DaraAv

SPOILERS AHEAD The first three episodes? Watchable. Beautifully shot and just believable enough to pull you in. The acting? Beautiful. But after that? Total disaster. The plot spirals into a series of ridiculous twists and logic-defying character decisions that make it impossible to take seriously. Apparently, everyone is ready to believe a crazy old man (Stephen) waving around a book written by his late wife—who was consumed with grief over losing their son (Jonathan), clearly losing her grip on reality, and blaming the main female character (Cathrine) for her son’s death, despite not even being present for the events she described. No one questions it—not Cathrine’s coworkers (investigative journalists, who somehow seem unfamiliar with the word “misinformation”), her husband, or her son. Oh, wait—that actually feels depressingly realistic. And then there’s an entire episode of soft porn. Nearly an hour of it. It adds absolutely nothing to the plot, and knowing it was supposedly written by Jonathan’s mother just makes it even creepier. The characters? A mess. Take the husband, for example: a man who had seemingly supported Cathrine for years suddenly turns on her in an instant. He starts calling her a slut to men he’s never even met—all because of a story in the book. Jonathan’s father, instead of getting his grieving wife the mental health help she clearly needed, runs around harassing people and blindly believing every word in her book (after her death). Then there’s Nicholas (a 25-year-old man-child and Cathrine’s son), who was five at the time of the supposed incident, remembers nothing, yet somehow hates his mom “just because.” Oh, and he also hates her for asking him to move out. (I get that they live in London, but come on, the guy is 25.) By episode five, I couldn’t take it anymore. Beautiful cinematography and a promising setup are completely wasted on a ridiculous plot that goes nowhere. Everyone’s lives are crashing down over one incident (which looks like an affair) that upsets people so much they all hate Cathrine, as if she killed Jonathan. Even if we believe Jonathan’s mother, Cathrine can barely be blamed for “not helping him.” Oh, wait—that one actually feels believable again. It’s all too much. If you’re curious, stick to the first three episodes. Beyond that, it’s not worth the headache.