REALITY BITES

“The Curse,” on Showtime.

- INKOO KANG

The mirrored exteriors of the houses for sale in the new Showtime drama “The Curse” are the first hint of the series’ interest in distortion. They reflect nearby trees and the clear New Mexico sky—an illusion that leads some unsuspecting birds to an untimely death. To the human eye, their effect, like that of the show itself, is more than a little disorienting. The homes are the futuristic wares of Whitney Siegel (Emma Stone), an aspiring property developer who views her ultra-sustainable, sci-fi-on-the-outside, cozy-on-the-inside bungalows as works of art. But the buildings are costly to construct and niche in their appeal; it’s a vanity project that can’t be underwritten by Whitney’s parents forever, even if they are millionaire slumlords. She and her husband, Asher (Nathan Fielder), think hosting an HGTV series will solve their problems, simultaneously stoking demand for Whitney’s designs and raising the national profile of the small town of Española. Ever mindful of optics, they foreground their support for the community and their dutiful efforts to offset gentrification—so much so that the program they pitch, “Flip-philanthropy,” is all broccoli, no candy. Their producer, Dougie (Benny Safdie), decides that the best way to salvage it is by mining the conflict between his two “characters.” There’s a lot more to excavate than the couple want to believe.