Little Disasters

Sadly this didn't even make it through to a full watch. The grading is odd, the characters really lifeless and the one from Eastenders was doing Eastenders. Why do these things get made? Liked Diane though. Plus she seems a really genuine lady. Sadly wasted in this.

As a house we then fast forwarded and then outright gave up and watched something else. Soap actors should stick to soap it's rare that transition ever works or go back to the soap. It's funny how they do so much publicity and build such a hype and then this is what gets delivered. Maybe spend less on PR and more on acting coaches. No shame in that.

If Little Disasters is supposed to be an emotional drama, someone forgot to tell Diane Kruger. Or maybe they whispered it to her, and she couldn't quite make it out - much like every line she delivers in this series. Her signature whispery lisp makes even the most intense scenes sound like she's reading bedtime stories to herself through a pillow.

This isn't acting - it's vocal ASMR with a side of blank staring. Every scene she's in feels like it's happening underwater. There's no energy, no emotional depth, and definitely no believability. It's hard to get invested in a character when you're constantly distracted by the fact that they seem bored by their own life.

Kruger somehow manages to underact and overact at the same time. She tiptoes through big emotional moments like she's afraid to wake the neighbors, and yet her pained expressions feel like a high school drama class trying too hard.

The rest of the cast seems to be wandering around, unsure of whether they should match her whisper-volume or just pretend she's not there. Honestly, that might have been the better choice.

If you're into lifeless delivery, moody sighing, and plotlines that go nowhere fast, this might be your show. Otherwise, skip it - or at least turn on subtitles, because you'll need them.

I was immediately gripped within the first few minutes of viewing as I could resonate with a lot from the outset; being a mother, feeling overwrought and the highs and lows of being a parent. The characters were compelling enough and I really wanted to know more about them.

I've always enjoyed Jo Joyner's work and although I'm familiar with Diane Kruger's name and face, I was not familiar with her work so I was intrigued. I thought it was a win-win binge watching this one afternoon.

There were a few creative choices I was unsure about without giving too much away. All I will say is that I don't think they added more to the plot device but rather slowed it down affecting the overall pace. It did feel like they spent far too much time focusing on the surplus pieces of narrative that when it became time to reveal the poignant, most significant part(S) it was all stuffed into the last 20 minutes of the series which made things rather infuriat. Personally, that was a bit of a letdown. There were also far too many plot holes that became irksome towards the end.

All in all, it was a decent series, there was just something missing that could have made it better.

Poor all round tbh.

It started with some promise, although the main female characters 'talking' to the camera directly should have been a red flag.

Gradually, it got worse with each episode. The acting generally was not great (apart from the exception of the kids perhaps). Diane Kruger seemed to be doing an impression of 21st century Nicole Kidman (sorry, but that's not meant as a compliment)

Ultimately, I'd wasted so much time in this, I watch to the end (stupidly).

Some of the cast can certainly act.

If you want to see JJ Feild (Ed) and Stephen Campbell Moore (Rob?) excel, watch Stag, one of my favourite TV shows ever.

I watched this, not being that interested in the plot, but mainly because I am a Jo Joyner fan from Shakespeare and Hathaway. That said, by the end of the first episode, despite finding Diane Kruger pretty insufferable (which she remains throughout), the absurd use of characters talking directly to the camera, and the highly annoying overuse of Jess's fantasies, I was hooked.

Through the first four episodes, it was very engrossing. But around late episode 4 and into 5, some signs start to appear where you're like "aw man, I hope this isn't going where I think this is going" and sure enough, as one character in particular becomes more and more comic-book villain-like, it goes there. It all comes to a terrible, terrible end where the writers decide to wrap everything up in the neatest of bows, erasing ALL the interesting nuances and grey areas that kept the series interesting and painting everything with a black-and-white brush that clearly separates the victims from the evildoers. Ugh.