With the names attached it was no surprise that there was lots of hype around this show, and as much as I tried to ignore it, I did come to it looking for what was trailed. What I found was a show that very much kept its podcast roots (not a good thing) but adds a lot of production value and directorial cleverness into it. Undeniably though, it is not as strong as it needed to be in the key areas of story, pacing, and delivery. The story is reasonably engaging, but I'm not sure it lasts for the whole season, relying instead on the delivery to make it work, It is redeemed by a responsible and satisfying ending, but otherwise it drags itself a bit too often.
The style and quality does help though. I really loved the sense of 1970's murder mystery drama, and Hitchcock, and I got the feeling that Esmail is enjoying it too. The show has great honking musical effects, but yet uses long lingering shots on scenes where little happens; in terms of style it is really worth watching it. The subtext also feels very modern in the way it leans towards the positive empowerment of the female characters. Beyond this though the conspiratorial plot doesn't have the legs to be played out over this length of time, and it really relies on the viewer being bought into the style and high production values. Fortunately I was, and I enjoyed what Esmail did, but also the quality in Roberts, Cannavale, Whigham, Mulroney, Jean-Baptiste, James, Chau, and others. It is a show that has a lot to recommend it for, and a lot that makes it work - but one that doesn't frankly have the material to make all of it work as well as the resources deserve.
The final stretch is strong, and it opens well, but this is hard to deny. Worth a look, and probably will be better viewed without the hype, but it is strongest in its superficial elements, less so at its core.