There's no excuse for the too-often poor quality of this show. It's got great heavy hitters mixed in with younger, rising talents, a fantastic premise, gorgeous scenery, and "shooting fish in a barrel" choices for plotlines. It doesn't matter if the stories are new and inventive or old, the context would make them fresh enough. I'll continue to watch, but the scripts sorely need improving, and so does the direction. Actors are so wooden in scenes that require more of a response, yet the unnecessary degree of melodrama in drawn-out shots has me rolling my eyes in at least three times an episode. Maybe the actors are trying to balance that, IDK. But it needs to be sharper, smarter, and aim for higher quality. I'm giving it 6 instead of 5 stars because I believe the potential is definitely there.
The topics they cover are good and important. I wasn't crazy about the hostage episode, but it's important because journalists really are under attack and we know far-right instigators fuel alienated individuals--it was good that they showed the humanity in the guy and didn't make him two-dimensional. But the Toby subplot got shallow, predictable treatment. Really weak and drawn out in parts where that time could've been spent on a better exploration of trauma.
The topics they cover are good and important. I wasn't crazy about the hostage episode, but it's important because journalists really are under attack and we know far-right instigators fuel alienated individuals--it was good that they showed the humanity in the guy and didn't make him two-dimensional. But the Toby subplot got shallow, predictable treatment. Really weak and drawn out in parts where that time could've been spent on a better exploration of trauma.