Ok so I have only just in the last hour watched the finale (through to ep8).
Hype: There was a lot of hype around this and I myself was looking forward to seeing it. I'm a fan of Guy Pearce and the fact that it wasn't another incarnation of some superhero franchise gave me hope for something special.
First episode: I'm not an avid watcher of TV shows but I have seen my fair share - enough to know that the first ten minutes is vital to success and the ending even more so. The first ten minutes were very intriguing and gave me something to follow, but I was left a bit underwhelmed by the end of the first episode.
Overall: Yes it was a slow burn but I liked that and enjoyed the time to think about the characters and plot. The plot was sound and although I found it frustrating not knowing each characters hidden agenda I accepted that as a part of the mystery. There was a constant feel of unease for all characters and twists and revelations were delivered in perfect timing.
So why the lackluster rating?: You know when you watch a cheesy horror and there are those moments when you are screaming at the TV "no don't open the door" ? Well I was getting increasingly frustrated with really stupid choices. and not in a "this is what someone would do in real life" way, but in an "are you stupid? way. Dealing drugs, driving while not looking at the road and crashing (TWICE), trusting total strangers, trusting total strangers who you say you don't trust and "I've dumped my 16 year old girlfriend in the middle of London to go home and have a go at her Dad after I've had a few pints' moments to name a few. I found I didn't care about any of the characters - they were either too suspicious or too stupid and this left my experience a little cold, sadly. It was a very intelligent script but the characters not so much.
Standout: Steinar by far. The only person I wanted to know more about and felt for. Kam a close second.
Hype: There was a lot of hype around this and I myself was looking forward to seeing it. I'm a fan of Guy Pearce and the fact that it wasn't another incarnation of some superhero franchise gave me hope for something special.
First episode: I'm not an avid watcher of TV shows but I have seen my fair share - enough to know that the first ten minutes is vital to success and the ending even more so. The first ten minutes were very intriguing and gave me something to follow, but I was left a bit underwhelmed by the end of the first episode.
Overall: Yes it was a slow burn but I liked that and enjoyed the time to think about the characters and plot. The plot was sound and although I found it frustrating not knowing each characters hidden agenda I accepted that as a part of the mystery. There was a constant feel of unease for all characters and twists and revelations were delivered in perfect timing.
So why the lackluster rating?: You know when you watch a cheesy horror and there are those moments when you are screaming at the TV "no don't open the door" ? Well I was getting increasingly frustrated with really stupid choices. and not in a "this is what someone would do in real life" way, but in an "are you stupid? way. Dealing drugs, driving while not looking at the road and crashing (TWICE), trusting total strangers, trusting total strangers who you say you don't trust and "I've dumped my 16 year old girlfriend in the middle of London to go home and have a go at her Dad after I've had a few pints' moments to name a few. I found I didn't care about any of the characters - they were either too suspicious or too stupid and this left my experience a little cold, sadly. It was a very intelligent script but the characters not so much.
Standout: Steinar by far. The only person I wanted to know more about and felt for. Kam a close second.