Black Space

An entire school of dirty, smelly, drunken, stoned, cynical and amoral teens? Even the one kid with a respectable demeanor is a drug dealer and a forgery expert. Add in administrators who bury their heads in the sand, and a morose detective with a grudge that we never even get the full back story on.

Having said all that, I did like the concept of a middle aged detective assigned to a case at his old high school, and incorporating a handicap issue.

The plot was too hard and vague for me to follow. I watched it all and I still don't fully understand who did it and why. That's not a good sign.

The description mentions a small town, but it's clearly not. That is a big mistake. This is an urban setting that is obviously in a fairly upscale, secular area of Greater Tel Aviv. The urban aspect is part of what alienates the kids. Because there is no small town vibe.

By not including any normal kids, you get the sense that the entire student body is disaffected. That is not realistic.

Nevertheless, the actors played their parts convincingly, and our lead's intensity mixed with care was intriguing.

Bad dialogue, story and pretty much everything adds up to this being nothing more than a shallow boring copy of more successful shows of it's like.

Do not recommend.

Slow burn which is typical of police procedurals but atypical in the sense that the story delves into something fresh: what happens to high school seniors in the aftermath of a school shooting that leaves some of them dead.

The viewer is tempted to fastforward but hesitates because he/she could miss something important in the investigation by Rami Davidi (Guri Alfi) and Morag Shmuel (Reut Alush).

The pace picks up considerably in the last 2 episodes when the young killers are revealed.

The writers spice up the story by developing Rami's personal story: a skillful detective, who's having a hard time adjusting to a glass eye, with his own issues on the school where the shooting takes place and on being a would-be father and neglectful husband.

The ending is a tad melodramatic and a bit of a surprise. But I suppose the writers had to end it the way it did because the subjects of the story are simply 12th graders (who are about to begin their compulsory military training) and not hardened criminals. And the viewer could empathize (although it can never be condoned) with the motives of the young killers.

Overall, it's an entertaining series that provides insights into the thinking of young Israelis.

The senior actors gave solid performances. The young ones didn't disappoint either. Their portrayal was heartfelt. Special mention to Liana Ayun ( Libby), Yoav Rotman (Itamar), and Noam Karmel (Eram Sagi).

So they couldn't check all students for GSR on the hands ? All we got from this serie was that israelí teenagers are as bad as every other narcissistic teenagers from any country.

I am into the 3rd episode and this series looks on the money. BGM is excellent and the stories are stitched together very well.

I am surprised that I am writing the first review here. The lead investigator is a fair character who is not blindly in favor of local students or blindly against immigrant workers and that makes it easier for everyone to see without prejudice. Don't doubt it, go ahead and watch it.