[8] The first season received positive reviews from many critics, with most praising its performances (particularly for Ben Mendelsohn and Kyle Chandler) and cinematography.
Danny's dysfunctional relationship with his family primarily stems from the untimely death of his younger sister, Sarah, when he was a teenager.
Sally covered up this abuse by pushing John, Kevin, and Meg to lie to the police about their brother's injuries, which they now claim were the result of Danny being hit by a drunk driver.
John and the sheriff's department collaborate with the DEA in an investigation into the deaths of unknown women and drug trafficking in Monroe County by Lowry and his men.
He tries to intimidate John by taking his daughter Jane out on a boat and giving her a seahorse necklace, similar to the one that belonged to their deceased sister, Sarah.
Unsatisfied with what she is being told, Sally turns to long-time family friend and retired detective Lenny Potts to privately investigate the matter.
John's deputy Marco Diaz continues to question people in relation to Danny's death, including Eric O'Bannon.
The impending trial creates further rifts within the Rayburn clan; Meg vanishes, Kevin becomes further ensnared in Gilbert's shady machinations, and John is increasingly consumed by guilt for Danny's death.
According to its official synopsis released by Netflix, Bloodline "centers on a close-knit family of four adult siblings whose secrets and scars are revealed when their black sheep brother returns home.
They settled on a family-thriller genre, set in the Florida Keys, which explored the ghost of the past in family role formation.
The pitch was attractive to a number of outlets before Netflix landed the drama as a 13-hour season to launch all at once — a structural advantage very important to the show's creators.
[19] The creators were intrigued by the idea of casting Kyle Chandler, whose on-screen persona in Friday Night Lights was warm and inviting, to play the ostensibly noble but deeply flawed John Rayburn.
"[20] Ben Mendelsohn was the only actor whom the producers met with for the role of Danny Rayburn; they found his combination of intellect and acting ability perfectly suited to the part.
Glenn Kessler was grateful for Netflix's hands-off approach to the decision, explaining, "They very much supported us finding the best actor that we thought could play the role."
"[19] Linda Cardellini and Norbert Leo Butz secured their parts as siblings Meg and Kevin Rayburn, respectively, through meetings with the creators.
According to Kessler, Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard were described prior to casting as the "dream" actors they would want to play the Rayburn parents.
"[19] The second season features the additions of John Leguizamo and Andrea Riseborough as series regulars, both playing characters from Danny's past.
[24] Bloodline editor Naomi Geraghty also stressed the importance of realism to the show: "Nobody is ever saying what they're saying, so part of how you build on that is by staying with those moments and you save sharp or jarring cuts for flashbacks.
[31] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter raved, "Chalk up another forceful punch [for Netflix] with Bloodline, a riveting, superbly cast slow-burn family drama set between the oceanfront paradise and the murky mangrove swamps of the Florida Keys.
As Hank Stuever wrote in his review for The Washington Post, "I've enjoyed Bloodline so far, but it's impossible to say if it's consistently this good, because Netflix would share only three episodes (out of 13) with critics.
"[44] For HitFix, Alan Sepinwall (who awarded the three episodes a B−) echoed the sentiment, saying, "We'll see if they play those [time-shifting] games to this extent with Bloodline — Todd Kessler has suggested to at least one reporter that the flash-forwards won't be a series-long (or even season-long) device — but for now, the new show seems more style over substance.
"[46] Other mixed reviews came from James Poniewozik of Time,[47] Robert Bianco of USA Today[48] and Margaret Lyons of Vulture.
[49] However, Sean Fitz-Gerald, who reviewed the season as a whole for Vulture, wrote in sum: "Bloodline was a gripping, slow burn of a journey, so stressful, engaging, and uncomfortable ... KZK did a fantastic job crafting something real enough to find introspective truth in.
Breathtaking cinematography, an immersive soundtrack, and a coyly observant camera all enhancing the viewing experience by a noticeable degree.
The picturesque location of the Florida Keys, divided between gorgeous coral reefs and dark mangroves, is captured with an eye for the sensual and the symbolic.
According to author David Canfield, "The opening minutes of Bloodline rather perfectly ascertain a new trend happening in dramatic television right now: the family noir ...
The conceit of these new series is to realize what's common to family-centric fiction within a construct that is both unsettling and pessimistic ... Bloodline identifies the origins of familial roles, each shaped by a cataclysmic event in the Rayburn siblings' childhood.
The time-shifting is intrinsic to the show's ideas, exploring the formation of identity through flashbacks and, via glimpses of the future, affirming their inflexibility.
The website's critical consensus reads, "Despite impressive performances and attractive cinematography, Bloodline's second season fails to recapture its predecessor's dramatic intrigue.
The critics' consensus: "Muddled and unsatisfying, Bloodline's final season offers disappointing proof that a stellar cast can only carry a series for so long.