This series really didn't seem to know what it wanted to be. It goes through so many different themes, post natal depression, AIDS, racial inequality, madness and the supernatural.
I have to agree with many of the reviews on here, for me there were three major issues with this series.
1. The pacing, particularly in the first half of the series, is slow. I mean really slow. I am a big fan of slow burners, and character and plot development, but this just seems to repeat itself , with no real advance in the story for at least 3 episodes.
2. At least for me, is the constant switching back and forth between timelines. I have never been a fan of flashbacks, and this takes it to a whole new level. It is also confusing as there are no onscreen subs saying "NYC 1977" it just switches, sometimes quite jarringly, and frequently.
3. The last three episodes just go off the rails, and had a scattergun feel to them, with little structure. The storyline, such as it is, dissolves in the mire of weird musical interludes and flowery voiceovers that sound like they where written by an angst ridden fourteen year old.
In all, this was pretty disappointing, and felt like they tried to cram too much story into eight episodes, and left out some critical plot details. In retrospect, I think the biggest issue I had with this was that it never explains itself. There is a lot of fantasy and weirdness, but you just have to accept it as it is.
Despite all the story overlaying and backstory in the first few episodes, the main weirdness, is never addressed. Perhaps a more concise bit of storytelling at the beginning may have freed up an episode to explain what the hell happened in the last 2 1/2 episodes.
I was also curious that the first seven episodes are all 45 - 50 minutes long, but episode eight was only 30 mins. Either it was cut short due to funding, or it was set as nine episodes.
I have to agree with many of the reviews on here, for me there were three major issues with this series.
1. The pacing, particularly in the first half of the series, is slow. I mean really slow. I am a big fan of slow burners, and character and plot development, but this just seems to repeat itself , with no real advance in the story for at least 3 episodes.
2. At least for me, is the constant switching back and forth between timelines. I have never been a fan of flashbacks, and this takes it to a whole new level. It is also confusing as there are no onscreen subs saying "NYC 1977" it just switches, sometimes quite jarringly, and frequently.
3. The last three episodes just go off the rails, and had a scattergun feel to them, with little structure. The storyline, such as it is, dissolves in the mire of weird musical interludes and flowery voiceovers that sound like they where written by an angst ridden fourteen year old.
In all, this was pretty disappointing, and felt like they tried to cram too much story into eight episodes, and left out some critical plot details. In retrospect, I think the biggest issue I had with this was that it never explains itself. There is a lot of fantasy and weirdness, but you just have to accept it as it is.
Despite all the story overlaying and backstory in the first few episodes, the main weirdness, is never addressed. Perhaps a more concise bit of storytelling at the beginning may have freed up an episode to explain what the hell happened in the last 2 1/2 episodes.
I was also curious that the first seven episodes are all 45 - 50 minutes long, but episode eight was only 30 mins. Either it was cut short due to funding, or it was set as nine episodes.