So, I watched the pilot of the new ITV series STRANGERS, starring “Doctor Who” and “Life on Mars” alum, John Simm.
At first glance, it completely comes off as some relationship drama, of two men from other countries, who learn after a tragic accident, that the woman killed in this accident, was married to them both, apparently living two secret lives. Images of some Liam Neeson, Colin Firth melodrama of two men learning, after their one true love’s death, of her great deception. Then, through a series of shared memories, they explore their dead wife’s life and in the end, rediscover the woman they both fell in love with, and make peace with the loss. and move on.
Yeah. That ain’t this show. You see, this one has John Simm in it. So, you can toss that story idea right out the window.
As I watched to the end of the pilot, I noticed there was this palpable and constant sense of something is wrong with this story, and it ain’t just the bigamy. The pilot episode does a wonderful job weaving in all this melodrama, that builds to this moment, that takes place in the literal last few seconds of the episode. John’s character has been unable to check his phone all episode, as it died en route to China, and he had no way to charge it. Finally, at the end of the episode, he gets power, and can finally listen to his wife’s last voice message to him, and it’s full of regrets, apologies, love, and then the horrible sounds of her accident…but…she didn’t die on impact, like we were lead to believe, as you can hear her breathing, and then the sound of her panic, and then the sound of a single solitary gunshot. This audio is all played over a slow reveal pull back of her body in the coroner’s office, starting close on her face, and as we reach the sound of the gunshot, the camera reveals she has had an autopsy and there, on her upper left chest, is a bullet hole.
This was a murder. Worse, it was an assassination.
Yeah, my mouth was left wide open, and that’s when the show became a fucking John Simm series.
I am officially committed for the run of the series. It has a real “Edge of Darkness” feel to it, that I like.
Now, that I have said all that, here is my one negative criticism. All the side character stories both slow the process and come off more as a distraction to the greater story. Every time we cut to one of those scenes, I’d rather fast forward through them.
Logic in writing is a pet peeve of mine, and having characters make sudden not thought out rash decisions that come off as implausible, that are done solely to push the conspiracy plot forward (deus ex machina) are annoying. The show does it a couple times.
Still, STRANGERS gets 9 out of 10 Potatoes
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