The Iris Affair

The Iris Affair is a project that clearly aimed high, but in doing so, it ends up spreading itself too thin. The story tries to operate on too many levels at once, juggling tones and themes that never quite settle into a coherent whole. Instead of committing to a clear identity, the film tries to appeal to as many audiences as possible-and in the process, risks pleasing none of them fully.

Tom Hollander, usually a reliable presence, feels like a miscast here. His performance never quite lands in the way the role seems to demand, leaving key emotional moments flatter than they should be.

That said, the series isn't without merits. There are genuinely beautiful scenic shots scattered throughout-moments where the cinematography outshines the narrative and gives the story flashes of the elegance it seemed to be striving for.

Ultimately, The Iris Affair is an ambitious attempt that doesn't quite come together. With a tighter focus and a more fitting lead, it might have delivered something truly memorable. As it stands, it's a decent but forgettable watch.

The main character is supposedly an incredibly intelligent woman, and yet she keeps making obviously stupid decisions and actions, making watching any more of this impossible for me. Pity, as it could have been good, with nice scenery and locations, set in the island of Sardinia if that floats your boat.

I so wanted this to be in the vein of Night Manager, or Slow Horses but it is utter tripe.

The writer, director and whoever does the cut have surely got to grip you with something in the first episode but this is just turgid and over indulgent. There's nothing at all to see here based on episode 1 and half of episode 2. There's so many characters introduced and absolutely zero attention given to any kind of back story to either character played by the two leads - the superb Tom Hollander I am very familiar with and yet the storyline and script drags him down to a level I have not yet experienced. The actress playing the lead role totally passes me by and in any case brings an inadequate level of light, shade, or relatability to her character and the plot.

The whole thing seems so messy that I'm struggling to give a coherent opinion.

I gave up part through episode 4, I had completely lost interest.

Is this an attempt at a Dan Brown storyline, if so it falls down badly.

There are very few characters to like, they all seem to be psychos. The various version of Italian police are as bad as the villains.

I am not being sexist in suggestion that Iris would just not be capable of carrying out half of the physical feats she is attributed with. It is just as well those stalking her can't shoot straight. How many rounds did the guy let off before Iris disposed of him.

The storyline is sci-fi, explained away be a load of psychobabble nonsense.

I was really enjoying this show, it was different, interesting well acted but the last episode was terrible, a real let down. It felt as though the writers didn't know how to write the ending so they just wrote a whole bunch of garbage. To spend all that money on a series and then ruun it all at the end, such a waste.