Sarah M

The writing is goofy, the acting is cringeworthy. It’s a yikes for me dawg.

This show was a huge step down compared to Flanagan’s other works. The first few episodes are great - a solid slow burn, slowly peeling back the layers. By the end of episode three the premise is basically given away. The series falls a bit flat after that. No matter how much Flanagan doesn’t want to admit his creature is a vampire - it’s a vampire, lol. The whole “vampire” storyline is so overdone and boring. No wonder he tries to avoid this word. If you want this to be a metaphor for fanaticism and fundamentalism, use your story telling ability which is lacking in this series - which vampirism will never capture. There are so many questions throughout this series that go unanswered, and the main “creature” felt more like a side prop. The cast was excellent, but that’s about it. I guess this is considered “horror,” but it feels like just another bland take on a typical vampire story. I could barely make it through the entire series. Side note: Funny how this series and the new season of AHS came out at the same time and both draw a parallel between vampirism and alcoholism/addiction.

If it weren’t for the incredible acting and costume/set design, I’d give this show 1 star. This show does an incredible disservice to the book. While I absolute loved the first three episodes, the show has since given up any form of plot and cohesive storytelling. The plot is a tangled mess of random threads. I find it hard to continue watching. Sci-Fi and social justice issues are two of my most passionate interests. It’s a bummer giving this show a 3-star rating.

This show is an alright watch if you have nothing else to watch. The acting is incredible, but everything else is just… meh. The storyline often fails to keep my attention. I’m 5 episodes into the first season and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish this season.