A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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Positive Messages
very little
Viewers see the consequences of poor choices: drunkenness, leaping before you look, failing to take care of responsibilities. Ultimately the subjects of this bio-series wind up dying young, its own dire warning. Period subjects, such as winning the right to vote for women, are dramatized.
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Positive Role Models
very little
Both Zelda and F. Scott are irresponsible addicts -- in their pursuit of good times and the high life, they leave a trail of broken friendships and disappointed family members. Their downfall is not glamorized, though the early parts of it do look fun.
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Violence & Scariness
a little
Brief scenes are set during a war, where conflict and death are discussed but unseen. Men get in drunken fistfights, and the Fitzgeralds sometimes play dangerous pranks: balancing on a balcony, throwing empty bottles onto a busy street.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
A woman requesting sex from her husband appears completely nude from the front. A man and woman have sex in a park; their nude bodies are visible from the side but no private parts are visible. Many references to kissing and sex, often veiled in old-fashioned terms such as "hot and bothered." A woman flings off her bathing suit to swim naked; we see her nude briefly from the side. A man calls his daughter a "hussy" for kissing a soldier goodnight.
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Language
some
Occasional cursing, usually for emphasis rather than insult: "the bastard king of England," a "goddamned mortar," that "f--king frock."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a lot
Characters smoke and drink frequently. Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald were famously alcoholics, and this series depicts that often, with the two and others drinking from glasses, bottles, flasks.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Z: The Beginning of Everything is a series based on a biography of Zelda Fitzgerald, the famously manic wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby). The Fitzgeralds were legendary alcoholics, which the series depicts vividly: Separately and together they smoke cigarettes and guzzle down liquor from flasks, bottles, and glasses at endless parties. We don't see the hangovers or the emphysema, but we do see the mistakes the two make, how they disappoint loved ones and ruin relationships and opportunities. They also both end up dying young. There are many references to sex, often put in old-fashioned terms such as "hot and bothered" and "all steamed up." A woman appears nude from the front to demand sex from her husband; a couple who has sex in a garden is also visible from the side (no private parts are seen). A scene takes place outside a brothel, with a group of women name-calling the men who go inside. Occasional cursing includes "bastard" and "goddamn." Men get into drunken fistfights over a woman.
What's the Story?
Based on the book Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, Z: THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING is a drama that begins in 1918, when a young and wild Zelda Sayre (Christina Ricci) meets aspiring writer F. Scott Fitzgerald (David Hoflin). Sayre's father, Judge Sayre (David Strathairn), doesn't approve, and maybe he was right to disapprove, because the high life the Fitzgeralds embarked upon in the 1920s made them legendary symbols of the Jazz Age -- and of what can happen when addictions spin out of control. This series looks at it all from Zelda's point of view, from the first time she saw her husband-to-be to the ritzy Roaring '20s peak to her sad, isolated end.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Had you heard of Zelda Fitzgerald before watching this show? What about F. Scott Fitzgerald, her husband? Have you read any of his books or watched movies based on them, such as The Great Gatsby? How does that affect how you view Z: The Beginning of Everything?
How does this show portray drinking? Is it glamorized? Are there realistic consequences? What are some of the consequences?
What aspects of the show's period time setting seem modern and which seem old-fashioned? Consider dialogue, costumes, language, and settings. Were you surprised by anything that appears in the time period of this series?
