The Innocents

I have only watched the first couple of episodes but so far I'm gripped. The actors are all doing a great job, Guy Pearce has an amazing presence and the Nordic noir style suits the brooding darkness of northern England perfectly. Sadly after watching another couple of episodes I lost interest though.

I'm genuinely surprised by all of the negative reviews. No, this series isn't a straight 10/10; it has some flaws, but it certainly doesn't deserve the lowly, pathetic ratings between 1-5 stars. Admittedly, yes, the series does move at a slower pace while the protagonist and her boyfriend are figuring out her abilities, but the underlying storyline is so much bigger and more intriguing. While the sole focus appears to be on June and Harry, we have other characters (all with their own motives and backgrounds) searching for June, both with positive and negative intentions. Character and plot development often take time in stories like this because smooth pacing is so much more important than non-stop action. No one enjoys a series that appears to move too quickly without any explanation or proper development, so the fact that this series managed to deliver so much potential in only eight episodes speaks volumes.

I wound up binging the entire first season over the span of two days (damn my need for sleep and other obligations), and I'm not the type to binge something unless I'm genuinely intrigued by or enjoying it. The idea behind "shape-shifting" is originally developed in this story, as the ability to shift is directly linked to experiencing strong emotions, ranging from fear, love, pain, etc. The series even includes interesting mythology regarding Berserker warriors, though it is not discussed as much as I would have enjoyed (one of the few flaws) as I would have preferred to gain more knowledge on how shapeshifters came to exist in their world, and how we only know of a handful. However, it's possible they hope to delve more into the history in season two.

I promise that if you stick with this series, it is very rewarding! There was only one episode I found myself a bit bored with, which involves our teen lovers going to what appears to be a rave, but even that encounter is significant. The boyfriend, Harry, is completely devoted to June. He isn't your typical teen character who makes bad decisions; he tries to steer June in the right direction. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for our protagonist, June. She makes minimal dumb decisions, but it's like in horror films when the main characters do something silly to further the plot. In June's defense, she's only 15 going on 16, and Harry makes up for all of the silly situations she puts them in; although her stupidity and naivety is why I can only rate this 8/10. Yes, she is young, but given what she endures over the span of an eight episode season, she should know better!

I realize this series isn't for everyone, especially since so many bashed the show before giving it a full chance, but if you're a fan of the sci-fi genre, English and/or Norwegian scenery, and great plot development, this is the show for you. However, if you are not a fan of cliffhanger series finales, then you might want to wait for season two to be released, or avoid it completely.

I hate this new trend to make the mystery in a show SO mysteriuous that you have to watch all 10 episodes to figure it out, where, IN ALL THE episodes leading up to the revelation, you could take out 5 and compress into 1 epsiode. I felt Maniac was like that, and this is like that. There is NO REASON they couldn't reveal MORE EARLIER, except, they needed 8 episodes. I started out LOVING this show, but by episode 6, I was just so frustrated. I don't like being left in the dark for an entire season, it's not rewarding. It's lazy, and ruins any ability to sustain tension. It's self-indulgence in an atmosphere that never delivers a compelling story.

Manage your expectations... it's average at best, but not the worst way to kill time. I really wanted to love this as I enjoy sci-if. I also like a good British production/drama, but it wasn't anything special and it was quite slow with very few lukewarm twists/decent moments of gripping drama thrown in sparingly. To be fair, most of the actors were good (namely Harry and some supporting roles), they performed well...after about three episodes it does get better, but just not great.

Just to clarify a couple of other things; someone compared this to the brilliance that is Sense 8. This is nothing like Sense 8. The storyline/plot is VERY different, context completely differs, the scenery and cinematography are also very different. This is more static, less sensual, less versatile, has a lot less drama, suspense and action. It's based in one or two countries max and there's minimal cultural crossover. Sense 8 was a feast for the eyes and mind so I wouldn't want anyone to get their hopes up. Anyway, this is also not as realistic as some are claiming. It might be more so than an assumed glossy, soapy American produced version, but a lot of the interactions between young people are far from realistic. A lot about the runaways and how they run, the hospital, club scenes in Shoreditch how they survive, etc...does not make sense and is far from realistic or believable. I understand that we can be young and dumb, but they often take dumb to unrealistic levels.

I can't help comparing this with Sense8, even though the comparison is perhaps a little unfair.

Sense8 was a massively ambitious and expensive globe-trotting extravaganza, that transcended all genres and invented a completely new grammar of screen storytelling. It was brave, bombastic and brilliant, and polarised its viewers. Many people didn't "get" it at all. Those that did "get" it almost unanimously agreed that it was an acquired taste; one that required patience and commitment from its audience. After an initial false start, I eventually "gave-in" to the Sense8 way of storytelling, and was rewarded with the absolute best viewing experience of my life.

So when I saw the trailer for The Innocents, and it immediately reminded me of Sense8, I decided to watch it in the same way; allowing it to wash over me and (hopefully) worm its way into my consciousness in a similar fashion. I wanted to love it. I was ready for a new addiction. It took most people three episodes to get properly into Sense8, so I decided to give The Innocents at least that much of a chance.

So far I've made it almost to the end of episode 4, and I'm still waiting for it to hook me. No joy yet.

I'm finding it to be bleak and depressing. Also slow and insipid. The shape-shifting idea has been done a lot in the past - as has telepathy, of course - but unlike Sense8, which brought total originality and inspiration to the idea of telepathy, The Innocents seems to be (so far) utterly unimaginative and rather limp in its treatment of shape-shifters. The best device they could come up with to visually demonstrate someone having taken the shape of someone else is to have their "true" image conveniently reflected in mirrors - visible to themselves and also to non-shapeshifters. This is a lazy and uninspired shortcut to tell the audience who is who, and also allow them to "prove" to other people who they are. But so far I'm not buying it. It just feels like they couldn't be bothered.

Also, the bleak mood of the piece is failing to grab me. I'm not a big fan of Nordic Noir - which is what I assume they're aiming for. This feels like a rather forced cross-breed. It's shot in England and Norway, with a cast and crew that seems to be Anglo-Scandinavian, and the two flavours don't mix very well, in my opinion. They're too similar, like two notes next to each other on a piano being played simultaneously. It makes a discord.

And the presence of Guy Pierce in the cast is also strangely unappealing. He looks somewhat similar to Terrence Mann in Sense8, and seems to be (so far) filling a similar sort of role. But it really feels like stunt casting. Every time he pops up in a scene you remember every other Guy Pierce film you've seen (plus Mike in Neighbours if you're of a certain age) and it becomes a distraction from, rather than a benefit to, the overall experience.

The two lead actors are not bad, although Sorcha Groundsell is oddly similar in appearance to a young Fairuza Balk (albeit without the monster gnashers), but her weirdly demonic eyes and variable accent are, again, more than a little distracting.

The plot is, so far, nothing to write home about. It has certainly failed to hook me. And the overall production is similar in quality to any standard low-budget BBC or ITV mid-range television drama. Nothing about it suggests that its creators had much in the way of ambition or inspiration, and the whole product is noticeably lacking in passion and energy. It feels, in fact, like someone at Netflix suggested that they try to do something similar to Sense8, but without spending all that damn money, and without being so damn cerebral, gosh darn it!

Well, speaking purely for myself, I'd have preferred it if they'd used the budget from The Innocents to add an extra couple more hours to the Sense8 finale. But maybe I'm just spoiled now.