The Whispers

It’s creepy, especially when the children talk to the unseen Drill.

Some elements of the show are stronger than others. The ominous visual mood set by director Mark Romanek in the pilot is particularly striking and is helped along by the score, and the child actors do a good job of toeing the line between creepy and normal. The adults are less well-rounded, which, given the sometimes procedural nature of the plot, isn’t that surprising or that much of an obstacle to enjoying the show.

The series, created by Soo Hugh and premiering Monday, has all the right pieces working together to make a decent show. It becomes slightly over-plotted by the third episode, but nothing that significantly diminishes its power to hold our interest.

The Whispers has a polished feel, enough twists, and moves just well enough to steadily build on its central mystery. So for now, anyway, even if the kids aren’t all right, the show is.

None of this narrative padding is especially gripping, and some of it borders on dull, but the quality of the construction is above average.

The Whispers is ultimately a frustratingly hollow experience, an assortment of familiar genre cliches and a stubborn insistence that its primary mystery will remain enticing for us even without hints or the gratification of answers that, in theory, would only elevate the stakes.

Elements like design, atmosphere, casting--the things that produce tension beyond concept--are absent. And Rabe is a surprisingly ineffective lead, although it is mostly due to the horrendous dialogue she’s been given.