Insomnia

I was excited to watch this as Vicky McClure has done some great TV and the cast is strong but it didn't live up to my expectations.

I won't post spoilers but the overall story is actually really good however the show takes way too long to get to any kind of reveal.

At first it's unclear whether it's a crime/thriller story or something paranormal. This doesn't add to the suspense but is just annoying as it feels like the show doesn't actually know what it's about. Some of the side storylines are probably supposed to be interesting red herrings but they just feel increasingly pointless as the series goes on.

This could have been an excellent two-parter as there are some decent performances from a solid cast and the core story (when they get to it) is good. As it is, it feels puffy and self-indulgent which is a real shame and a real waste.

I was looking forward to this as I'm a big fan of Vicki McClure, but honestly even an actor of her calibre couldn't stop this from sliding into one woeful mess. At first the story seems compelling enough, but after a few episodes the characters start to behave in ways that will have you shouting at your television. The respective sub-plots featuring the teenage daughter's dodgy relationship and the sister's fertility struggles add nothing to the story except to provide the characters with further opportunities to demonstrate poor judgement and engage in cringeworthy conversations where everyone talks in circles. The second to last episode enters the realms of hackneyed, scorned stalker out for revenge who does a bunch of silly things that are completely ludicrous and overblown and ohhhh my, the kid's behaviour in the final scene... I was hoping a meteorite would land on the house and put everyone out their misery. Is it a revenge thriller? Is it a supernatural thriller? Is it a social commentary about adults who try to be their kids' besties instead of parenting? Or a piece about overly ambitious middle class professionals handcuffed by mortgages on gigantic houses in the countryside, burdened by their past relationships with creepy family members? Who knows? Please don't do it again, Vicky, you're so much better than this.

Insomnia had me hooked from the first episode. I love UK shows and this mystery with a twist had me craving more with each passing minute. As a writer I think I have pretty much worked out where it is going, and had done so by the end of the first episode, but I might be completely wrong. Vicky McClure as Emma Averill is brilliant! My only criticism would be that she doesn't 'really' try to fall asleep before getting out of bed. I have had bouts of insomnia for weeks that have had me in the ER, so I get it. This show is dark, creepy, and brilliant. You can feel that there is something just not right under the surface and you have to figure out what exactly is going on, but it's not as simple as Emma going mad. Definitely give it a shot you will not be disappointed.

Interesting concept but the acting talent (Vicky McClure) is absolutely wasted on the dire script. Every line of dialogue is obvious, lazy and sounds almost like it was written by someone's child on their work experience. The characters don't feel real or believable because every single line is written to get the story from A-B-C rather than to tell us anything about the character. Like at a certain point in the script we are asking 'why was x character being so secretive?' so now another character has to ask this exact question out of nowhere. All tell and no show.

I made it through the first episode only but there's no way I'm going to make it through the rest. Really such a shame as this could have been far more interesting if better executed.

An entertaining mystery thriller with good performances by the cast At the end of the 1st episode I was wondering how the story could take 6 episodes to tell, but the melodrama kept ramping up in interesting ways It does get a bit far fetched by the end but it's aware enough of it's narrative excesses to deal with them in an interesting and intelligent way. The various threads are all tied up even if the characters themselves can't explain what actually happened and that's perfectly ok.

I'm hoping they don't makexa sequel as I think that would be a step too far but I'd recommend watching this.