‘Elle’ Season 1 (Review)

Proving that pink is a personality is the thesis statement of Elle, the prequel series to Reese Witherspoon’s and Amazon’s two Legally Blonde movies. A third one was announced in 2018 and never materialised so, instead, we got Elle.

Set in 1995, six years before Legally Blonde, Elle serves as an origin story for the mythological figure that is Elle Woods. Few characters from the early 2000s have endured the test of time: Elle Woods, Miranda Priestley and… probably Shrek?

Witherspoon’s breakout role in the 2001 movie introduced the world to Elle’s unshakeable optimism, something this series completely nails. The why and how are obvious, because Witherspoon’s production arm Hello Sunshine produces it, and also part of the behind the scenes team is Amanda Brown, author of the original books. But the success of the show lies squarely in the hands of relative newcomer, Lexi Minetree.

The intrigue with this show’s approach to handling an IP as culturally permeable as Legally Blonde rests in the decision to tell this as an origin story to the mythical figure that is Elle Woods, and it works like hell.

The Mythology of Elle Woods

In the world that this show is set, Elle represents the second coming of Barbie – for better, or for worse. If you’ve seen even one still from Legally Blonde, you’ll know the type of feminine archetype Witherspoon wants Elle to be: embrace every culturally feminine characteristic and trait whilst subverting the expectation that all wealthy, conventionally attractive, blonde girls are mean. Devoid of context, it’s a totally sweet proposition, but this is a show about a character originated by someone who does fit into that mold.

There’s a cynical version of this review where I go in on class commentary, how even the gestures at it feel weak considering the show emerged from one of the most successful TV producers of the 2020s and also Jeff Bezos. Were it not for Minetree’s incredibly tight performance anchoring the stakes, this show’s early second season renewal wouldn’t have made sense.

The Stakes of Elle

How do you keep the tension in a teen dramadey prequel series to a legacy comedy movie franchise? The brilliance of Elle is that (the first season at least) isn’t trying to get audiences to the place she was at the start of the first movie. The core of her character is what remains: unwavering optimism, a sheer desire to do good, and a maturity that extends beyond even that of her parents.

The writing from showrunners Laura Kittrell and Caroline Dries rose to this challenge by enhancing the world surrounding Elle, showing how both her peers and adults were incredibly formative. We already know that the character of Elle has an unflinching moral code, so the tension and stakes are raised when she veers from that, and when it happens in Season 1 is critical because the audience needs to feel that. The first few episodes don’t spend their time introducing us to Elle as a character, but rather the world that created her. So, when she transgresses, it lands so hard. Hell, I even forgot that she starts the first movie with an LA boyfriend, that’s how invested I was in this story.

Ultimately, Elle works because everyone involved in this show knows and loves the character. Lexi Minetree understands her mannerisms as instincts, and Witherspoon IS Elle Woods. There were times watching this show where it felt like Minetree looked like she could be Witherspoon’s daughter, it was actually uncanny.

Sure, the show presents a pretty restricted and (probably) outdated view of femininity, but it’s not an invalid one. And, if women and girls want to embrace hyper femininity and coquette core, Elle Woods as a character provides the perfect blueprint on how to do so.

ALL EPISODES OF ELLE PREMIERE ON PRIME VIDEO JULY 1. CHECK OUT THE TRAILER BELOW.