द चेंजलिंग

It requires patience and suspending any disbelief as the story unwinds. I know it's slow going and yes, it did feel that this could've been done in fewer episodes. (Sometimes Fast Forward is your friend, I consider it at home editing) But the story is fascinating and compelling it's a giant mystery with a few clues. And it definitely left me wanting more.

I'm looking forward to season 2. I hope it provides some answers.

But, honestly, if it does the same stalling for 2-3 episode then I'll be on the side of the haters. I'll forgive it for season 1 because I'm willing to see what the real truth is.

The story starts out with an interesting premise. It plants seeds of intrigue. Yet, it meanders so much that I am having a hard time finding a reason to keep watching.

Rather than letting the acting and dialog tell the story, there is an overwhelming amount of narration makes the show BORING. For example try suffering through Episode 7, it is horrible.

In general, the story is ALL OVER THE PLACE. Just when you think you found the storyline and can engage - they jump to another storyline - filled with more monologue and narration.

This would have been better suited as a podcast rather than a TV show.

... because you will find the characters likable and become invested in what happens to them.

But this turns out to be a terrible investment to make. You will at no point in the last several episodes be glad that you subjected yourself to this show. But it will be too late for you because you watched the first episode and became invested.

If you disregard this advice and watch the first episode, know this: Nothing that you want from the rest of this series will be given to you. Nothing. Fill in the blank: "I want to watch more episodes to at least ________." Whatever you filled in that blank will not be given to you whether you watch the rest or not. You cannot have that. And the situation that you now want it could have been avoided if you had listened to my advice.

It felt more complimentary; not to be spoon fed the whole bowl of porridge and instead puzzle along the pieces of each episode.

Lakeith Stanfield shines in his ability to portray a character that feels grounded and complex. While Adina Porter brings a graceful presence and Malcom Barret provides a warm sprinkling of comedic relief to the uncertain horror.

This series opens with the classic line "Once upon a time" over a ship battling stormy seas. Narration reels the viewer through a flowing multi-current of journeys. Embarking on two similar and (perhaps not obvious) related stories of boy-meets-girl. The progression of both couples relationships is well distinguished by utilising the shifting time periods through sound and visual affect.

The sweet and airy nature of the initial pacing twists itself into a spiral as (Clark Backo's character) Emmy, finds herself caught in a questionable darkness amid a crescendo of unsettling and tense scoring.

I found it neither slow or boring while character connections were established. The light start is littered with breadcrumbs of skillful shots from the director to develop the backstory and engage the viewer.

Kudos to the wardrobe, SFX and set teams as they seem to have been passionate in their work. They complimented the directors storytelling and added differentiating hints of nostalgia and colour theory.

So far it has left me wishing for more.

The series is quite controversial, managing to both captivate and disappoint viewers simultaneously. Its intrigue lies in the mystery surrounding the events, although the creators tend to unnecessarily prolong and complicate the plot, detracting from the overall experience. It's comparable to adding excessive details, like an abundance of sauce, to the main dish.

One of the main criticisms towards this show is its occasional boredom and lack of significance. There are moments where it becomes tempting to stop watching and not waste any more time. Episode 5, in particular, created confusion as the main character unexpectedly transformed from a foe to a devoted follower of the "cult" and a faithful puppet to the "witch" (sarcastically speaking).

Episode 6 attempts to present the story from the perspective of the "wife," but skipping this episode wouldn't lead to any significant loss since it merely retells what has already been mentioned with negligible additional information. At this point, the idea of discontinuing the series feels like a reasonable course of action to take.

In episode 7, we witness a performance that lacks true meaning. The actions seem to be influenced by a woman's memories, but the mechanics behind this connection remain elusive. If asked how it works, the answer would be a resounding "I do not know." These hallucinations might be a result of excessive tranquilizer use, making it advisable to avoid the misuse of psychotropic drugs and the creation of such meaningless narratives.

In the end, the series can be considered "average" but is not suitable for everyone. Personally, I discontinued watching after episode 7 as I couldn't stomach the mundane pseudophilosophy presented by a gifted yet neurotic individual.