The Edge of Sleep

I wasn't completely sure what to expect going into this, but i'm so glad i watched to the end! (summary of my review at the end)

what didn't work for me: the first episode especially was a little rough to get through. The character introductions and dialougue had me cringing at points as a writer myself. Some of the graphics/gore at points felt unrealistic, as well as some of the acting. I learned after my first watch that the show was low budget, so i can obviously give some grace for that sake, though i feel it is unfair for fans to blindly give 10/10 ratings just because mark was apart of it. There were a few questions i had left unanswered, (i'm unsure if there will be a season 2) and some points of the plot and pacing were a little confusing. I was expecting the edge of sleep to be a movie, so i was surprised to see it as a show, though i think it would've done just as well as a movie. It still doesn't make complete sense to me why it was chosen to have six 20 minutes episodes rather than a continuous film, especially when all of the episodes were released at once and not aired weekly like a show.

What DID work for me: my GOODNESS, the way the really intense scenes were set up, especially towards the end! I'd love to go in depth about my feelings about how much i connected with certain scenes, but i'd like to keep my review spoiler free. Still, i CAN say that i had my jaw drop at three or four specific parts lol. The cinematography, the soundtrack and ambience, and some of the visuals were all breathtaking for an indie production. As mentioned in the title of my review, i've been watching mark's content online for about 8 years now, but i keep my opinions unbiased when i say i was pleasantly surprised by his acting in quite a few of his scenes! I could really engage with the emotions he was portraying, and it really felt like i was watching dave rather than mark! Besides mark's acting, i was greatly impressed with eve's as well. Everyone had very good chemistry on screen. And again, i learned after the fact that the show was low budget, but at some points i legitimately wouldn't have known the difference! :o

summary: all in all, even if you're not a markiplier fan, i'd give this one a go. It's not perfect, and i could really see it falling short for you if the thriller/apocalypse genre is your bread and butter, but i can say that i'd personally watch it again! The edge of sleep has it's flaws and strong points, with some aspects working really well and some not so much at different points throughout the series. Overall i feel that everyone who worked on the edge of sleep, both the show and the podcast should be very proud of what they've created, and for being low budget no less!

This is a very intriguing story, there is clearly a lot of potential here, and I would definitely recommend watching it, however, the length and number of episodes I believe caused some of the biggest issues with this show.

It feels like the show is rushing to get to its ending.

The character writing leaves a lot to be desired, even if certain aspects of some of the characters are interesting. The characters don't feel very fleshed out, and that's all due to the show's main focus being moving the plot forward asap, instead of slowly and properly introducing us to the world and its characters.

Still, this is an intriguing watch, and for the concepts and ideas showcased, I would definitely recommend it if you've got some time to spare.

I'm not a super fan of Markiplier so I feel I can give a more honest review.

I gave Edge Of Sleep a watch because I like to see what Markiplier is up to creatively. I never listened to the podcast for this story so I was going in with no spoilers or expectations. Here is my feedback:

Acting: you can definitely tell who has had acting classes and is more equipped and who isn't. I believe both women (Lio and Eve) did better than their male co stars. Truthfully, Markiplier's acting fell flat in my opinion but I don't fault him. I personally, couldn't do better than what he did. Acting is hard. I do believe because he has a passion for this, that he could get better. The flow between actors dialogue wasn't completely there and felt choppy at some points. It wasn't a deal breaker so I continued watching.

Music: I actually enjoyed the opening credits and the music selection. It gave the appropriate vibe it was going for.

Visuals/shots: I was impressed. It was creepy, eerie, and engaging. It wasn't the best thing I've seen. If anything it was like if a group of young adults got together to recreate some aspects of American Horror Story as a passion project.

Special effects: the horror elements were done well in my opinion. In fact it gave some Evil Dead vibes with claymation and I really enjoyed that! Obviously much better than claymation but hopefully you get my point. It was good and didn't feel like cheesy CGI.

Storyline: it felt rushed and not all characters had chemistry with one another. Although the actor Eve that played Linda the nurse was better than the male Costars, her character was just all over the place. She just didn't seem like a likely character in real life. And yes, I know all of it was weird - but her weirdness didn't vibe with the rest of it. A nurse who insults people and some how performs surgeries? I get she came from a surgical background for some agency and was blacklisted because she blew the whistle...but still - very reaching. And for her to immediately go we need to tell people?? I mean it takes at least four or five episodes in for someone to come to a conclusion of what it is and to warn people (or at least have the suspense of it). It felt rushed.

At some point I stopped actively watching and had it on as background noise. I would come back to it every now and again but it wasn't keeping my attention.

Therefore, I give it a 5/10, it was okay and still worth watching especially if you want to support people who are genuinely making an effort to bring creative material to their fanbase and audience.

They should keep going and I would watch more seasons to see how they continue to improve and grow.

Going into this I had high expectations based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews. Markiplier has done some great stuff and, having not listened to the podcast, I was going in blind. Overall I wouldn't say I was overly impressed or disappointed. It was pretty good, but nothing more. The acting wasn't anything special. The effects were solid. Story was very interesting but a bit confusing, they took the premise and went a very cerebral, Lovecraftian direction that I wasn't expecting. Things make a lot more sense after the finale but there are still a lot of questions. Because it's so short, even if you don't end up liking it, you pretty much only lose 2 hours. It probably would have done better waiting till a little later to introduce the stranger elements because they seemed pretty out of place at the start.

Overall, I recommend it. It's an easy commitment that you can binge quickly and it makes you think.

I really like Mark, so I really wanted to like this. The show isn't bad but it's okay. Each character doesn't play their role correctly in my opinion. I feel as though I can see how each character should've been played compared to how they were. So the acting is a bit rough. But overall the show is okay. It's a bit predictable. The way it's edited is a bit bleak. I feel like i could've been sucked into this world a bit more than I was. By no means is this show bad though. I enjoyed watching every episode and I finished it in one sitting. It made me a little scared to take a nap. You should definitely watch it however, just know the acting is a little mediocre, and the plot is a little predictable.