isabella-kagstrom

I read the book and wanted to check out the series, but I gave up halfway through the first episode. The casting felt off to me and the pacing of the story felt rushed.

They made a lot of changes to the plot, which I am usually okay with as long as it serves a purpose and is done within reason. However, in his case I think they took it a bit too far.

I give this show a 4/10. It's not horrible, but compared to the book it's a let-down. It wasn't like I expected anything groundbreaking, just your typical 'who done it', but the script felt so rushed and we didn't get to know the characters in depth.

You'd might want to give this a chance if you enjoy shows centered around teen drama, but if that's not your cup of tea, I'd say to skip this one.

I'm not going to lie, I almost didn't finish the first episode. At first the plot came across as incohesive to me due to how many different characters they had to introduce and how much backstory they had to cover. I also wasn't a fan of the shaky camerawork, but as soon as the plot started to thicken, I forgot all about that.

The show became more and more engaging with time and instead of dropping it halfway through the first episode, I ended up watching the entire show in one sitting. I think they did a really good job of highlighting small details and nuances of everything that happened. You can definitely tell that this is a work based on research and not your typical screenplay. Impressive acting also helped bring complex emotions to life on screen. Nothing really felt downplayed or exaggerated. I was especially impressed by the scenes Imelda Staunton and Stephanie Hyam had together.

Since I'm not familiar with the real-life case, I won't comment on how accurately they've managed to portray specific events or people involved, but I will say that overall, this is one of the most realistic shows I have ever watched.

I would recommend this to people who are intersted in the injustices of the real world and to people who are more interested in the ethical aspects of police work than the car chases.

Personally, I loved the split storylines from the years 2017 and 2037. It was a lot of fun guessing how the plot would develop until the storyline from the past eventually would bleed into the storyline of the future. The mystery of how it all fit together kept me engaged from start to finish.

Another strong point was the show's ability to make the viewers reflect on the subject matter. Philosophical questions like "what is it to be responsible?" and "what makes a human?" kept popping up in my head as I watched the plot unfold. Despite this being a fictional sci-fi series, I do think some of its content is applicable to today's society and it serves as a conversation starter when it comes to the pros and cons of developing technology and artificial intelligence.

As far as the worldbuilding and characters go, I think they did a pretty good job. The future world being a mixture of utopia and dystopia was a nice touch. And the characters were captivating enough, though I think the series could have benefited from developing some of their backstories a bit more.

I felt like the show started slipping slightly around episode 7. There were some overacting, but nothing too bad. Also, I felt like the creators started cutting corners and instead of giving the viewers a coherent plot development they sometimes went straight from point A to C. If you are sensitive to details, you will probably also notice more and more things that seem unlikely or illogical.

The slight decline in quality halfway through the show is definitely a shame, but I didn't mind it so much because I'm the kind of person who's more interested in the bigger picture and overall message. I would recommend this to people who enjoy social commentary through sci-fi or to people who like mysteries. It was a good show that could have been even better.