Whilst extremely well made from a technical point of view (boasting really impressive production design & cinematography etc.), I can't help but feel as though Guillermo Del Toro's "Cabinet of Curiosities" gets off to a fairly muted start here, beginning with "Lot 36" which - although decent - lacks anything particularly punchy which could leave a lasting impression on audiences.
This is mostly because - in my opinion - the narrative feels frustratingly basic; yes, I'm aware the show is an anthology series (each installment telling a self contained story within the space of 1 hour each) but when you compare it to arguably the most well known alternative that's also on Netflix's streaming service ("Black Mirror"), it does sadly pale in comparison. Of course, they're both telling different genres of tales, but when one manages to imbue so much complexity & subversion in to the same amount of time, I am left wondering why this is so annoyingly simple? There are no clever plot twists or moments which feel especially challenging... We're just provided with a fairly straightforward, forgettable fable - & as the new series' debut launch, playing is so safe - so soon - does admittedly seem rather unwise, creatively.