The Five Star Weekend Kicks Off Its Nantucket Trip With A Surprising Twist — Grade The First Episode!

We're all taking a trip to Nantucket this summer, and Peacock is graciously footing the bill.

The streamer on Thursday dropped all eight episodes of its miniseries adaptation of "The Five Star Weekend," based on Elin Hilderbrand's novel of the same name. (Read our full review of the show.) Jennifer Garner, always welcome on our TV screens, leads the drama as Hollis Shaw, a chef and author with a massive social media following who unravels emotionally after the sudden death of her husband, Matthew (Josh Hamilton, who also appeared in Garner's "The Last Thing He Told Me" at Apple).

Six months after Matthew's fatal car accident, Hollis is attempting to get back into a groove, professionally and personally (her relationship with her daughter, Caroline, is in a funk, too). At her manager's suggestion, Hollis organizes something called a Five-Star Weekend, a Nantucket getaway where she spends a few days reconnecting with friends from different chapters of her life.

Hollis' home on the island is gorgeous, the food she's prepared for her friends looks divine, and all of her gal pals gel nicely enough upon arriving for the weekend festivities (except for Chloë Sevigny's Tatum and Regina Hall's Dru-Ann, who have some beef). But underneath all of the white wine, wide-brimmed hats, and carefully curated welcome baskets for Hollis' houseguests, there's pain and secrets that Hollis and all of her friends are hiding. Hollis' grief over Matthew, of course, takes center stage during the first night of the trip, but everyone in the group is going through something they'd rather keep private — especially Gigi (Gemma Chan), the last guest to arrive.

Gigi's stunning secret brings Episode 1 to a close

Before we meet Gemma Chan's Gigi, we're introduced to Hollis' three other girlfriends, all carrying their own emotional baggage to match the suitcases they brought to Nantucket. There's Dru-Ann (Regina Hall), a sports agent who was just recently "canceled" on social media after she publicly pooh-poohed one of her clients' requests to take a mental health hiatus; the socially awkward Brooke (D'Arcy Carden), whose corporate-lawyer husband is being sued for harassment by an intern; and Tatum (Chloë Sevigny), Hollis' oldest friend who's currently awaiting test results to see if she has breast cancer.

While the ladies are having dinner during Night 1 of the Five-Star Weekend, in walks Gigi, who was the least likely to accept her invitation to Nantucket. She's an internet friend who reached out to Hollis on social media after Matthew's death, and Hollis says it was easier to connect with a stranger during her initial grief period than it was with her real-life friends. (The other girls don't love to hear that.) But just as the group is becoming skeptical that Gigi will show up (or that she even exists), Gigi does arrive, and she's a beautiful and charismatic Delta pilot who seems to fit in nicely with the weekend's other "stars."

Later, while Hollis is trying to put the finishing touches on the dessert she made, she privately falls apart over Matthew, and Gigi kindly hugs Hollis when she finds her crying in the kitchen. Hollis frets that she doesn't feel ready to host this weekend, after all, and she divulges that her marriage to Matthew wasn't in a great place at the time of his death. Gigi continues to comfort her friend, then seems emotionally overcome, and she abruptly excuses herself.

When Gigi goes upstairs — passing family photos of Hollis, Matthew, and Caroline through the entire hallway — she closes herself in her bedroom and pulls out her phone... which contains a voicemail from Matthew (gasp!) that she plays on repeat.

"Hi, my love. It's me, Matthew," we hear him say. "You're probably already at the hotel. I'm heading to the airport." And as Gigi listens to the message over and over, she lies down on the floor and sobs.

Did "The Five Star Weekend" do enough to capture your interest in Episode 1? For those that didn't read the book, did you see that Gigi/Matthew twist coming? Grade the premiere in our poll below, then drop a comment with all of your thoughts!

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