In Season 1 a mom and wife goes bonkers on the beach and viciously stabs some guy. It's an open and shut case and the woman is jailed but detective Ambrose takes an interested because she seems to genuinely not know what she did or why. And so we learn in extended flashbacks what happened to her, while in the present, Ambrose's investigation continues and she little by little starts remembering who did what to her. We also learn something about Ambroses's odd sexual practices. 10/10
Season 2: some fugly kid poisons his parents on a vacation trip. This happens in Ambrose's childhood hometown so a police woman who is the daughter of an old Ambrose friends ask for his help. Of course nothing is quite as it seems. The kid and the parents and the caretaker who shows up are all members of a local psychological sect that is based on members acting out their traumas and role-playing how they would like to respond to their traumatizers--which usually ends in brutal violence. After the original leader is gone, his replacement turns more toward talk-therapy--which Ambrose one day himself undergoes. Again we lean in flashbacks what went on at the commune and how it lead to the present. 7/10
Season 3: some couple is visited by a creepy college friend of the husband during dinner. Afterward he drives the creepy guy back but are involved in a car accident and the creep ends up dead. Ambrose begins his investigation and we learn stuff about the two fugly guys' past. I stopped watching after the second episode because I couldn't care about any of these people. N/A
Season 4: Ambrose retires and travels with his girl to a fishing island for some R&R. He runs into some interesting fisher girl. At night he runs into her again, she seems to be in distress. He follows her into the woods and to a cliff from which she jumps. There is no body to be found so everyone thinks he's crazy. Eventually they find a body. The girl was a member of the main fishing family who is run by the grandma. She doesn't want Ambrose around but eventually warms up to him. Local cops are useless so it's up to Ambrose going rogue to find out what was going on with the girl, which we learn in flashbacks of course. She was looking for something to give meaning to her life and got involved with some lady who was into the occult. The resolution at the end is somewhat unsatisfying because it comes out of nowhere. 7/10
While season 2 and 4 and slightly above average it's really season 1 that shines as an outstanding piece of television. It's creepy, super atmospheric, intriguing, interesting, captivating. Mainly thanks to Jessica Biehl's excellent performance, even though they unnecessarily made her look less attractive than she really is. Bill Pullman's Ambrose is also a pretty fascinating character who has a unique way of dealing with/talking to people. There is some surprising and very strong sexual themes I would say, that only made the season more striking. Season 1 should not be missed.
Season 2: some fugly kid poisons his parents on a vacation trip. This happens in Ambrose's childhood hometown so a police woman who is the daughter of an old Ambrose friends ask for his help. Of course nothing is quite as it seems. The kid and the parents and the caretaker who shows up are all members of a local psychological sect that is based on members acting out their traumas and role-playing how they would like to respond to their traumatizers--which usually ends in brutal violence. After the original leader is gone, his replacement turns more toward talk-therapy--which Ambrose one day himself undergoes. Again we lean in flashbacks what went on at the commune and how it lead to the present. 7/10
Season 3: some couple is visited by a creepy college friend of the husband during dinner. Afterward he drives the creepy guy back but are involved in a car accident and the creep ends up dead. Ambrose begins his investigation and we learn stuff about the two fugly guys' past. I stopped watching after the second episode because I couldn't care about any of these people. N/A
Season 4: Ambrose retires and travels with his girl to a fishing island for some R&R. He runs into some interesting fisher girl. At night he runs into her again, she seems to be in distress. He follows her into the woods and to a cliff from which she jumps. There is no body to be found so everyone thinks he's crazy. Eventually they find a body. The girl was a member of the main fishing family who is run by the grandma. She doesn't want Ambrose around but eventually warms up to him. Local cops are useless so it's up to Ambrose going rogue to find out what was going on with the girl, which we learn in flashbacks of course. She was looking for something to give meaning to her life and got involved with some lady who was into the occult. The resolution at the end is somewhat unsatisfying because it comes out of nowhere. 7/10
While season 2 and 4 and slightly above average it's really season 1 that shines as an outstanding piece of television. It's creepy, super atmospheric, intriguing, interesting, captivating. Mainly thanks to Jessica Biehl's excellent performance, even though they unnecessarily made her look less attractive than she really is. Bill Pullman's Ambrose is also a pretty fascinating character who has a unique way of dealing with/talking to people. There is some surprising and very strong sexual themes I would say, that only made the season more striking. Season 1 should not be missed.