Ok I had mixed feelings all through this series but it was doing enough right for me to persevere till the end - which is a shame because the ending was ridiculous.
Unlike some reviewers I saw the ending coming from miles away & I struggle to understand why others didn't. In a show like this the "telegraphing" is actually very obvious & predictable & there's something really annoying about using "plot twists" so blatantly lacking in originality.
I actually tried to watch this series 3 times each time not managing to get through the opening scene which was just about the most annoying boring crime scene footage I've ever experienced. The 3rd time I skipped the first half of episode one and jumped in after all the yawn fest was safely away & tho a little confused at first I started to enjoy ep 2 and 3. This was short lived because after a significant event happened at the home of the main "good" guy it all went downhill again & got worse as it progressed starting with a highly unlikely scenario involving a bad dude in hospital.
A great film critic once said that you can tell what a movie is going to be like in the first few minutes. He was correct and the same is true of a mini-series. I should have listened to my first instincts.
I know this sounds like I hated it and in some ways I did so I wont be recommending it generally but if you like gloomy, "beat you over the head with how immoral we all are", nice guys always lose "reality" then you will probably enjoy it. If you don't care that no-one in the entire show is a likeable character and that they have to constantly stretch the bounds of credulity to keep the plot moving (despite a pretentious charade of being "gritty realism") then maybe you'll enjoy it. If you like your "dark" relentless, devoid of all humour & the kind of show where people don't answer questions they're asked but rather gaze mysteriously into the camera with sullen looks on their faces you'll love this.. I know the cast are capable of better but the direction is clearly abysmal because they all either act like robots or suddenly lose the plot in a ham-fisted out of proportion way that is more embarrassing than dramatic.
On the plus side, the lead actor is gorgeous, the main bad dude is portrayed well and the production values are excellent. I think it just loved itself a bit too much, got carried away with it's own nonsense and lost touch with who it was intended for - ie viewers.
I have no idea why it won awards, probably because of the rubbish ending - people equate endings like that with "clever realism" - I just think they're cliche and a cop out. Also perhaps they love the "monotone acting" that's meant to convey how emotionless violence is, which is interesting the first couple of times it happens but then becomes tedious the next 5,657 times.
Anyway - I'm not sure that review will help but I can say there are worse shows around so it's not a complete waste of time but don't believe the hype and don't expect any decent pay off for your efforts.
Unlike some reviewers I saw the ending coming from miles away & I struggle to understand why others didn't. In a show like this the "telegraphing" is actually very obvious & predictable & there's something really annoying about using "plot twists" so blatantly lacking in originality.
I actually tried to watch this series 3 times each time not managing to get through the opening scene which was just about the most annoying boring crime scene footage I've ever experienced. The 3rd time I skipped the first half of episode one and jumped in after all the yawn fest was safely away & tho a little confused at first I started to enjoy ep 2 and 3. This was short lived because after a significant event happened at the home of the main "good" guy it all went downhill again & got worse as it progressed starting with a highly unlikely scenario involving a bad dude in hospital.
A great film critic once said that you can tell what a movie is going to be like in the first few minutes. He was correct and the same is true of a mini-series. I should have listened to my first instincts.
I know this sounds like I hated it and in some ways I did so I wont be recommending it generally but if you like gloomy, "beat you over the head with how immoral we all are", nice guys always lose "reality" then you will probably enjoy it. If you don't care that no-one in the entire show is a likeable character and that they have to constantly stretch the bounds of credulity to keep the plot moving (despite a pretentious charade of being "gritty realism") then maybe you'll enjoy it. If you like your "dark" relentless, devoid of all humour & the kind of show where people don't answer questions they're asked but rather gaze mysteriously into the camera with sullen looks on their faces you'll love this.. I know the cast are capable of better but the direction is clearly abysmal because they all either act like robots or suddenly lose the plot in a ham-fisted out of proportion way that is more embarrassing than dramatic.
On the plus side, the lead actor is gorgeous, the main bad dude is portrayed well and the production values are excellent. I think it just loved itself a bit too much, got carried away with it's own nonsense and lost touch with who it was intended for - ie viewers.
I have no idea why it won awards, probably because of the rubbish ending - people equate endings like that with "clever realism" - I just think they're cliche and a cop out. Also perhaps they love the "monotone acting" that's meant to convey how emotionless violence is, which is interesting the first couple of times it happens but then becomes tedious the next 5,657 times.
Anyway - I'm not sure that review will help but I can say there are worse shows around so it's not a complete waste of time but don't believe the hype and don't expect any decent pay off for your efforts.