Adrianna Maiullo

I haven’t been able to unpack the [rather expansive] book series just yet, so for those who have finished reading it in it’s entirety/prefer & are loyal to the source material, please consider reading this review with a grain of salt. After reading the first few novels and watching what’s available up until now (at the time I am writing this, season 1 in it’s entirety and season 2, episodes 1-5 are all that have been made available by Prime Video), I can say that the translation from the written to the visual has been satisfying overall. It’s a hugely expansive, world building task for the writers and the production team (that also requires a pretty detailed back-story before the events of the current one) , so bravo so far in that regard . The flow is great, with actions sequences occurring often enough to keep the viewer interested without sacrificing storytelling to get there. Although the source material goes into much grander detail (which works with the written word), including it visually would make the show’s pace boring for anyone who hasn’t read the series, thereby losing the target audience before it’s able to capture them. The cast has been thoughtfully chosen in my opinion, with Rosamund Pike (flawless as ever) leading a bunch of other less known actors (most of whom have done an outstanding job of living up the task at hand). Although I have a few complaints about production choices (especially as it pertains to the finale of season 1), overall it’s an entertaining and fun enough ride (esp. for fans of the fantasy-world building genre) to keep us engaged and coming back from week to week. If anybody reading this wants a little advice, I would recommend watching the series before reading it. I feel that doing things in this order provides for more enjoyment of the material overall, as opposed to the reverse which usually ends in a nit-picky distraction-fest (at least where I’m concerned, anyway.) Enjoy!

NOT “just another stalker” tale. The writers make us, as the viewers, see the duality that occurs when a handsome, pensive, vastly empathetic, charming psychopath tells his twisted story (completely from his point of view while secretly obsessing). I find that the focus staying with the antagonist as opposed to the subject of his obsession gives the “stalker yarn” genre much more depth.