196. Web-Series Reviews – 46

More web-series reviews…

River – River is a six-part British television drama series, premiered in 2015. The series is a police procedural but Detective Inspector John River is suffering from guilt after the killing of his partner, who appears as a ghost, a figment of River's hallucination.

John River is a brilliant police inspector whose genius lies side-by-side with the fragility of his mind. He is a man haunted by the murder victims whose cases he must lay to rest.

One season of 6 episodes only.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Boy did this show take me by surprise. All I can say is don't miss it. It's so much more than a detective series and Stellan Skarsgård gives a performance that will take your breath away. Nicola Walker is of course magnificent as well. The whole cast just puts this story together into a piece of poetry. There was a moment near the end - an unexpected moment - that touched me in a way that nothing ever has. Nothing. I burst into tears, the choking, primal, emptying out of the soul tears, that brings you so close to something in yourself that you've been trying to reach for years - and there it is, on the screen in front of you. Mr. Skarsgård's performance reaches into you like a fish hook. Every one of these performances shines like a diamond.

My Take – An OK series for me.

 

Real Detective – Real Detective is a Canadian production, police docudrama (2016-2017) broadcast by Netflix. The anthology series tells a different US true crime murder each episode, through the detective(s) that worked the particular case in a documentary style, alongside a drama re-enactment of the events.

A review from IMDB...

I can't get over how good this show is! The show, each week follows one murder case and the detective who investigated it. The detectives appear and narrate as the story is recreated by actors. The stories are very well told. And the honesty of the real life reactions to the retelling of these stories is incredibly engaging. These detectives have been scarred for life by these experiences. The wear and tear on them has worn into their faces. And can be heard in their voices. The recreations are very well cast. And the production value of each episode is incredible. The look and feel of this series is just great. Not something I was expecting from a TV show. The cinematography is warm and rich. Something you'd expect on the big screen. The title design really grabs you. The images cause you watch every moment even if you've DVR'd it (and you could just blaze past it). This is really excellent television. And if you like a factual retelling of the investigation of homicides. You'll love this show.

My Take – An OK series.

Katla – Katla is an Icelandic mystery-drama television series premiered in June 2021 on Netflix.

A year after an eruption of the Katla volcano began, only a few people remain in the nearby town of Vík, persisting despite the floods and choking ash. The appearance of a lost, ash-caked woman is the first of a series of strange events that upsets the fragile balance of the community; meanwhile, a volcanologist from Reykjavik tries to make sense of data coming from Katla.

A review from IMDB...

I'm amused by the amount of people saying this show is "too slow" and "could be wrapped up in 3 episodes". Have you ever heard about the genre "Nordic noir"? It IS supposed to be slow, depressing and leaving unanswered questions.

Otherwise, it's like watching a Marvel movie and asking why there are so many mutants and superheroes with ridiculous abilities. That's the point of the genre. Superhero movies have their rules, Hallmark production its own, and Nordic noir its own.

Now, for those who know what they are going to watch, this show hits all the right spots, and yet remains refreshingly engaging. Someone in the earlier comments compared it to Australian Glitch - the similarity is indeed there, but Glitch, in my opinion, was an entangled mess of loose ends, and I was never able to finish it, but Katla just went in one go.

There are indeed a few awkward plot-hole moments when just a couple of questions could, ugh, "speed up the pace", but it's not really about speeding anything up. Everyone is soaked up in their own past, and the surrounding reality is often hard to distinguish from sticky, dim anguish of memories. In this setting, with raging ash storms and blended borders between black sand beaches, northern sea and heavy sky, would you really be surprised to see someone looking a tad bit older than expected?

I really hope there will be no season 2, at least with the current characters. Their stories are wrapped up - time for the new ones.

My Take – Another excellent series from Iceland, after Trapped and The Valhalla Murders (will review this later😊)!!

Cheers till next time😊!!

Daffy Definition

Indigestion – Failure to adjust a square meal into a round stomach😊!