Dear Edward

It started out pretty good but it quickly went downhill from there.

Some of the individual stories are more interesting (the congresswoman) or campy enough to enjoy (the rich woman). The rest are just meh, or plain awful, specially the leading kid. Sorry, but he's just insuferable.

What's the point with the whole "he's receiving letters" from all the promos and from that super corny opening credits? It's not part of the plot at all.

I dont know what's the story they want to tell, without an overall goal? Just characters living their life's for multiple seasons? That's not very entertaining, TBH. This could've been a movie instead.

I bumped into this series by chance and I really didn't know what to expect. It starts slowly as if for many people the tragedy of the plane crash had frozen them in time. But it's just a facade a multilayered one but a facade. A group is formed for the grieves and beneath the surface of every single character, there's an entire world to discover. One one hand a tragedy has ripped people apart and on the other the tragedy has brought together a variety of people that would not have met otherwise. Then we have our miracle boy, the only survival of the plane crash who has to find the strength to carry on with life despite having lost his parents and his hero older brother with whom he was inseparable. Yet, he is not alone: nobody is! This series is a reminder for us all not to take anything for granted because every moment can be your last or someone else's. We get lost in our human drama and suddenly a wake up call happens and we regret not having said or done certain things. We don't know why we are here but every moment counts and every person needs a hug. It's an extremely profound drama which touches a lot of no no buttons. Watch it with an open heart because that's where this series belongs.

This series really started off strong in the first few episodes. Some amazing performances all round, I won't deny that. You do get pulled into the individual stories at first. But then it plateaus and becomes a bit meh, there seems to be no rise and fall with in the story lines, the soundtrack etc. No real tension and release, just meh. I feel at times it becomes hard to find empathy for a majority of the characters and what they are going through because they make some very selfish decisions. So now I've lost interest at episode 5. I'm wondering if this would have been better served as a 2 hour film rather than a series?

The show starts at a peak and although it does not maintain its momentum, the episodes that follow are still worth getting credit. Once you get attached to the life of the orphaned boy at the start of the show, feeling how he feels and knowing why he is not like any other ordinary kid, I swear you won't want to miss any part of the show. It is also impressive about how the same boy picks up friends and its unlike any other kid would act after undergoing the same trauma. The support cast also deserves much credit after all for making the show such a great one to look forward to watch. These are inclusive of characters whom their relatives, husbands and loved ones become diseased following the aftermath at the start of the show. All of the cast contribute to the tonnes of emotion in the show. Overall, it is a wonderful show.

As Episode 1 of "Dear Edward" (2023 release; 10 episodes of about 50 min each) opens, we are introduced to siblings Jordan and Eddie, roaming New York's Central Park on their bikes. Big changes are in the air: their family is about to move to Los Angeles. In a parallel story line, we are introduced to Congresswoman Washington, whose staff includes her granddaughter Adriana. They are getting ready for a flight to LAX. At this point we are 10 minutes into the opening episode.

Couple of comments: this mini-series is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Ann Napolitano. I have not read the novel so I can't comment how closely this TV adaptation sticks to the book. Equally important, this adaptation is spearheaded by Jason Katims, best known for bringing us the critically acclaimed "Friday Night Football" TV adaptation. I have seen the initial 3 episodes of "Dear Edward", and bottom line is that I am now emotionally invested in the story line in a way that I did not expect. Kudos to young Colin O'Brien, who is masterful in the title role of the 12 yo boy who must deal with being the sole survivor of an airplane crash. Taylor Schilling plays the role Eddie/Edward's aunt, herself struggling with various life-altering doubts. There are LOTS of parallel story lines and characters, so it will take you a while to settle in, or at least it did for me, but I was surprised how it all works so well.

The initial three episodes of "Dear Edward" premiered this weekend on Apple TV. The remaining 7 episodes will be released on a weekly basis on Fridays. If you are in the mood for a heavy duty, emotionally-laden family drama, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.