs we got throughout the show. While it’s definitely Cola’s story, we do get to see Christopher and Fiona, Carrie and David, Andrew and Madeline, among others. While it may feel like there are an overwhelming number of characters, seeing events from their POVs helps the audience connect with them, and it builds sympathy.

It’s also a great way to up the stakes. The audience becomes privy to the mistakes and diabolical acts of some of the characters before others can find out. The suspense as we wait for the other shoe to drop builds with each passing moment.

But the suspense and stakes only work because the cast give their all. I can’t think of a single person who doesn’t do a solid job in The Season. Li is excellent as Cola, the ingénue with a hidden goal who tries to stay aloof but begins to care nonetheless.

Stephens has made a career out of playing dodgy characters and his Christopher is untrustworthy yet surprisingly believable as a loving father and husband. Lam plays Fiona as the queen bee hiding immense pain while letting her Lady MacBeth side shine when needed. The two of them together are unmissable.

I enjoyed Yvonne Chapman as Madeline, the pariah who wants her family’s love but craves her independence. On the other end was Pang as Andrew, the insanely rich playboy who steadily learns there’s really nothing special about him.

The heart of The Season comes down to Chien and Jade as David and Carrie. Their romance is adorable and well-paced. I got the warm and fuzzies every time they locked eyes. In a show about manipulation and sabotage, Carrie and David were such a breath of fresh air. Chien does a remarkable job of playing the rare nice guy in this show so the audience have someone to root for.

But the standout for me is Celina Jade. She is a delight to watch; a ruthless business-person who won’t let anything stand in her way, yet a woman with a heart of gold who bides her time till she can get her true love. Jade’s chemistry with Li and Chien powers the show and she makes you feel for her every step of the way. She’s the nicest person in this group of snakes, yet you know there has to be more to her if she’s got this far in the business world. An absolute joy to watch in every scene.

My one tiny quibble with The Season was the exposition. I can’t blame the show for this as much as I blame our two-screen viewing culture, but unfortunately, I can’t forgive it either. It was distracting how often the characters resorted to dialogue to share important information, or to recap past reveals. 

This technique is obviously necessary because if people are playing with their phones while watching TV, they’re going to miss non-verbal actions. Hence, they need to be told what’s happening.

But I didn’t want to be on another screen while watching The Season so when the show devolved into exposition, I found it very annoying. Fortunately, the story and the characters were engaging enough for me to stay on, but how I wish we could make TV shows to be watched as TV shows.

I had a wonderful time watching The Season. The plot is relentless, the characters even more so; the chemistry between the actors is believable. The ensemble cast work brilliantly together. The aesthetics are gorgeous without being gaudy. Jessie Mei Li is great in this, but Celina Jade steals the show for me.

I want to spend more time in this world and with these characters; as long as I don’t meet them in real life!

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