The Stolen Girl

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.

The only reason why I did not give this show a lower rating is because I love Holliday Grainger who was the best part of the show.

The mother with the stolen girl and the journalist are two of the most unlikeable characters I have seen in a very long time. Part of it can be attributed to the writing for sure but half of it is the acting. The mother is an absolutely annoying character and the journalist has the most horrendous facial expressions. I swear I just want to fast forward whenever they're on screen which is the majority of the time.

I'm also absolutely shocked that Jim Sturgess (still handsome as ever) is in the show. He was on the verge of becoming a real big star about 15 years ago and now he's in this god awful tv show.

It was a good series. Entertaining, but I firgured out pretty quickly what must have happened. I was waiting for another twist, but it never came. I did watch it in one go, so it kept me interested!

Great perfomance by the women in gthis cast, especially the woman who plays Elisa and the woman who plays Josephine's mother. The man who played Fred also did a great job.

Not everything seems to be realistic in my opinion, but it also wasn't extremely farfetched. I would watch if there will be another season made.

I was left with a few questions about the 'why?' of some things, so maybe those questions could be answered in a second season.

This mini-series is well-paced at 5 episodes, with a decent, well-written storyline.

Multiple twists and developments keep it engaging, with interesting emotional shifts as the series progresses.

The production seems to have been appropriately budgeted for with decent cast, brilliant scenary and good diversity of locations throughout.

Mod plays the role of the tenacious journalist really well, while I found some of Grainger's more dramatic scenes less than convincing. Gough's performance was brilliant throughout and she was able to showcase a good degree of range in this title.

I think this will age pretty well, and is definitely worth a watch in my view.

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.