barbara backer-gray

Wonderful! I binged it in one sitting. I'm a big fan of Poe and this was just delicious. For the viewer unfamiliar with Poe's work the series might seem confusing and disjointed. To the viewer who has read Poe's stories and "The Raven," it's not confusing at all. For instance, the Pink Floyd song "Another Brick in the Wall' in the first episode may seem random to a viewer who dives into the series blind, but to the Poe lover the song is a promise, one that builds anticipation and curiosity: (Who? Why?) So, in order to truly appreciate the series, reading the stories and "The Raven" is a prerequisite. " So, which of Poe's many stories to read? The Fall of the House of Usher" is used for the narrative structure of the whole series. There are many passing references to Poe's work, of course, such as his "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket," but what makes this series so clever is the way the story incorporates parts of Poe's actual short story plots. The title of each episode refers to one of these stories, except Episode 8, "The Raven", which refers to his most famous poem. Elements of other stories, such as "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Premature Burial" are also used. "The Cask of Amontillado" is important from the very first episode. The acting is great, and especially at the end of the "Tell-Tale Heart" I just felt like applauding. Yes, they're all wonderful actors, but T'Nia Miller! She's a force of nature. Wonderful though it is, I give the series only four stars, because I do have a serious issue with Episode 8. The series would be just about perfect except for two big glitches in the last episode. Madeleine's monologue is redundant and out of tune. Using Poe's literature gives the series it's timelessness, which is what makes art art. Give the viewers some credit: we get it, over the course of the eight episodes, it doesn't have to be spelled out to such a weird degree at the end just in case we still haven't. The monologue means to show Madeline's irredeemability, which it does, but it could have been a lot more subtle. It doesn't at all mesh with the tone of the series overall. And about the scene when Madeline appears at what should be the climax, I have questions, many questions! It's as if the director stepped away and somebody's twelve-year-old and their friend snuck in and took over for a minute and somehow nobody ever noticed. To have both those jarring things in the last episode of an otherwise superb show is unfortunate. I have no idea what happened there, but I wish they could just redo Episode 8 - that would be great.