Deep Water

I suppose my title is as much a comment on me as the show. Only four episodes long, this series is confusing with multiple similar characters and intertwining subplots. Maybe this just an accurate reflection of true cop cases - many shades of gray and inferential evidence with few clearcut leads - but it doesn't make for good viewing. Maybe it's just my Pooh-brain too dithered to keep track of them all, but not for lack of experience.

I caught this on Netflix, and watched it mostly because of some of the key cast members. It started out well, and the core story was engaging, but it (in my opinion) went sideways about half-way into the series, due to the ridiculously written police officer roles.

If you can look past a handful of police officers doing one stupid thing after another (especially the main character), then it's a pretty decent crime drama. If you find it problematic that the police do "really dumb things", which literally get people (unnecessarily) killed, as well as putting their whole investigation in jeopardy, and then seem to not learn any lessons from their repeated, boneheaded actions, then you probably need to skip it.

I'm only on Episode 3, and so far it's pretty good - the writing and acting are certainly above average...

... but the DIRECTING/CINEMATOGRAPHY! Yikes!

The show has a surfeit of close-ups and extreme close-ups that are distracting in that their use both draws attention to itself and also robs the shots of any emotional power - like a TEXT MESSAGE IN ALL CAPS - they become meaningless after a while. I don't know if this was a stylistic or budgetary choice, but a lot of the intensity of some scenes was seriously curtailed by its overuse.

Show some restraint next time!

A solidly okay series, the storyline was interesting if not a bit drawn out. The first two episodes introduced a lot of characters which made it hard to keep track of events. The last two episodes wrapped up nicely, but could have been shorter. Overall good cinematography and decent acting. Characters didn't have much depth.

Deep Water is, for the most part, an engaging Australian crime/thriller series with a qualifier.....

In my opinion there's a discernible thread of rather brittle, well worn political correctness that would have best been discarded in favour of a more down to earth approach. The key character is buttoned up to a degree that undermines the simple, flawed humanity we all share. Instead she comes across as a poster boy (oops I mean girl) for the kind of saccharine, intolerant, tolerance, we have all been force fed by big government and its mainstream media stooges, over the last 20 or so years.

Her colleague, who seems infinitely more real as a person, is often a sounding board for her somewhat prickly "tut-tutting". Its a shame what, I feel, is a timid, almost apologetic, approach to scripting, has been adopted. Mainly because, in all other respects, Deep Water is a very engaging, intelligently written and well acted mini series.

In summary another decent Aussie series that has an important message about intolerance which, I believe, would have benefited from a more open and down to earth approach. Still a worthy watch. Eight out of ten from me.