The Edge of Sleep

The show does do very well in regards to the podcast which I wasn't expecting. Being a huge fan of the podcast, I wasn't too sure how I would feel about this but it genuinely did good! The visuals and atmosphere give the show the creepy and eerie feeling that the podcast delivered. It also mastered the ability of wanting to keep watching it to see what is going to happen next. My biggest issue was the elements that were left out meaning the small little details in the podcast that gave it that extra edge. Also only having 6 episodes that were 20 minutes long had made it out to be more so a standard movie length then a fully drawn out tv show. Yet overall I would recommend checking this out! The cast and crew clearly worked their best to do the podcast justice.

I listened to the Edge of Sleep audiodrama as it came out and really enjoyed it, everything from the premise to the audio design just really came together and served as great weekly entertainment. Seeing that it got a TV release I instantly went to watch it. I liked it and walked away happy that I saw it, but there are 2 major issues with it...

To be clear: I am a Markiplier fan so don't downvote this I have the best intentions. I went to one of his tours, wore a Markiplier themed backpack in High School, and watched all of his content when I was younger. His performance in the audiodrama was also great, the deep quality of his voice was able to sell a miserable and exhausted character. And I love the campiness he reaches with his acting in Youtube originals, he sells cocky characters well.

However as good as his delivery was in the podcast it did not translate well to visual acting. Everyone else was fantastic, I particularly enjoyed Matteo, Linda, and the Dream Doctor as characters, but next to them Mark fell short. It looked like he was reciting lines instead of embodying Dave and it never really felt like I was watching a serious scene with him in the shot since he just wasn't selling the misery well. The only time I felt like he did a good job was during a hallucination where he sees a copy of himself that delivered a campy and lighthearted line. That one sentence was the only thing that worked for him and that's unfortunate considering he's trying to be serious. Hopefully, his Iron Lung performance is better and this served as a good teaching lesson.

The second huge issue was the camera work. Something felt unpolished and flat about the shots, I don't go to film school so I don't know how to describe it, but something about it just wasn't TV quality. I liked the use of colours and imagery, but the field of depth was just strange, something wrong with the lenses I think. Was consistent throughout and made the film feel amateurish.

As a whole though I enjoyed what I saw. The overuse of the shape of a triangle, overemphasis of 'The Elephant', and hallucination scenes going on for a bit too long also detracted but weren't as big of an issue. Again most of the acting was great, I was really invested in how they'd tackle the premise compared to how they did in the podcast, and I definitely DO want to see more. I WANT there to be more and I WANT to see a better performance from the lead. Glad it exists. Just wish those two major issues as stated previously were fixed cause as it currently stands I can't really recommend this to someone who isn't a fan of Markiplier.

7/10.

Going into this I had high expectations based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews. Markiplier has done some great stuff and, having not listened to the podcast, I was going in blind. Overall I wouldn't say I was overly impressed or disappointed. It was pretty good, but nothing more. The acting wasn't anything special. The effects were solid. Story was very interesting but a bit confusing, they took the premise and went a very cerebral, Lovecraftian direction that I wasn't expecting. Things make a lot more sense after the finale but there are still a lot of questions. Because it's so short, even if you don't end up liking it, you pretty much only lose 2 hours. It probably would have done better waiting till a little later to introduce the stranger elements because they seemed pretty out of place at the start.

Overall, I recommend it. It's an easy commitment that you can binge quickly and it makes you think.

I'm not a super fan of Markiplier so I feel I can give a more honest review.

I gave Edge Of Sleep a watch because I like to see what Markiplier is up to creatively. I never listened to the podcast for this story so I was going in with no spoilers or expectations. Here is my feedback:

Acting: you can definitely tell who has had acting classes and is more equipped and who isn't. I believe both women (Lio and Eve) did better than their male co stars. Truthfully, Markiplier's acting fell flat in my opinion but I don't fault him. I personally, couldn't do better than what he did. Acting is hard. I do believe because he has a passion for this, that he could get better. The flow between actors dialogue wasn't completely there and felt choppy at some points. It wasn't a deal breaker so I continued watching.

Music: I actually enjoyed the opening credits and the music selection. It gave the appropriate vibe it was going for.

Visuals/shots: I was impressed. It was creepy, eerie, and engaging. It wasn't the best thing I've seen. If anything it was like if a group of young adults got together to recreate some aspects of American Horror Story as a passion project.

Special effects: the horror elements were done well in my opinion. In fact it gave some Evil Dead vibes with claymation and I really enjoyed that! Obviously much better than claymation but hopefully you get my point. It was good and didn't feel like cheesy CGI.

Storyline: it felt rushed and not all characters had chemistry with one another. Although the actor Eve that played Linda the nurse was better than the male Costars, her character was just all over the place. She just didn't seem like a likely character in real life. And yes, I know all of it was weird - but her weirdness didn't vibe with the rest of it. A nurse who insults people and some how performs surgeries? I get she came from a surgical background for some agency and was blacklisted because she blew the whistle...but still - very reaching. And for her to immediately go we need to tell people?? I mean it takes at least four or five episodes in for someone to come to a conclusion of what it is and to warn people (or at least have the suspense of it). It felt rushed.

At some point I stopped actively watching and had it on as background noise. I would come back to it every now and again but it wasn't keeping my attention.

Therefore, I give it a 5/10, it was okay and still worth watching especially if you want to support people who are genuinely making an effort to bring creative material to their fanbase and audience.

They should keep going and I would watch more seasons to see how they continue to improve and grow.

This is a very intriguing story, there is clearly a lot of potential here, and I would definitely recommend watching it, however, the length and number of episodes I believe caused some of the biggest issues with this show.

It feels like the show is rushing to get to its ending.

The character writing leaves a lot to be desired, even if certain aspects of some of the characters are interesting. The characters don't feel very fleshed out, and that's all due to the show's main focus being moving the plot forward asap, instead of slowly and properly introducing us to the world and its characters.

Still, this is an intriguing watch, and for the concepts and ideas showcased, I would definitely recommend it if you've got some time to spare.