The Flight Attendant, based on the dark comedic thriller by New York Times best-selling author Chris Bohjalian, is a breakout hit on HBO Max. This binge-worthy series spins a tale of how an entire life can change in one night. Kaley Cuoco, our leading lady, portrays a dramatic flight attendant with very realistic behaviors of a raging but somehow still functioning alcoholic.
Cassie Bowden (played by Cuoco) wakes up in a fancy hotel room after a wild night off in Bangkok and finds herself next to a dead man. Not just any man, either. It’s the dreamy first-class passenger from seat 3C on her flight into Bangkok the day before. Let’s see a show of hands…Who doesn’t love a story that starts off with a good old-fashioned binge-night blackout? We are here for it! This series takes off at such a rapid pace, you had better buckle-up for this action packed thriller.
The Reviews are in for The Flight Attendant!
According to Bettina Makalintal, a Staff Writer at VICE MAGAZINE, “Who Knew Kaley Cuoco could be this good?” We did! As a longtime lover of Cuoco on the Big Bang Theory, I knew she was going to be good. Cuoco plays the role of a party-hearty alcoholic tornado that I recognized immediately in my old pre-sober self. Rotten Tomatoes gives it 98% on the Tomatometer.
I identify with Cassie, and not just because she’s a cute blonde with great hair.
After dropping out of college, I went to the “International Airline & Hospitality Academy” back in 1994. My goal was to become a flight attendant. I wanted to drink my way through as many countries in the world as possible. Yeah, what really happened was that I drank my way through the three-month course that I found in the classifieds and ended up as a customer service agent. “United Airlines, Alysse speaking. Where would you like to fly today?”
Always the overachiever, I was asked to give a speech at our airline class “graduation.” Hungover, I had to run off stage before I threw up in a trash can. (Ok, ok, ok, I was probably still drunk.) Naturally, I told my parents I had the flu. I lied to my parents a lot during my teenage and young adult years. As it turns out, it would have been so much easier if I’d just been honest. But, no, I like to do things the hard way. Just like our on-screen friend Cassie.
The Flight Attendant opening episode
Opening scenes show Cassie (Cuoco) dancing, drinking, and seemingly having the time of her life at glamorous parties and destinations around the world. But this is too good to be true. Cassie’s life can’t be that perfect—no one ever is.
The truth is Cassie is an alcoholic, and this comedic thriller takes us on a trip down her drunken memory lane as she desperately tries to piece things back together from her Bangkok blackout. But she’s only seeing herself through a lens of fear. Hands up if you can relate to Cassie?!?! We see you!
At a certain point in our drinking careers, we know when we’ve crossed over to the “other side.” We know when we’ve lost our power of choice. We may ignore it, but there’s no denying it. Cassie already knows she drinks too much. She pretty much owns it like it’s a badge of honor. Why do you think she spends so much time and energy trying to keep up with appearances? At the bottom of our cups, we can often still keep the mirage going with our smoke-and-mirrors tactics. Keep people confused and distracted, and maybe (just maybe) they won’t see our flaws, our pains, or how much booze we are actually consuming.
The storyline unfolds…
Cassie haphazardly cleans up the crime scene and manages to make her way back to the airport for her next flight. She’s trying to make sense of it all, and calling her bestie before she left the hotel did not settle her nerves. What if she becomes the next Amanda Knox? Cassie sets out to solve the murder of her lover from 3C and exonerate herself in the process.
However, along the way, she gets entangled in a murderous web of high-tech, high-finance shenanigans. Cassie nearly gets killed in the process (many times). Along the way, we see her working through her tumultuous childhood memories of drinking with her father.
Plot one
This binge-worthy series really has two coinciding plots. Plot one: it’s an outrageous and fast-paced caper. Cassie enlists help from her bestie, Annie Mouradian (Zosia Mamet from “Girls”). Annie is an attorney with a stylish loft and a secret boyfriend (that’s not her boyfriend). She sets out to help Cassie not become another Amanda Knox. It’s pretty clear that Annie’s role in Cassie’s life is not just the traditional partner in a crime party girl. Annie is the best friend who is constantly cleaning up after Cassie’s drunken consequences.
Plot two
The second storyline is a rather disturbing tale of an alcoholic on a downward spiral. Plot two: (somewhat) functioning alcoholism.
Cassie is in desperate need of the sort of help that might just involve cold metal folding chairs and coffee makers found in church basements. Watching her desperately reaching for mini-bottles of booze that she has hidden in all sorts of places is a storyline many of us know all too well. Cuoco’s grip on acting out this character, a female alcoholic who has lost the power of choice, is powerfully accurate to the real thing. Throughout this storyline, I found myself many times not sure whether to laugh or cry while thinking, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”
As Cassie sets out to solve the murder of 3C, the shenanigans play out. It’s easy to cheer for her from the sidelines of my comfy couch. We watch her putting together pieces of the drunken night before the murder, which alternate with flashbacks of her drinking beers as a kid with her dad. We also see inside her head as she fantasizes about conversations with her beloved (but murdered) one-night stand. Is she falling in love with him? Or is she in the process of falling in love with herself? That’s up to you to decide.
Other storylines also play out throughout this HBO Max thriller with Cassie’s brother Davey (played by T.R. Knight) and her best work friend Megan (played by Rosie Perez). These relationships show how addiction doesn’t just affect the afflicted. Cassie’s alcoholic consequences seep into the lives of everyone around her, setting off chains of events.
Desperately seeking the truth but unwilling to play by the rules—that’s our Cassie! We feel you, girl. When you run out of ideas on how to fix everything, we’ll greet you with a chip and a cup of strong coffee in a church basement.
The Mindful Binges Sobees Score: 4 out of 5
Hello, Season TWO!
The day after “The Flight Attendant” season finale premiered on HBO Max, the streaming service announced it was renewing the Kaley Cuoco-starring series.
THE MINDFUL BINGE: Unveiling “The Flight Attendant” Season 2: A Riveting Dive into Cassie Bowden’s Journey
MOVIE NIGHT WITH THE SOBER CURATOR: The Best TV Shows, Movies, and Documentaries About Addiction & Recovery
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
