Reel Rundown: ‘7 Days Out’ gives special look into all-too-familiar deadlines
Whether it involves a looming work project, an attempt to lose 10 pounds before a high-school reunion or the dread of filling out tax forms, we’re all familiar with deadlines. So it was only natural that some enterprising producer would shape a program around the idea.
That, at any rate, is the impetus for “7 Days Out,” a Netflix series that explores what leads up to a half dozen different events.
Granted, the events in question occurred awhile ago, and the series first streamed on Netflix in December 2018. But that’s one of the benefits of streaming services: They rarely go away.
And even when they do, sometimes they return. Either way, with so much to see, it’s simply not possible to catch everything on a timely basis. Which is why you might not have had the opportunity to binge-watch “7 Days Out.” So now’s your chance.
Not only does the series follow a cast of real-life characters as they experience the anxiety, and excitement, associated with each specific episode, but the range of events being featured offers a bit of something for everyone.
Interested in dogs? The first episode, “Westminster Dog Show,” puts us in the kennels of trainers, such as Mike and Phyllis Gowen, as they compete for the first time in the popular New York competition. We watch as their dog, a spirited harrier named Emmy, tries to win best-of-show honors and earn the title of “America’s Dog.”
How about horses? Episode 4, “Kentucky Derby,” uses the same countdown format to portray what it’s like to compete in Louisville’s annual run for the roses. While owner Keith Desormeaux won’t let his over-excited brother near his horse before the race, another owner – Dale Romans – jousts with his daughter over a box of misplaced cracklings. Most eyes, though, are on Mike Smith and trainer Bob Baffert’s horse, Justify.
If you’re a fan of fashion, you might tune into Episode 5, titled “Chanel Haute Couture Fashion Show,” and watch the house of Chanel workers attempt to bring to life the designs of Karl Lagerfeld. Not only are the women required to meet Lagerfeld’s demanding criteria, but they have to labor night and day to be ready for Paris’ annual fashion week.
Other episodes tackle equally diverse subject matter. “Eleven Madison Park” documents the week leading up to the reopening of a New York restaurant of the same name. “League of Legends” puts us in the room with a team of professional gamers, one of whom encounters a family crisis, as they vie for a national tournament title.
And “NASA’s Cassini Mission” shows the wistful anticipation and ongoing efforts of the scientists working to intentionally crash the Cassini satellite into the planet Jupiter.
Though the overall series was helmed by four different directors, each 48-minute episode unfolds in much the same way, accompanied by an engaging musical soundtrack designed to underscore our emotions.
Not that we necessarily need the help. After all, how many of us listen to upbeat tunes as we try to figure out how much we owe Uncle Sam?
Speaking of which, where did I put those 1099 forms again?