Falling Water

I'd be interested in to know the backstory on why the critics have taken such a negative view of this series right off the bat. The Rotten Tomatoes consensus (dating from the very first episode) is "Falling Water attempts complexity and intrigue but churns out an unimaginative concept lacking a redeemable payoff."

The fact is the concept is highly original--I have spent my life reading and viewing science-fiction and have never come across this theme before. And how can they possibly know that it is "lacking a redeemable payoff"?

Is it possible that these reviewers receive a whole series plot development along with the copy of the first episode? I mean, if they know how the series develops and,for that reason, they know it is a dud, this should be acknowledged up-front somewhere.

After episode 10, 'Falling Water' left me with not much more insight to the purpose of the story than after the first episode. This might be the reason why so many people do not like it. Most parts of the story are revealed in the pilot, or at least whereto it would go in the following episodes, but after that we do not learn much more, despite we want to.

The final episode gives a bit more 'Action' and a nice trial-and-error-loop, but in the end, it's not that satisfying.

The dream world is not much disturbing or frightening, it's a very finite space like an expanded mirror of our world, which is, at least for me, far not enough to impress. And with that I do not mean visuals like in 'Inception', but in a dream you can change location and time like, say, from beyond creation of earth to your classroom to a cave on the solid center of Uranus. But that would be more a Doctor Who thing. I liked 'Falling Water' for its style, for the slow pacing, and of course for David Ajala's character Burton, but once I realized that the story struggles with it's purpose, I lost a bigger part of my interest.

That may have happened even earlier to people who are not as patient as me (and I think I am very patient).

Whereby the show has (or should have) much potential. There is dream mysticism, modern technique, conspiracy, a cult, shady characters with unclear intents, fight of the minds, floating borders between reality and dreamscape, a set of good actors, and much more ingredients that could make it outstanding. A great deal of action is not really needed for that, watch season one of 'Mr. Robot', or 'The Leftovers'.

Sadly, many promises (at least those from the trailers) are not fulfilled. The show starts to "tread water" early, loses its grip and therewith its audience.

I hope really for a second (and better) season, which is not clear by now (12/2016) if it will happen.

Edit (01/2018): It got a second season which runs now. Let's hope for better scripts this time.

So I am watching season 1 am now on episode 5 and to be honest I am no wiser on what is going on than I was 4 episodes ago? I neither understand connections in reality to the main characters or that in dreams and sometimes I am at a loss as to which is dream v reality?

In a previous review sombody compared this show to Sense8 and advised the viewer to watch that instead. Not sure I agree on the comparison however I totally agree that it is a far superior show and addictive sadly cut short of its full potential by the networks non renewing.

Being a masocist I will most likely continue watching this show in the hope that at some stage the story will fall into some coherence at which point I would most probably rewatch it to realise what I missed from the beginning and add things together. Unless it never happens then I will be angry at the wasted time I spent on such trash. At the moment it's heading in that direction sadly.,

Ok I am now on season 2 after prevailing and I have been able to know understand mostly the story which has improved my viewing experience a lot hence I have increased my rating to a 7 if the first season had been more explicit in script/storyline I would have given a 8 so prevail it Defo got better and more enjoyable

OMG how annoying to prevail through 2 seasons and they cancel the show before any answers or conclusions are revealed!! I have just watched the last episode of season 2 left on a pretty large cliffhanger and now I feel robbed would have been better if they had cancelled it after season 1 than allow another season! DAM NETWORKS!

This show is not getting much love from the gurus at Metacritic. You don't have to watch too much to see why. It is absolutely bewildering. To say that three people are sharing the same dream, as the first reviewer did, is to put it mildly. It would be more accurate to say that elements of the dreams of each show up in the dreams of the others. Which would be tough enough. BUT . . . .

There is a dream researcher, who may or may not be a mega billionaire. There is a baby, who may or may not have been born. There is a love affair, which may or may not have happened. There is a mass suicide, which apparently DID happen, but with someone on the scene who has no apparent role in the tragedy . . . but there she is. And so on.

But with all, I like this one. There are SO many shows on television these days, you can't watch them all. And too many that are similar - small town bewildered by death/disappearance of child - mystery to be solved by detective with his/her problems of their own; people have mysteriously returned from the dead; a plague has ravaged 99% of the earth - and - my favorite - what I have named the British plot - a great terrorist plot is hatched, hero must unravel, only to discover . . . .it's . . . it's. . . . the GOVERNMENT!!!! This was original 50 years ago, guys. It's a hackneyed cliché now.

So I started the show because of the credibility of the producer, Gale Hurd, and I will stay with it, bewildering or not. It is unique, and that counts for a lot.

Watched the first 6 episodes now, and i absolutely love it.

It is not the standard kind of series, it is unique in the way that it tells the story. You have to make some effort to follow, especially during the first episode you need to accustom. But that is why I love it: not just another one of the many TV-shows around, it is not straight to the point and all predictable. It is dreamy, mysterious and bewildering. Sometimes you even don't know for sure whether the characters are awake or dreaming.

A must see I think, at least if you are capable of absorbing a different style of TV- making :)