User Reviews

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

I really wanted to like this series, as I am a fan of Colman and Thewlis. The story is intriguing enough - there is no suspense about the Who so the main interest is the How and Why. Unfortunately, the series makes an odd choice to stylize the narration, placing the characters in staged movie sets and extended Western-style takes. In trying to score artistic points, the series loses narrative momentum, and the slacking pace loses audience interest. In fact, not enough time is spent on the actual events and motivations (which are only referenced obliquely) as most time is wasted on artsy-fartsy recreations and poetic dialogs. The police characters lack any real depth and fail to connect with the audience. Maybe this is also a deliberate choice to underplay the good guys in order to have the audience sympathize more with the bad guys. But frankly that further reduces the narrative hold of this series and makes it look more like a vanity play for the stars. Sad!

Olivia Colman is incredible, I get pulled in and forget it's a movie. Love the integration of surreal, movie fantasy, breaking the 4th wall.

This series is based on a true story about a British couple (Olivia Colman and David Thewlis) who are accused of shooting and burying her parents. Since their guilt is a given, it’s up to the show to delineate how it happened, while examining the personalities involved. Colman once again turns in a memorable performance as the sweet, somewhat clueless wife, while Thewlis handles the husband with frustrated intensity. As for the development of the case, there are lots of interrogation scenes that are sometimes dressed up with stylized flashbacks to add an arty edge without intensifying the impact. There’s a fascinating narrative hidden behind the lagging pace, repetitive situations and experimental lapses, but the only thing that makes it worth the slog is the affecting performances of the 2 leads.

The approach of this series is enigmatic. I still don't know if it's going to be a drama or a comedy, or both. But definitely, I'll be watching just for the leads.