David Bianculli

When Marissa calls another parent at the school to confirm Jenny's phone number, she learns Milo couldn't be on a play date with Jacob because Jacob is with that other parent.

And when Esther uses the correct phone number to call Jenny, who's played by Dakota Fanning, the news gets even worse.

And in the space of a few moments, Marissa goes from calm to justifiably panicked.

The next call is to Marissa's husband, which goes straight to voicemail.

This is all before the opening credits.

Megan Gallagher, who created and wrote the TV adaptation of Andrea Mara's novel, ramps the tension to a fever pitch at the very beginning, then follows the narrative in two directions at once.

Part of all her fault moves forward, day by day, tracking the events as the police work with the family to try to locate Milo.

But an equal part of the story is told in flashback, revealing, slowly and sometimes surprisingly, the mysterious pasts of many of the characters.

There are lots of characters, and they're almost like a school of red herrings.

At some point, it's fair to suspect all of them of something nefarious.

The detective on the case, played by Michael Pena, has his hands full.

But Pena is up to it.

Whether he's interacting with suspects in an interrogation room or playing with his own young son at home, Pena radiates sensitivity and weariness, like Mark Ruffalo in Task.

The rest of the exceptional performances are turned in by women.

Dakota Fanning, as Jenny, becomes a key character.

So does Abby Elliott from The Bear, who plays Marissa's sister-in-law.

Her emotional range and rawness matches that of Sarah Snook.

And the same can be said of Sophia Lillis, who plays a nanny who becomes increasingly central to the plot.

The drama's focus on all these women is not coincidental.

Told from their characters' perspectives, their differing viewpoints and memories are crucial.