etslee

At first glance this seemed like a well written and acted black comedy of white privilege set in a Hawaiian resort. But after digesting the series for a bit, the less I felt about the writing and story. Of course, the only truly sympathetic character with almost no flaws is the African American woman, played well by Natasha Rothwell. We get it Hollywood, your messaging is so LOUD and CLEAR. But even gay men are now fair game. The character arc of working class gay middle aged Armond is just so incredibly vicious, playing into every sad, pathetic stereotype of middle aged gay man. Nothing about the struggle against addiction and living through AIDS and the death of a generation of friends. Nope, we are well past that now I guess. I can't blame the actors, everyone was top notch. But Mike White, really?

A young graffiti artist/social activist stumbles upon something really sinister behind the life of a former well respected judge. The story kept me guessing as there were some unexpected twists, especially in the first half. Hugh Bonneville makes a believably scary villain, really playing against his Downton Abbey role. George Mackay is such a compellingly watchable actor, I really look forward to his future roles. It was also nicely shot, the camera angles and lighting really added to the suspense. There was a very effective juxtaposition between the therapist's patient case and her own son. However, the explanation of the villain's motives seems unnecessary and contrived. I also wish the police were written a bit smarter. Overall, well worth a watch.

Honestly the first episode left me a bit cold, but soon after I got addicted and couldn't stop binging the whole series. I liked how each episode focused on one character and you learned the complexities of their relationships and backgrounds. There is even the hint of Hitchcock focusing on 2 sisters. Harlan Coben and Netflix has not disappointed yet. Please try watching the french version with subtitles.