A Garota Roubada

The main plot of the show is really good, and the production is paced well. It has that problem that most 'streaming binge' drama has in that it is constantly explaining the obvious, treating the audience as if they are either a) on their phone or b) really stupid. So the script feels a little on the wonky side from the get go.

The major drawback, and this stops it getting a higher score for me is just how howlingly bad some of the acting. Everything line comes at you with a sigh, every line has a sharp intake of breath and a really laboured way of delivering 'plot' which makes it feel less classy than a show of this budget should.

It's okay and passes a few hours of telly wallpaper but with a plotline that's as potentially good as this it could have been much much better.

Somewhere deep inside is a plot that has some merit but, with the exception of Holiday Grainger, the acting is so bad it's beyond laughable. One can only suspect that Disney+ signed it up unseen.

The performance of the distraught mother (Elisa) and the lead detective (D. I. Sinclair) are disgraceful but award winning by comparison to journalist (Selma) and her editor (Kaleb). Most of the others are bad but could easily blame diabolical direction.

Selma interviews without taking notes and receives photographic evidence via email which arrives within seconds and without having given her address.

Reactions are amateurish and situations contrived however, the worst part of all is that I watched all 5 episodes but in my defence, I had a wager on the ending.

The first episode had me hooked. Although not typically a fan of disjointed storytelling, I liked the way the show unfolded, which makes the final episode and the conclusion of the story that much more irritating. After the final episode, I kept checking back for another episode not believing that was the actual ending of the story.

The acting was good, particularly the leads. I found the detectives role in the story pretty terrible, I also didn't think the reporter editor interactions with him.

Overall, I liked the story, and the twists that unraveled through the disjointed storytelling. However, I just can't support the ending.

The resolution of the story is an absolute let-down and utter disappointment. Millennial do-goodism afflicts the choices of how the characters behave and of how the climax unravels. I felt cheated. But that's usually the case with contemporary defanged narratives. Pity, the acting is top notch, and much deserving of a better and much ballsier and darker script writing. The first couple of episodes are great, unfortunately it quickly becomes a morality tale of atonement that is a tad too predictable for my liking. The revelations do not land with a gut punch but with a fizzle. Once I realised where it was heading I kept hoping it would re-adjust course. It never did.

The abduction was quite innovative in the way it was planned so there was some initial intrigue. That said, this series failed to deliver on several fronts, the motive for the kidnapping was silly, and so was the whole line of the story associated with it. The ending fell flat. The car crash scene was verging on the ridiculous, the way the stationary car was overturned and destroyed and yet the other car travelling at speed didn't so much as get scratched, farcical. But the worst thing about the series for me was the acting of Ambika Mod, painfully wooden and bland. The character she was playing was also childish and annoying, not sure if that was intentional or not. Unbearable to watch either way.