Moving forward, I’m going to assume you (the reader) have seen Polanski’s original film, and I’m going to compare both projects. If you haven’t seen the 1968 version of Rosemary’s Baby, turn around and read no further – certain spoilers might follow.
I actually feel a bit odd reviewing “Night One” and “Night Two” separately, because so many events have yet to happen. “Night One” was only a small bite of Rosemary’s struggle, and so many different avenues still have to be explored – but, alas, I’ve seen enough already to make some pretty fair judgements. Where Polanski’s film showed a tight, masterful hold on suspense and terror, this television version feels a bit more like you’re being beaten over the head with a dead, wet fish – limp, lifeless, and horridly obvious.
Early moments show a much harder emphasis put on sexuality, as Margaux and Roman are no longer grey-haired foxes, transforming into seductive foreigners who are just as charming as they are devilish. Carole Bouquet brings a very luscious presence to Margaux, a vast departure from the whiney, nasally performance of Ruth Gordon as Minnie, and Jason Isaacs brings his ever-studly charms to Roman – because television characters have to pass a certain “sexiness” scale to be valuable. Or so I believe? There’s no reason to hate either character yet, and both are able actors, this is simply an example of the creative changes taking place – but since I brought it up, let’s discuss where Rosemary’s Baby went wrong tonight.
This time around, Zoe Saldana is forced to play a increasingly more “possibly crazy” Rosemary, wasting no time to uncover conspiracies and start trouble. Mia Farrow’s greatest weapon was staying so grounded, even after a Devil’s threesome (well, her version) – something Saldana’s character completely ignores. Jumping right into Rosemary’s mind-boggling state, we’re rushed into crazed conversations before our star can even establish any resemblance of sanity, and forced dramatics kick in far before any demons rear their ugly head. Far too much paranoia completely poo-poo’s Polanski’s much tighter, more weighty story, reducing Rosemary’s lifestyle to monotonous horror drivel before anything of note even happens.
“Night One” feels elongated, unnecessary, and fluffy, and this is especially made clear by numerous commercial breaks and an obvious decision to end tonight’s episode during an evil session of cultish boning. Yes, we’re going to discuss THAT scene, that very scene Rosemary’s Baby became known for – Rosemary’s impregnation. Audiences tonight waited TWO whole hours before Guy lays Rosemary down for some sweet, successful baby making, after so romantically proposing the idea during a swanky Castevet party. In Polanski’s film, Rosemary’s psychedelic romp is THE catalyst for all the mysterious events that follow, yet most of tonight’s suspense instead hinged on the Mercado backstory. Instead of revealing cult practices and strange rituals after the fact, this Rosemary’s Baby establishes they mystery FIRST, working in reverse order.