I was a little concerned before starting Mercury that it would be overly focused on a blue collar family struggling to get by in a small town community. Technically it is that, but Amy Jo Burns does such a phenomenal job of breathing life into the members of the Joseph family that the focus is almost entirely on the family dynamics and seeing how each character builds themselves into the role the rest of the family expects them to fulfill, without ever realizing that by doing so they could be limiting their own potential-and doing a disservice to the ones they care about most. It all starts with Mick and Elise, a man who comes back from Vietnam with struggles, and the woman who married him that resents feeling like she is nothing more than wife and mother. But the story really revolves around Marley, the three Joseph sons and their relationships. Marley is determined not to fall into the same trap as Elise, and convincing the three brothers to value her for what she brings to the family. Even knowing where Mick is coming from, it’s hard to like him for how selfish he is. Oh, but the others. You get to see them from their own perspective and that of the others, and Burns does a masterful job of showing each trying to do the right thing, and how it can have unintended consequences. I really loved the exploration of a family stuck in stasis slowly learning how to see and listen to their loved ones.