ario-34119

I've tried some European TV shows lately, one from Iceland and now this. Both portrayed the police this way, not giving half a f-- when something strange happened right in front of their eyes. I really am starting to think this is a factual portrayal. Of course, it could be because the writers, producers and directors are all idiots. I mean, mentioning the police was just an entry point. The fact is, most characters in both shows act and react illogically to the situations around them. They act and react according to where the writers want the story to go to, without giving a sh-- about whether it's natural or not. And the producers and directors agreed to it.

Some examples, without giving any spoiler for people who want to give this a chance: 1. You go to a place to find some kind of explanation to an incident happening to you earlier. Keep in mind that this is your intention, finding explanation. When you find exactly what you're looking for, that's what you do to it?

2. I've been thirsty before, badly dehydrated from exercise and/or work, but I don't spill my soda all over my chin and clothes. Not to mention, if I stole said soda, I would've been patient enough to not drink it right there and then at the crime scene. I would've tried to get the hell away from there as fast as I can.

3. And the police. Don't even get me started on the police.

It's too bad because this show has potential. The premise is good, the dialogues are okay, the actors perform well, the production value is good. The bad writing ruined everything.

To make a successful show, the first thing you need to do is grab the audience by their collars and force them to sit still on that couch. First episode: you show the audience that most of the main characters are unlikable. Fail. THE main character, a total idiotic a-hole, who is, did I mention this before, that's right, unlikable. Fail. But Diane Lane gets me to episode 2. And what happens in episode 2? Absolutely nothing! I mean, literally, the story moves ZERO inch. You can skip this episode and go straight to the next episode, and you won't miss anything. Oh, and we get to see the main character as totally useless. Also he's the only one in the entire city who doesn't meet anyone, when everyone else are crowded in big groups everywhere. I mean, I didn't Google this or anything, but I thought the female population is bigger than the male, meaning if all men dies, that would be less than half the population. You walk a mile and you're bound to meet someone, but not this guy, and for days too.

So, yeah, you go straight to filler episode by the second episode, and you fail to grab me. Maybe you still have some fans of the comic books, but keep this up and you'll lose them too. Hire better writers. And directors.

Good production value, beautiful faces left and right, inconsistent but overall okay performance all around. That being said...

It starts slow but with quite a good build up of thriller and mystery, with some good horror scenes as well. But that's all there is to the end. Let me tell you a little bit about storytelling: give a series of mystery that makes the viewers guessing and theorizing, and after a while (in a six episode season, maybe the end of episode 2) reveal some kind of answer that makes the viewers go, "Damn, I was wrong!" or "I knew it!" Either way is good. Then deliver some more mystery and story that seem to support the first reveal, then after a while (perhaps episode 4,) give another, preferably bigger, reveal that turns everything upside down. It's called a twist. More and more mystery, then reveal everything in the season finale. But of course, the last reveal doesn't mean the story is concluded, as there's new mystery up ahead that makes the viewers eager to see the next season.

Instead what we have here is simply a stack of mysteries compounded one on top of the others with ZERO reveal, right until the end. I'm dead serious, you know absolutely nothing about the story you just watched for six episodes and where it's going by the end of the season.

Watch Inside Number 9 season 2 episode 2, The 12 Days of Christine. It's also a stack of mysteries compounded one on top of the others. BUT, in the final 90 seconds or so, they reveal everything that makes every single mystery, scene, shot, dialogue and even prop meaningful. It works because it's a 30 minute episode and that big reveal in the end. A 6 episode season with no reveal at any given point? Sorry, it doesn't work.