Picnic at Hanging Rock premiere review: A lady must never eat her fill

To say that we were excited for Picnic at Hanging Rock to premiere would be an understatement – after all this is a mini series that is based on such compelling source material that over the years some have wondered if the tale is base off a true story. Add to that a dynamic cast lead by Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones, Elementary) and the gorgeous costumes and this series has all the makings of a show that could have a serious buzz during awards season. Now that we have laid out all of the elements that it has going for it, let’s dive in and see if it actually delivers.

The story begins with an introduction to a mysterious widow named Mrs. Appleyard (Dormer), who decides to buy a mansion and turn it into a finishing school for young women. As proper as she may be, it’s clear that there is something more that Appleyard is hiding and one of the girls at the finishing school named Miranda, seems to know what that secret is. While most of the girls at the school do as they are told, we of course have a few that just can’t be tamed (which is typically the case with stories like this) including Miranda who holds this secret over Appleyard. How big of a secret is this and is it something that could really ruin Appleyard’s life? More then that, we are curious to know exactly how she’s going to handle the situation, especially knowing that at the end of this school year Miranda will graduate anyway. It seems that Appleyard’s entire life can be unraveled by a mere tin.

The big picnic being hosted at hanging rock for St. Valentine’s Day is something that all of the girls have been incredibly excited about and it’s finally here! When the ladies all arrive at hanging rock the festivities begin as they all partake in conversation and cake, but soon afterwards something strange starts happening to them as time seems to stop and everyone except for Miranda, Irma, Marion and Edith all fall asleep. Our immediate feeling from this scene is that there is a connection between Miranda and the earth since she is so in tune with it and that little wink she gave the other girls after everyone else feel asleep tells us she’s some how involved. Just our theory at this point.

The four girls decide to go on an adventure to get closer to hanging rock and even though some of them are getting an eerie feeling about it, they trudge on. What exactly happens to them is not revealed just yet (it is only the first episode, they do need to save a little mystery for the rest of the season after all), but the rest of the group return to the mansion in a panic telling Appleyard that something terrible has happened.

Related – Check out our episode 2 review of Picnic at Hanging Rock.

CarterMatt Verdict

So did the premiere live up to our lofty expectations? There was a lot to like about it, but let’s start off by talking about Dormer’s performance. She was wonderful and she knows how to play this type of character really well – refined with a side of danger. Over all we like the cast and the mystery has been set up nicely.

What did you think of the Picnic at Hanging Rock premiere and are you excited to see where the story goes next? Leave us a comment in the box below with your thoughts. If you want more scoop on the show or are looking to chat with other fans of the series then be sure to join our official CarterMatt Facebook page. (Photo: Amazon)