Fires

After three episodes, I think that I am getting the message from Tony Ayres. Other reviews seem to miss the point. Very few people predicted what the fires were going to be like. We have always had bush fires in Australia. The RFS has fought them with a fair degree of success. What those fire fighters faced in 2019-20 was, to use the word of the year, "unprecedented".

The young fire fighters in the first episode were behaving like typical teenagers until they came face to face with the reality of surviving. I found this episode to be the best so far, not knowing whether or not they would survive.

The uncertainty of knowing where loved ones were and the loss of communication was the focus of the second program. I found this part a little too slow. I felt like I was living the experience in real time.

Property owners in the third part were typical of people who have been told how to prepare their homes in the event of a bush fire. As with the fires in Victoria a few years earlier, the fires were too intense for preparation to make any difference. I thought that the ending was not satisfying.

This series has exceeded my expectations. "The Newsreader" was a hard act to follow on Sunday nights but "Fires" has proved to be a worthy successor.

I came across this mini series by accident, and was immediately drawn into it.

If you are looking for a Hollywood blockbuster about saving lives, you'll be disappointed. If you are looking for a drama about how real people had to survive during devastating bush fires, and see how different people react to the situation, it looks like it's the perfect show.

Families freaking out, but trying to keep their kids calm Emotions flying all over the place People wanting to leave the community refuge centre to see if they still have a home Parents realising they'll be spending Christmas day amongst bush fires.

Kids wondering how Santa will get to them during the bushfires.

This show is raw and full of emotion. I felt the pain they felt.

I'm now looking forward to seeing the next episodes of this fantastic Australian drama.

I would not recommend watching this with a bowl of popcorn of chips, but a glass of water and some tissues.

I thought the acting, direction, effects and story we're all really captivating. I really like these types of shows that focus a lot of energy on the character development and dialogue. Realistically probably an 8 so far but thought it needed a bump up.

While some plot twists may seem a little overused or predictable, I found the second episode, in particular, to be quite emotional. It captures the essence of searing grief with a brilliant performance from Miranda Otto. The pace of the series itself might seem a bit slow, but I'd argue it allows for an authentic narrative to be conveyed, staying true to the slow and horrifically inevitable nature of these fires. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

I started the watch because it seemed like an interesting concept. Will admit that it took a couple of passes to get through the first episode. Familiar with several shows like this I stuck through it.

All of you "experts" can pontificate about how this indicates some inherent flaw that is worth avoiding the offering completely. I'll just tell you that me working through this early challenge leaves me eager for the the next episode. PEOPLE are complicated especially through extraordinary challenge and I'm now completely onboard for this ride.