Fake

This series about a journalist Birdie (Asher Keddie) who dates a compulsive liar and fantasist Joe (David Wenham) has a great premise but its pace is sluggish. And why all the moody focus on Birdie being devastated, anxious and morose as she reels from yet another betrayal from her deadbeat boyfriend? There needs to be more action. Maybe it would have been better to focus on the search to find fellow victims of Joe, and to find out who he really was. In any case, when Birdie does find out something bad about Joe, she tends to be sad, but then keeps going out with him! After five or six no-shows to family birthdays and weddings, and umpteen cancellations of dates, most people would call it quits, but it defies belief that she would put up with this much rejection and lying. If Birdie had fought back a little more, it would have been a better drama. The series is interesting in that it points out that on dates, we cannot predict who the other person might turn out to be. And that Birdie all too readily believes or forgives her lover's bad behaviour because she fears being alone.

Maybe also it would have helped to see a little of the boyfriend's perspective. How he rationalises being so opaque and stuffing Birdie around.

I was only watching this because I grew up on one of the properties filmed ( not in the grand house but another house on the property). Anyway I really liked the show. I can see, and have experienced, how easy it to fall for someone even though the warning bells are ringing loudly. When your love bucket is empty you will date the person that comes along and tries to fill it. You so so much want to believe. The relationship between mother and daughter didn't help Birdees' self esteem. With the therapy she was getting how come she didn't tell her mother to treat her better. Congratulations to the writer bringing up the cheater issue from a perspective that can be understood from probably way too many vulnerable people.

Good show.

Birdie is utterly infuriating but I found the story extremely compelling. This is a cautionary tale about how you should trust your instincts. Her gut told her something wasn't right in episode one.

It's very easy to say "oh, I'd never fall for that" or "I'd never tolerate that" when he's repeatedly letting her down, but until you've experienced deceit you never know how you'd react. I certainly wouldn't tolerate things now that I would have when I was younger and much more trusting.

This series has you shouting at the TV and although a little drawn out, I enjoyed it and was eager to see the next episode.

Can an entire show be foreshadowing? Can every single moment be foreshadowing? Can every single thing be framed entirely explicitly as foreshadowing? This show may be going for a world record or something, trying to make every single second, from the very opening shots, be Foreshadowing. Can a show that is entirely foreshadowing also feature the worst performances by two great actors, entirely miscast, with No chemistry, and the most unhappy and miserable sex scene in the history of everything?

Yes. Yes yes yes. All yes.

I have never not enjoyed Asher Keddie, before. I have always respected David Wenham, before. This is trash. I think the writer was trying to make herself look better at having Always Suspected Things, but it makes her a boring anxious character that you can't sympathise with who has No Arc. Crap.

The tension in the series is created between the characters' and the audience, rather than among the actors. Birdie's deep-seated denial makes the viewers say over and over "how can she believe him", as do her friends and family.

The more that audience members can sympathize with Bridie's denial, the more profound the tension is. However, for those of us who do not sympathize, the constant repetition of her failing can be a bit tedious. Therefor the director has taken a big chance by using this technique. This is exacerbated by the fact that the story arc builds up slowly over the initial episodes and that the crescendo is 100% predictable.