I've just finished watching the show and I will admit that it has its flaws, but that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying it for what it was. It was meant to satirize our over-the-top fascination with true crime, how we've become so obsessed with it to the point of absurdity, how victim's suffering has become another pawn in a capitalistic marketplace and sympathizing with deranged serial killers or the worst that mankind has to offer. I believe it could have tackled the topic a lot better, but I give it points for being unique and just campy goodness.
I'm not going to be one of those guys who harps on the themes of a show, but for what it's worth, this is just good, dark comedic fun. I did notice a lot of issues here and there, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of it at all. The long and short of it is, if you just want a campy, turn your brain off kind of show, then you will definitely enjoy this.
I will say that I dislike how the show was advertised as a whole. The trailers were very misleading and bordered on false advertisement in my view. It made us believe that Ava and Nathan were going to discover who killed these girls in an amateur murder mystery type story and it was very promising due to its interesting spin on the formula. In my personal opinion, it would have filled the hole that Only Murders in The Building created, and I say it satiated that craving, even if I dislike being lied to. Though in retrospect, if it had done a similar premise to OMITB, then it would have felt like a cheap copy, so I'm on the fence about that.
It did subvert our expectations, but I don't like when trailers falsely advertise a show's premise and then give us something that completely ruins the initial intrigue that made us want to check it out. I do like the show we're given, but I imagine that would be a turn off to anyone else, so I will deduct points for that. I know they can't reveal the entire plot upfront but having to create this entirely new setup for the trailer, just feels like a waste of potential to me.
The acting is fantastic, Tom Bateman as Matt steals the show whenever he's on screen and he really plays up the serial killer cheesiness to the highest degree; he's very animated and charming and I think he's the best part about this show. Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina are good in their respective roles, they do a good job of playing the bumbling, hapless couple who end up in unlikely situations and I think it works. The actress who played Ruby was also good as well, she really enjoyed every minute of it and pretty that's one thing the show does well.
Aside from that, my negatives are that the show's pacing is both just right and yet it feels like we're fast forwarding through so many sections of the story just to have another curveball thrown our way. One second the characters will be talking about the podcast, how to hide a body or trying to convince Matt not to kill again, and then the next, he kills and the cycle repeats.
It honestly gets frustrating after a while, and it feels like the characters are too dumb to have outwitted the cops for this long, that at several points, they should have gotten caught, but the plot saves them. These two literally have an angel on their side, because the number of times they should have gotten arrested, is mind boggling to me, but then we'd not have a show. For me, it feels too convenient that no one noticed a dead body by their doorstep of their new home, or how nobody noticed them talking loudly as they hide a body in a ditch or can be seen arguing with a dead body in open view inside the trunk of their car and yet no one picks up on it. I get it's part of the humor, but at some point, the "it's satire" argument can only get you so far before it becomes an excuse for lazy writing.
I also agree with other people when they say that the reason why people love true crime so much is the rich character and inner workings of a serial killer and their life story. We learn next to nothing about Matt aside from the fact he's a divorcee with a son and when he's revealed as the killer, he practically amps up the dramatics and the plot ignores this facet about him to throw more suspense and dead bodies at us. I'm sure the second season will explore his life in more detail, but without that emotional connection or the supposed good side of him, he's just the funny crazed serial killer who just kills people just for the sake of it. Dexter did this really well in my opinion and I hope the show actually tries to give Matt more development and doesn't relegate him to just the bad guy of the show.
There are a lot of blood and scenes of people getting stabbed a lot, so if you're squeamish about that, then don't watch this show. It can be seen as overkill, but it did not bother me too much.
I will say this, and this is just my hot take, but a show doesn't need to have likable characters for me to find the story interesting, and though they do some really messed up stuff, Ava and Nathan have sympathetic motives and most of the dirty deeds are done by Matt, so I can cut them slack. Plus, a character doing party drugs one time, drinking or having sexual fantasies doesn't automatically make them a bad person, feel free to disagree with me there, but the two dislike the idea of being cheated on by the other, so that's one point for them.
The relationship they have is rocky and I believe that's also the point, to showcase that they've become so consumed about paying the bills and hiding the evidence of Matt's murders that they've neglected their own lives to the point they're accomplices to murder and are doing a killer's bidding behind the scenes. Again, I get why some might not like them and I do not condone cheating, but it's not uncommon for married couples who are in a loveless or failing marriage to fantasize about being young and promiscuous and wanting to sleep around. Call me a degenerate or whatever, but that's just how it is.
I don't want to be that guy who opines about "muh society" themes, but I think this show nailed it really well. I can't give a perfect score however, so I think this rating is fitting. I would say I want more, but I hope it irons out the issues the first season created.
I'm not going to be one of those guys who harps on the themes of a show, but for what it's worth, this is just good, dark comedic fun. I did notice a lot of issues here and there, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of it at all. The long and short of it is, if you just want a campy, turn your brain off kind of show, then you will definitely enjoy this.
I will say that I dislike how the show was advertised as a whole. The trailers were very misleading and bordered on false advertisement in my view. It made us believe that Ava and Nathan were going to discover who killed these girls in an amateur murder mystery type story and it was very promising due to its interesting spin on the formula. In my personal opinion, it would have filled the hole that Only Murders in The Building created, and I say it satiated that craving, even if I dislike being lied to. Though in retrospect, if it had done a similar premise to OMITB, then it would have felt like a cheap copy, so I'm on the fence about that.
It did subvert our expectations, but I don't like when trailers falsely advertise a show's premise and then give us something that completely ruins the initial intrigue that made us want to check it out. I do like the show we're given, but I imagine that would be a turn off to anyone else, so I will deduct points for that. I know they can't reveal the entire plot upfront but having to create this entirely new setup for the trailer, just feels like a waste of potential to me.
The acting is fantastic, Tom Bateman as Matt steals the show whenever he's on screen and he really plays up the serial killer cheesiness to the highest degree; he's very animated and charming and I think he's the best part about this show. Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina are good in their respective roles, they do a good job of playing the bumbling, hapless couple who end up in unlikely situations and I think it works. The actress who played Ruby was also good as well, she really enjoyed every minute of it and pretty that's one thing the show does well.
Aside from that, my negatives are that the show's pacing is both just right and yet it feels like we're fast forwarding through so many sections of the story just to have another curveball thrown our way. One second the characters will be talking about the podcast, how to hide a body or trying to convince Matt not to kill again, and then the next, he kills and the cycle repeats.
It honestly gets frustrating after a while, and it feels like the characters are too dumb to have outwitted the cops for this long, that at several points, they should have gotten caught, but the plot saves them. These two literally have an angel on their side, because the number of times they should have gotten arrested, is mind boggling to me, but then we'd not have a show. For me, it feels too convenient that no one noticed a dead body by their doorstep of their new home, or how nobody noticed them talking loudly as they hide a body in a ditch or can be seen arguing with a dead body in open view inside the trunk of their car and yet no one picks up on it. I get it's part of the humor, but at some point, the "it's satire" argument can only get you so far before it becomes an excuse for lazy writing.
I also agree with other people when they say that the reason why people love true crime so much is the rich character and inner workings of a serial killer and their life story. We learn next to nothing about Matt aside from the fact he's a divorcee with a son and when he's revealed as the killer, he practically amps up the dramatics and the plot ignores this facet about him to throw more suspense and dead bodies at us. I'm sure the second season will explore his life in more detail, but without that emotional connection or the supposed good side of him, he's just the funny crazed serial killer who just kills people just for the sake of it. Dexter did this really well in my opinion and I hope the show actually tries to give Matt more development and doesn't relegate him to just the bad guy of the show.
There are a lot of blood and scenes of people getting stabbed a lot, so if you're squeamish about that, then don't watch this show. It can be seen as overkill, but it did not bother me too much.
I will say this, and this is just my hot take, but a show doesn't need to have likable characters for me to find the story interesting, and though they do some really messed up stuff, Ava and Nathan have sympathetic motives and most of the dirty deeds are done by Matt, so I can cut them slack. Plus, a character doing party drugs one time, drinking or having sexual fantasies doesn't automatically make them a bad person, feel free to disagree with me there, but the two dislike the idea of being cheated on by the other, so that's one point for them.
The relationship they have is rocky and I believe that's also the point, to showcase that they've become so consumed about paying the bills and hiding the evidence of Matt's murders that they've neglected their own lives to the point they're accomplices to murder and are doing a killer's bidding behind the scenes. Again, I get why some might not like them and I do not condone cheating, but it's not uncommon for married couples who are in a loveless or failing marriage to fantasize about being young and promiscuous and wanting to sleep around. Call me a degenerate or whatever, but that's just how it is.
I don't want to be that guy who opines about "muh society" themes, but I think this show nailed it really well. I can't give a perfect score however, so I think this rating is fitting. I would say I want more, but I hope it irons out the issues the first season created.