Why Bloodline Is a TV Series Worth Watching

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I’ve watched the TV series Bloodline twice now, and I want you to know why I think it’s worth watching. I enjoyed watching this drama again as much as I did the first time. I’ll likely watch it a third time if it’s still available.

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Bloodline is an American psychological thriller television series that premiered in 2015. The series lasted for three seasons.

This slow-burning drama builds anger, regret, and reproach to a pressure-cooker level. What happened in the past spills out little by little, staining the present.

The Bloodline series is about a well-off family that owns a seaside inn in the Florida Keys.

The first episode opens with John Rayburn (Kyle Chandler) waiting in his vehicle for his older brother, Danny, to get off a bus.

His character narrates: “Sometimes you know something’s coming. You feel it. In the air. In your gut. And you don’t sleep at night. The voice in your head is telling you that something is going to go terribly wrong and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. That’s how I felt when my brother came home.”

The Oldest Brother:

The oldest brother’s homecoming stirs up old conflicts and creates new ones.

Danny Rayburn returns home to Islamorada, Florida, for the 45th anniversary of his parents, Robert and Sally Rayburn, at their seaside inn, the Rayburn House. They will dedicate a pier in their honor to mark the occasion.

In the Bloodline series, the Rayburns are upstanding, highly respected community members.

The family worries about Danny being home. Because when Danny is around, bad things tend to happen. However, his mother wants him home for the local family celebration.

The Rayburns have owned the beautiful inn in the Florida Keys for many years. They are a fixture in their community. They seem to live an idyllic life.

The Bloodline series explores the demons that lurk beneath the surface of a contemporary American family.

The Rayburn family’s past contains dark secrets that they hope remain buried. But they are forced to face their past secrets and scars when Danny, the eldest child, returns home.

The Black Sheep Returns:

Sally (Sissy Spacek) and Robert Rayburn (Sam Shepard) built the inn. The firstborn child, Danny, rarely comes home and always seems to be in some sort of jam.

John, the golden boy, is a detective whom everyone relies on to solve their problems. Younger brother Kevin owns a boatyard and has problems with drugs and alcohol. Meg, the daughter, is an attorney. And Sarah, who died as a child in a boating accident.

The facts of what happened the day Sarah died are murky and obscure. All the family problems circle continuously around her death like a shark in the water. But no one says what happened that day because they were sworn to secrecy.

Danny keeps seeing an illusion of his deceased younger sister, Sarah Rayburn, who drowned when he was a teenager.

He also sometimes sees an illusion of Beth Mackey, who first appeared in Season 1 as the woman who bailed him out of jail. She is strongly implied to be his half-sister from an affair his father purportedly had.

Danny is the only one who can see and interact with these figures, as they represent aspects of his guilt and past trauma. 

The Rayburn Children in the Bloodline Series:

Three of the Rayburns’ four children live nearby. But Danny left home as soon as he could.

Danny is the shadow that continuously hangs over them. He reminds them of the family secrets, like an elephant in the room when he’s around.

“I didn’t know why he decided to come back. I didn’t know then what he’s running from. None of us did. I just knew he was always getting into trouble. And I was always coming to his rescue. Trying to save him from himself. But this time I didn’t know whether I’d be able to save him.”— John Rayburn

Ben Mendelsohn, an Australian actor who plays Danny, was an excellent choice for this role. His star shines from the very first episode of Bloodline. He plays the bad boy very well.

The Ghost Of Daughter, Sara:

The ghost of Sarah, daughter and sister, is woven throughout the Bloodline series. The underlying questions are: How did she die? And who was at fault?

Why was Danny, as a teenager, beaten so severely by his father (Sam Shepard) that he was hospitalized? And why were the other siblings told to tell authorities that Danny was hit by a car?

“You never think these things will happen to you. Some terrible thing happens to the family down the street, and you think, “Thank God we’re not them. Thank God we’re not that family.” And then one day you wake up, and you are them. And you can never look at yourself the same way again.” — John Rayburn

A Family Too Good to Be True:

The Rayburns have built a virtual paradise. But it’s also a picture of perfection that is too good to be true.

Beneath the wealth, success, and prominence of the Bloodline series lie a family’s dark secrets that steadily bubble to the surface. And Danny seems to bring the worst out in all of them.

Is Danny merely the ne’er-do-well son who never managed to make anything of himself? Is he a bad seed that tarnishes the family’s reputation? Or is he a victim of his father’s rage, a man with the deck stacked against him from the start?

Danny carried blame and guilt on his shoulders when he left home. No one else in the family would admit their own part in what shaped him.

The family secrets remain contained when Danny is away. When Danny returns, it’s like someone rubbing salt in old wounds. Pour one of them a few drinks, and some of what they’re trying to conceal spills out.

“I always thought the greatest thing that happened to me was being born a Rayburn. Now I’m not so sure. I’m gonna tell you everything. It’s not very pleasant. But it’s the truth. What we did to our brother, we had to do. Please don’t judge us. We’re not bad people. But we did a bad thing.” — John Rayburn

Paranoia and mistrust build, and lies pile up, and then an unthinkable crime takes place.

The tight-knit family’s relationship deteriorates, and good people are forced to consider doing terrible things.

From the creators of “Damages,” “Bloodline” is a dramatic thriller that explores the demons lurking beneath the surface of a contemporary American family.

Bloodline is currently available to watch on Netflix.

“I’m almost at the end of the story now. And then I put my fate in your hands.” — John Rayburn