I came into this show not really knowing anything about it; I've never really put the time into Stephen King's work, and I only knew this was an HBO show that a lot of critics seemed to rate. The first few episodes do very well to draw you into its brutality and mystery, pivoting into something more supernatural than it first appeared. The sense of dread and doom is all through the episode, and it makes for a nicely creepy bed for the quality writing and performances to sit. Like almost everyone says, probably 10 hours is too long to stretch it out though. On one hand even the slowest "filler" episode has plenty to recommend and enjoy, but it could also have been several hours shorter and still worked just as well.
Th slow pace also gives the ending more of a challenge - with such a consistent slow burn, there is that pressure to deliver a satisfying ending. It doesn't totally do this in the final episode. It is solid enough that it still works as a finale, but it has a lot about it that doesn't lift the show to a big finish worthy of such a build-up, and can feel like a bit of an anti-climax in specific ways. The quality of the show is consistent though; the control of pace, the technical delivery, the framing, music, pace, and many other aspects that deliver that feeling of the unknowing and the crushing; all of it works well. The performances are more than up to the task, and the cast has talent but little of the big name fame that could have distracted. Mendelsohn and Erivo are particularly strong, but the quality is deep with people like Considine, Vazquez, Nichlson, Bateman, and others.
It is a slow burn, and it doesn't totally justify being that way, but it is a solidly engaging supernatural drama, that benefits form an ominous sense of slow-burn dread, and has quality in all aspects of its delivery.
Th slow pace also gives the ending more of a challenge - with such a consistent slow burn, there is that pressure to deliver a satisfying ending. It doesn't totally do this in the final episode. It is solid enough that it still works as a finale, but it has a lot about it that doesn't lift the show to a big finish worthy of such a build-up, and can feel like a bit of an anti-climax in specific ways. The quality of the show is consistent though; the control of pace, the technical delivery, the framing, music, pace, and many other aspects that deliver that feeling of the unknowing and the crushing; all of it works well. The performances are more than up to the task, and the cast has talent but little of the big name fame that could have distracted. Mendelsohn and Erivo are particularly strong, but the quality is deep with people like Considine, Vazquez, Nichlson, Bateman, and others.
It is a slow burn, and it doesn't totally justify being that way, but it is a solidly engaging supernatural drama, that benefits form an ominous sense of slow-burn dread, and has quality in all aspects of its delivery.