Chloe (2022) User Reviews

Worth persisting

[grahamf-55542 · 8/10 · 10 February 2022]

I am surprised that so many reviewers didn't like this. It's a well-crafted story, revealing bits of the back story gradually. A bit of a slow burner but I didn't find it too tedious.

The outstanding performance of Erin Doherty persuaded me to give this 8 and not 7. She brilliantly dealt with the switching between daughter and social climber.

One annoying feature of the production was the large number of dark shots. I don't usually comment on such things. Perhaps it was meant to reflect the murkiness of the story.

And one curious thing - perhaps someone could enlighten me. Elliot and Richard are listed on here as appearing as teenage characters in four episodes. I'm sure I didn't fall asleep but I didn't see them, unless it was a momentary appearance in a non-speaking role.

But I'm pleased to have watched it and would recommend it.

Multi-layered psychological thriller from the UK is worth checking out

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 28 June 2022]

As Episode 1 of "Chloe" (2022 release from the UK; 6 episodes of about 55 min each) opens, we get to know Becky, who obsessively follows Chloe's social media. Then one day, Becky notices that Chloe has died, with her last post quoting the Smiths' "To die by your side/Is such a heavenly way to die". What has happened here? How did Chloe die? Who is the "your side" she quotes? And why is Becky so obsessed with Chloe to begin with?

Couple of comments: this mini-series is the brainchild of Alice Seabright, who co-wrote and co-directs. Here she dives into the obsessive life lived by Becky, who is determined to find out what really happened to Chloe by essentially reinventing herself and embedding with Chloe's friends (as found in Chloe's social media). The series is super plot-heavy and so I will not say another word on how it all plays out. The cast are mostly no-names from me, except for Erin Doherty ("The Crown") in the main role of Becky. The series was filmed in and around Bristol, a nice change of scenery from the otherwise obligatory London sets.

"Chloe" premiered on the BBC earlier this year, and just days ago started streaming on Amazon Prime. I had read about this mini-series in the New York Times and couldn't wait to see it. I watched all 6 episodes over 2 consecutive nights, and really enjoyed this min-series. If you are in the mood for a multi-layered psychological thriller with a foreign setting, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

Social Media has a lot to answer for!!

[alison-175 · 8/10 · 8 February 2022]

Binge watched this after seeing an interview on BBC Breakfast. The story very gradually unravels over the 6 episodes and I found myself gripped after the first one. The lead role is brilliantly played. She is slightly bonkers whilst being very sharp and clever. The plot covers so many issues; dementia, death, OCD, addiction, etc. But the mmain thrust is the effect social media can have on someone. It's a sad tale but worth watching!

Original Drama

[daviddunn-90653 · 7/10 · 9 February 2022]

At last a reasonably decent drama. It's far from the best I have seen but it's still good viewing that requires a bit of thought to figure out what exactly is going on. Sometimes it can be a bit confusing, but it falls into place if you follow each scene closely. It may not be to everyone's taste, but i enjoyed it for it's originality.

Social Media and Manipulation

[phippysma · 7/10 · 8 February 2022]

Something of a comment on our modern world but enthralling nonetheless. The complexity of the plotlines and the situations of the protagonists require a egree of concentration to follow the story, but well worth a watch.

Just watch it!! It's so tense and nerve wracking!

[raccles · 10/10 · 8 February 2022]

Ok so first 30 mins are a bit odd but get through that and it's brilliant!!! So tense all the way through!! Really not what I expected, very pleasantly surprised!!

Entertaining and unique

[kurtmax · 7/10 · 25 February 2022]

Erin Doherty carries this mini series very well. I don't know why some reviewers complain about the ending. I found it satisfying. Because the show is strange and with possibly a couple vague plot holes. I give a strong 7.

An enjoyable piece of escapism

[bevshackles · 8/10 · 10 February 2022]

Fraught at times with the fear of the main lead (who was very good) being caught out. Strange seeing George Warleggan in modern times. But honestly I enjoyed this all the way through.

Well, I like it!

[davek28 · 7/10 · 9 February 2022]

I don't know what people want. The pacing is just right. The dialogue is often very witty. The casting is perfect. The photography and direction are great.

It is a BBC Three series, really. The main character is a duplicitous b****, but fascinating nonetheless. I'm only on episode four but unless the ending is really that bad, I'll probably award it seven out of ten.

Just one thing - surely Elliot must have a housekeeper. So where is she?

Slowie Chloe

[Lejink · 3/10 · 15 February 2022]

I tried really hard to get into this. The BBC has been giving it the big push as the must-watch mystery programme of the year but I have to say I really didn't get it.

The story has echoes of "Twin Peaks" meets "Rebecca" as Chloe, a glamorous society hostess, who apparently had it all, seemingly commits suicide. Married to a handsome, well-connected husband, they live in a massive house in the country and move amongst the elite with their beautiful, successful friends. So just why did she jump to her death in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere and why also was the last person she called before she ended it all her childhood best friend who she dropped years before?

Over six hour-long episodes we then watch that ex-schoolfriend Becky, whose life hasn't gone as smoothly as her ex-friend's, deliberately parachute herself into Chloe's world to try and unravel the twin mysteries of how exactly she died and just why she chose to reach out to her at the end.

Becky then resolves to gatecrash Chloe's set to find the answers but to do this she has to reinvent herself. In reality, she's a rather insignificant office temp with no outstanding skills. She drives a beaten-up old car, doesn't dress up particularly fancy or go out much, instead spending most of her time looking after and trying to care for her mother who has episodes of dementia. Becky has a guilt complex of her own, blaming herself for the death of her baby sister when she herself was a child after her mother left them unattended in their bath, an event the latter has never gotten over and for which she seems to still blame the now adult Becky.

So Becky adopts the name of her dead sister, Sasha, glams herself up and with a mixture of opportunism and sheer chutzpah, breaks into Chloe's inner-circle, becoming P. A. and best friend to Chloe's best friend and more significantly sleeping with and moving in with her widower husband.

Now, how she does all this is quite watchable as she contrives her elaborate con and for long enough I was intrigued as to how Chloe's last moments would eventually be explained, especially as we see them teased out in Becky's tortured dreams with each slightly longer, slightly different dream seemingly drawing her closer to the truth as she processes more information from her encounters with those around Chloe.

There are many cliff-hanging moments but the effect of these is dissipated through sheer repetition. Besides Chloe's recurring reappearances, just how many times can Becky get up in the middle of the night and somehow not disturb the sleeping ex-husband she's now living with to search the house or go through his things?

I found the conclusion ultimately confusing and unsatisfying and after sitting through all that had preceded it, was left feeling rather flat and let down. I found I didn't feel enough empathy never mind sympathy for Becky's beggar-at-the-feast character and rather wished she'd instead come up with some big revenge plan on all of Chloe's chums but it became all about Becky herself and how she somehow finds herself after pursuing this crazy, cock-eyed odyssey of self-discovery.

I see that Erin Richards has been garnering rave reviews as Becky but she never really won me over to her side with her sometimes callous manipulation of people who she sees as getting in her way. I wasn't especially struck either with any of the performances in support.

Dragged out and built up, I'm afraid this just turned out to be one big letdown for me.

Exceptional Thriller But writer screws up Ending!

[zac-68274 · 8/10 · 13 February 2022]

Series will keep you speculating and on edge. Everything about this series was remarkable except for the lifeless ending. Kudos to the entire cast for an exceptional performance.

It would have been TEN stars if the ending wasn't so weak

[Janet1612 · 7/10 · 10 February 2022]

A great drama, kept us wondering what was Becky's aim. Why was she getting involved with these people, why was she obsessed with her now deceased ex friend, whom she hadn't seen for years.

Becky is a great character, so confident and able to move in circles different from her own, and lying about her name and background.

Unnecessary bedroom scenes - we ALL know what goes on and do not need to see it.

Great acting and great characters (Josh and Becky)

We watched most of it on iPlayer as we needed to know what was going on and what Becky was up to.

Sadly as with most BBC dramas, the last episode was a let down - we learnt things about Chloe and her marriage as Becky did which made it even more interesting. It was really good when all the pieces were fitting together, and then ppfff.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

We expected so much after what Becky had learnt. We didn't understand why 'you know who' had left messages on Chloe's phone. Chloe could have used it against that person at any time. It would have been good to see the outcome of Becky's investigation.

Brilliantly gripping drama

[FilmFreakForLife · 19 February 2022]

This is the first BBC drama to grip me in a long time. Original, suspenseful and really unexpected twists and turns. Terrific nuanced writing, beautifully directed with wonderful performances across the board. Excellent score and music choices - absolutely loved the cover of Shout. Chloe gripped me from start to finish. 10/10.

Should've been a 90-120min movie- with a better ending.

[LincolnSixEko · 3/10 · 3 July 2022]

It drags on and on. Most of the characters are meh. The acting was good, but at 6 hours there's WAY too much filler. And the ending is absolute trash which makes me want my 6 hours back.

Good production spoiled by weak ending

[Vindelander · 7/10 · 8 February 2022]

Enjoyable and yet another great advert for the lovely city of Bristol. The story moves along at a good pace but I think it's one episode too long and staggers in the last episode to the not so big reveal.

Overall I'd say it's worth watching as the acting and filming are good but it would have been so easy to construct a more twisted ending. I'd compare it with Killing Eve ( which I didn't think much of) in style and atmosphere.

Some of the clothes that the lead has to wear look really odd and I can't imagine she'd have been too happy about having to wear them and there are a few quirks like this that I found a bit oddball. Still, a reasonable production overall.

The bio is the worst description of this show

[justapeachperth · 7/10 · 16 July 2022]

So ignore it completely. Becky gets a call from an estranged friend and then finds out that friend has passed away. Puzzled by the call she decides to investigate a little further but becomes entangled in the same web that may have been the demise of "Chloe"

Will win awards!

[Beckyhirst456 · 9/10 · 11 February 2022]

This show is fantastic, from the writing through to the acting. Some others have framed it as a psychological thrillar about social media but really it is about friendship set in the current day. It is also has a pheonominal character depth, especially for the female characters. It's writing is complex and compelling, so much so that you at risk of binging all 6 episodes in one sitting. This show brings something different to this genre. Something which is important. This will win baftas. The ending is also perfect. If you are looking for a show of depth and emotionally complexity and you have empathy, this is the show for you.

Terrible Ending!

[paulkerr-18524 · 7/10 · 22 February 2022]

A brilliantly acted and suspenseful drama badly let down by a woeful ending. It didn't really even have an ending, it kind of just fizzled out....

.Coming into the last episode there were a lot of loose ends to tie up but all the last episode did was throw in another few loose ends!

Such a pity as a satisfying ending would have made this one of the best dramas of the year.

Brilliant and dark psychological drama

[carylgibbs-808-344926 · 10/10 · 8 February 2022]

This psychological drama is about social media and the way it blurs fact and fiction. But that's not what has haunted me about this. What it's really about is gaslighting and coercive control. Abuse that starts so subtly, it's easy to miss if you're not paying attention.

If you're feeling confused by the end of this brilliant drama, you have been successfully gaslighted. There were zero loose ends in the end.

Oh, and I agree that the clothes were awkward, but that was the point. There was nothing subtle about dressing the imposter in wildly awkward clothing that nearly drowned her. It reminded us that she was out of place and being sucked in over her head. Just like her dress at the speech became an awkward reminder as she was still wearing it the next day.

She had spent years wondering why Chloe had dumped her. Cut her some slack.

A psychological thriller that doesn't quite deliver on its promise

[JRB-NorthernSoul · 6/10 · 8 February 2022]

There was lots going on in the opening episode and a stand out performance from Erin Doherty as Becky (also brilliant in The Crown as Princess Anne). The show looks at some of the issues around social media from the perspective both of the influencers and the followers. Becky is a follower who reinvents herself as an influencer - what could possibly go wrong?

I enjoyed it, the production values were good, it was well-written and had a nice cast. The plot had a few improbabilities, e.g. How she effortlessly upgraded herself to a convincing globe trotting middle-class millennial overnight - without a single hiccup. It was also a bit slow after the opener.

Probably more BBC3 than BBC1. The story was stretched at six episodes and would have been better told in three or four and the ending for me was a bit of a letdown. Decent but it tailed off.

Why do BBC make everything about 3 episodes too long

[rebeccajmoore-97163 · 5/10 · 8 February 2022]

Started off well, then started getting too far fetched (turning up at Chloe's doctors apts??) and then it just dragged. The premise was great but we didn't need 6 hour long episodes to get there.

This series is deceiving just like Becky Green, don't give up, the ending is fine!

[verabgr · 8/10 · 16 February 2022]

This series starts of as a tale about social media and an unlikable imposter but unfolds as a murder mystery/phycological thriller that goes much deeper. I don't want to give away too much cause I hate spoilers but I found it fresh, well acted and well produced. The first 2-3 episodes were slow but after that it does pick up, by the last episode I was glued to the screen so do give it a chance!

Sasha/Becky likes big frills

[AutumnAlice · 7/10 · 27 February 2022]

Like other reviews here, I really enjoyed this up until the lat episode which could've definitely been better. (She should've ended up with Josh).

I thought Erin Doherty was brilliant - I was watching mainly for her performance really, but jeepers creepers, what on earth was the costume department on?! I don't know which dress of Sashas I hated most - probably the god-awful asymetric number at the end which reminded me of those toilet roll covers old ladies used to have.

Not a perfect show, but it kept me gripped (and has made me really want to visit Bristol cos I've never been - good tourism promo).

Last thing I want to add - to the reviewer who said that they hate 1 or 2 star reviews for anything because they don't think anything can be that bad - I'm guessing you haven't seen 'Into the Woods'?

Zzzzzz

[somethingreal81 · 2/10 · 8 February 2022]

I don't know how anyone found this gripping or enthralling. I gave up before the end of the third episode after nearly three hours in which almost nothing happened and not a single character had managed to be worth caring about. Some of the clothes were nice, though.

Sasha Outflanks.

[southdavid · 7/10 · 7 April 2023]

"Chloe" had passed me by entirely, and it's only because it was on the Guardians' best of the 2022 list that I discovered it. It's a clever and tense balancing act, held together by a wonderful central performance and I quite enjoyed it.

Becky (Erin Doherty) leads a lonely life, working dull office jobs and looking after her mum, who has dementia. She discovers that her estranged childhood friend, Chloe (Poppy Gilbert) has taken her own life, jumping from a cliff edge and that, on the night she died, Chloe had tried to call her. Determined to find out what happened, Becky adopts a new character, Sasha, and infiltrates Chloe's circle of friends. She discovers that behind the money and status, the friends all have secrets, but can she discover the truth before they discover hers?

Whilst it occasionally stretches credulity a bit, Chloe's friends are more accepting of a stranger than I would be, it's the tension of the balancing act that is one of the series primary drivers. "How will Sascha front her way out of this one?" Is this when she gets caught? You mix that with a potential murder mystery that works by linking the various characters to Chloe and then slowly revealing the secrets until we get to the outcome.

I say the outcome, and its' probably the shows most divisive point. No spoilers here but the fact that it only heavily implies the outcome, rather than explicitly showing it is an interesting one. I didn't mind, but I can imagine it being a problem for other people. Most certainly not a problem is the wonderful central performance from Erin Doherty, playing two very different roles, maintaining the balance between panic and control and convincingly getting lost in her feelings for the group of friends.

I can't imagine it's the sort of thing you'd watch and rewatch but I enjoyed it and would recommend it.