Chobela Ndilila

I opted to watch this because of its amazing cast and the fact that it’s an English murder mystery (a genre I love). I was pretty disappointed. I found the film unengaging despite the top acting and great cast. It just wasn’t gripping at all. I wasn’t invested in any of the characters or the plot.

I’m not sure what the show is supposed to be. It’s not really a cooking show because it’s not measured so you can’t really follow the recipes. There are some fun hosting ideas but nothing you can’t find on Pinterest or instagram. The interactions with her guests are not interesting. I don’t get the concept of the show. What is it supposed to be? It’s nice to look at but it’s not interesting or entertaining.

Acting, storyline, character development, script are all bad. Couldn’t finish the show.

The cinematography, cast, costumes, set design and acting are good. Everything else is bad. It’s such a long series of unfortunate events that it becomes tiresome. It does have humour but not enough to break up the bleak story. Characters are inconsistent - Count Olaf says some very unintelligent things and misses simple points and yet outwits most of the characters throughout the show. A lot of the characters are unrealistically stupid (daft/unintelligent) so it’s not believable. It’s definitely not for children - it has some very serious dark themes and ideas which are not appropriate for kids. Some of the themes were very disturbing so I skipped over them (child bride, child abuse, etc.) Overall it just feels like a pointless watch. If you want to look at some good cinematography and good acting then it’s ok (that’s what kept me watching though I watched passively while doing other things). It doesn’t deserve active attention. I understand this show has a PG rating. I don’t think anyone who isn’t an adult should be watching this. There are many instances of child abuse being ignored by trusted/authoritative adults and of abuse being downplayed. Not something you’d want kids or teens to see.

30 minutes in and I give up. Nothing about this movie seems believable, it feels over-acted, zero context just a bunch of stuff happening, don’t know what I’m watching - just no. I love Gina Torres’ acting so far but that’s all I love.

This is the best show I have watched in years! Brilliant! Everything about it.

The interaction between the two main characters is pretty bland. They rarely speak and when they do it’s super slow dialogue and not that insightful. The main characters are bland, cryptic and their relationship is hard to relate to/understand. The main female character is expressionless and silent. A grudge-holder (towards her parents), dishonest/not transparent, a lousy friend - overall not endearing. This makes it hard to understand the main male character’s infatuation with her. Lust perhaps? The supporting characters are great. I like the depth of the plot and the supporting characters really made the show. The main characters (not the actors - the acting wasn’t bad but perhaps the direction of their acting and the nature of their characters) and their stories were a let-down.

I was invested in this one but was disappointed. The acting was great (I find it usually is in K-Dramas). However, I was disappointed at the characters and found the storyline, specifically in relation to the characters, frustrating to watch (I found myself forwarding quite a bit). Hye-soo is not open (nor is she entirely honest) with anyone - not her friends or family. Ji-hoon is a playboy who avoids attachment. Those characters forming any kind of deep attachment to one another seems totally unrealistic and unbelievable, despite the great acting. They share a few intimate moments together and that somehow evolves into a great love story? It’s just not believable.

The acting is fantastic. But I found the abuse of the elderly hard to watch. The storyline is very unrealistic, so much so that I lost interest completely about two thirds of the way through (I think, didn’t finish so not sure how far I got).