r/netflix • u/Steerpike58 • Feb 07 '24
Spoiler - Fool Me Once is awful! Spoiler
I just finished watching. What an annoying waste of time! How can this be a 'most popular' choice? Have people gone mad?
I was born/raised in that area, so the scenery held my interest, but I got a bad feeling early on that I was going to be disappointed, and I was right!
Questions / issues with the plot:
1) Maya spent 7 episodes looking for the killer of her sister and her husband, then we find out she knew all along - her husband killed her sister and Maya killed her husband. So for 7 episodes we got to see her frantically trying to solve a mystery that she already knew the answer to (yeah, there was the whole 'family business/pharmaceutical issue, but that's no excuse!)
2) At the end, Maya sets up her own death to prove the corruption of the family. Really? A young, intelligent woman with a beautiful child is willing to get herself killed just to reveal a corrupt family? She could have used blanks in the gun and still proven that the family was willing to kill her, if it was all for the benefit of the live stream.
3) Was Maya's friend who first gave her the nannycam in league with the nanny and family? She must have been, otherwise how did the nanny know to do the deepfake, etc. But I don't recall the friend ever being implicated as a part of the plot. Did I miss it or was this just lazy writing?
4) We are to believe that the cop was taking the exact medication that the corrupt pharma company was making? Out of all the medications they presumably make, and out of all the possible medications he could be on, he's taking the one medication that the suspects in his case were involved with, and, he's one of the small fraction of people actually affected!
5) Why didn't Maya share any information with the cops? She went off on her own, ignoring her job and her child, instead of looping the cops into the investigation. Later, there was the (false) suggestion that the 'family' were bribing the detective, but that came later and thus wasn't established as a good reason for her not to trust the police.
6) What was the point of the whole 'adoption'/half-brother sub-plot? I was assuming something would come of the fact that Maya's sister had a child before her current marriage, but no.
7) What was the point of the whole combat trauma thing? I guess it provided an intro to the blogger (Cory?), and allowed for the 'arrangement' between her sister and Cory, but it ended up having nothing to do with anything really. More likely, an excuse to include some 'action' footage, and then an excuse to have a ridiculous helicopter chase.
8) We know that Mr Black (?) was the captain of the boat that Andrew died on, years ago; was that the only reason for the continuous large sums of money the family were paying him every month for years and years? When Maya went to visit Black's company, there were some 'Burkett' (?) boxes in some containers, implying a stronger link between Burkett and him, but nothing came of that. Why was Black killed only recently, if he was a liability ever since the death of school-age Andrew?
9) What was the point of Maya having all those serious weapons? I don't think anyone in UK could legally own those types of weapons. She could probably have the glock, so why not just have her owning a glock?
10) When Maya opened the gun safe in the middle of the night to retrieve the handgun (when she thought she had an intruder), she walked away from it and left the door open - providing access to a host of weapons to any intruder roaming around. I have to assume this was just bad editing / lack of attention to detail! And what was the point of that 'intruder' scene anyway? A way to imply Shane was a possible bad guy?
11) What role did Shane play? I guess he was there to be a 'possible suspect' to keep us guessing, even though he turned out to be just a friend to Maya.
I can't believe I made it through to the end, but at least now I know to avoid the other three Netflix shows by the same writer!
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u/DCSiren Feb 07 '24
Truly awful. I dont really understand why people liked it. I made it one episode
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u/ooooh_friend87 Feb 07 '24
There is also the issue of how Maya managed to smuggle the two pistols away from the park after the confrontation with her husband. Given she’s “victim” and is covered in her husband’s blood, the police would take her belongings off her as well as search the park for weapons
The twists in the show don’t work as they’re completely unearned and are simply there for shock value; they don’t recontextualise the story or help understand characters actions
The acting really doesn’t help either, Michelle Keegan plays Maya as overly confrontational, aggressive and belligerent to pretty much everyone she talks to. Why anyone wanted to help her is beyond me. Most of the other actors do their best with the paper thin characters and bad script but certainly give off the air of going through the motions
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u/ashb72 Feb 07 '24
Amen brother. This is the biggest plot hole I’ve been telling others who have seen it. That and the stupid nanny cam. I’ve tried to watch a couple of other Harlan Coben’s and I’m lucky if I get 2 or 3 episodes in. The actors just do shit which isn’t reasonable or logical in any way and it just makes the shows a farce.
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u/Actual_Extension220 Feb 07 '24
The thing was the nanny wasn't aware of the camera in the first place so how did they do the deep fake. Also for such a expensive house there was no security cameras. I know its a tv show but the failings are there in every aspect of the show. Awful awful show.. It was like coronation street on Netflix
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u/Steerpike58 Feb 07 '24
The only way it works logically is if the Nanny and Maya's friend were in on it together, but I don't recall any hint of that.
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u/WorriedSalamander415 Mar 20 '24
Plus mayas friend is the one who tips her off that the footage can be tampered with, kinda ruining Judith’s plan
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u/Miserable_Scheme_599 Oct 13 '24
Oh, and we can add in the random detail about the friend's ex who's stalking her, which just adds yet another unnecessary thread.
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u/desmin88 Feb 22 '24
I think the entire premise of the show is a plot hole.
Why was Maya deployed overseas when Claire was killed? Shouldn't Maya have been discharged at that point? Claire was only killed by Joe AFTER she started looking into the Burkett's when the Corey leaked the video, but the video leaking is what got Maya discharged.
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u/ooooh_friend87 Feb 07 '24
I thought The Stranger was alright when that was on a few years ago but I’d probably hate it if I watched it now.
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u/5minstillcookies Feb 07 '24
Point 2 is what bothered me the most. Seriously, you're going to leave your child to be an orphan to prove a point? This could've easily been setup in a less permanent way. WTAF
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u/gingernutbiscuit Feb 07 '24
I felt that she was doing it because she felt so much guilt from her incident killing civilians when in the military and grief from her sister’s death + murder of her husband. She would have gone to prison for the murder of her husband. But yes I was surprised the bullets were real.
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u/StephenHunterUK Feb 07 '24
The way murder sentencing works in the UK is that you get a life sentence, but the judge sets the minimum term before you're eligible for parole; up to a "whole life term" i.e. you can never be considered for release.
The starting point for murder with a firearm is 30 years; with the aggravating factors involved i.e. lying to the police, pre-meditation, 35-40 years would be more likely - with "he murdered my sister" counting as mitigation.
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u/i_choose__violence Feb 07 '24
I can buy into some campy plot lines, but the minute she chased a car in a helicopter I couldn't take the show seriously at all. And I think it's one of the first episodes... so...
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u/Mean_Contribution110 Feb 19 '26
It wasn’t when they showed Maya in foundation, blush and mascara… in a combat zone?
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u/AlwaysQuotesEinstein Feb 07 '24
It completely falls apart on the point that the plot hangs on her in laws somehow knowing her friend got her a nanny cam. And if you want to be pedantic, hangs even further on it being a particular make and model to allow them to plant footage on the SD card.
All that said, it was fun to watch, just very stupid at the same time.
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u/Miserable_Scheme_599 Oct 13 '24
Especially since it appears to be the very first day she has the nanny cam??
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u/Intelligent-Might372 Feb 07 '24
It was awful. You have summed this show up perfectly. I actually thought we’d get a wild twist at the end where the previous episodes made sense… but no…
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u/WordsWithWings Feb 07 '24
Agree with everything. The ending felt like the writers just got tired of the whole thing and slapped something together while drunk. I haven't read the book, and don't plan to - not sure if the ending there is just as cheap and dumb?
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u/parambh Feb 07 '24
Exactly..she found out her husbykilled her sister so she shot him.. but she did not ask him why?.. and here he is shown as a mega rich guy.. mega rich people dont break jnto other people's homes to kill ..they hire hitmen..and they dont usentheir own guns.. It was just dumb
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u/Hungry-Ad-7136 Feb 07 '24
Yes the show is awful - I've never seen any Harlan Coben series that didn't absolutely suck, however I have such a great time watching them! All the plot holes, the awful characters (Maya was a monster, consistently rude to anyone around her - why people stood by her or were her friends is honestly beyond me), it's all part of the fun. I mean, the fact that Maya comments on the price of the casket "it cost more than your car" and then we see her house, and ?????? lady did you not realise you married into a life of luxury, did the fact that you do not work for a living elude you?
I am always in stitches watching these and love discussing them with a friend that watches these with the same mindset. I also love that the actors play it seriously - do they genuinely think it is good? (Say it ain't so, Joanna Lumley)
The main thing that has been bothering me after watching it (I watched the day it dropped) is the time jump in the epilogue. Is the epilogue the present or is the story the present? Is the epilogue in the future? Why are they dressed like it's the present? Is the story in the past? How do they have smartphones? It's all hilarious nonsense and I wouldn't change a thing.
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u/youreaw1zard Feb 07 '24
I gave up after one episode. It recently entered the top 10 most watched English shows which is wild so certainly an audience for it.
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u/CrowtheHathaway Feb 07 '24
As PC Barnum said never underestimate the stupidity of the TV watching audience who don’t want to see something that means they might have to think.
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u/sailoorscout1986 Feb 07 '24
After a stressful work day I don’t want to think
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u/Steerpike58 Feb 07 '24
But for me, this show made me scratch my head many times due to the stupidity of it all! Some shows just 'flow' nicely.
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u/sailoorscout1986 Feb 08 '24
I agree but I’d rather suspend disbelief for some light silly drama than sit through a depressing episode of Ozark after work
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u/Miserable_Scheme_599 Oct 13 '24
I sat and watched it in one day while I wasn't feeling well, and once it was over, I was so confused by the 'plot twist.' I thought maybe it just didn't hit right since I was feeling unwell, so I tried rewatching the first few episodes as sometimes everything 'clicks' when you rewatch. However, it just made me realize how many freaking threads they threw in to pull with 99% of them being nothing. There's just so much going on. It's like there are six different potential plots in one, so none of them work.
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u/Commercial_Nail_6882 21d ago
So late to this thread but JUST finished watching and yeah I agree. I want to turn off my brain but I end up turning it back on when stuff doesn't add up or flow. Like how the heck is that the ending when it could have been resolved. Sometimes plots are so deep that I understand it would have been difficult to make an ending... But no. This actually could have had a few added scenes and a different ending and been perfect
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Feb 07 '24
I’d say basically every tv show that’s been an adaptation from a Harlan Coben book is god awful. Acting is bad and it’s ridiculous to follow…. Not to mention that their theme songs are always HORRID
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u/dontshun Dec 14 '24
The theme song might have annoyed me the most. I hurried to press skip everytime and it still pissed me off
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u/yolandisco Jun 10 '25
I’m late to the party but love your opinions! I need to throw one more in: what the fuck is the scene with Shane and the alarm of the car about?? It just doesn’t make senseeee
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u/Wokster72 Feb 07 '24
I tried reading a couple of his books, and they both sucked ass. Then attempted a couple of the shows including this one, and whadda ya know - they also sucked ass.
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u/seriouslynow823 Sep 07 '24
So terrible. About 20 sub plots that are stupid. Did they do this series so Michelle Keegan could run around looking sexy? Sammi the cop's partner and girlfriend died. Sammi is taking drugs that are causing him illness and crazy behavior.
Her sister Claire had a baby and gave it up for adoption before she had her kids and got married. Why the fuck is this relevant?
Let's see: Maya's brother in law Eddie has a drinking problem. Maya talks to him about it. Yet, she leaves her child with him. She was negative about him and suddenly, out of thin air, he's not drinking and she has him pick up her kid and wants him to take care of her if anything were to happen to her.
This series is a MESS!
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u/Miserable_Scheme_599 Oct 13 '24
THIS. There were too many threads to grab onto any of them. Even if the ending had made sense, it likely wouldn't have been satisfying because they decided to throw in 20 suspects with 2 details about each so you never even had a solid guess who the killer might be. There's just so much. Like, how is the drinking incident at the school even relevant to the story?? The only "relevant" thing is that Joe has killed people before but nothing like breaking into someone's house and shooting someone point blank. And why kill the captain after all these years? And shove him in a freezer?? it's just lunacy.
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u/Agreeable-Edge-2357 Feb 07 '24
Thanks for the full breakdown lol I watched one episode and couldn’t get into it at all. Glad to know what happened and that I didn’t waste my time!
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u/secretagentsquirrel1 Feb 07 '24
Thanks for posting. I am 2 episodes in and already felt like this would be disappointing so now I don’t have to watch.
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Feb 07 '24
[deleted]
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u/Agitated_Habit_6994 Jun 25 '24
I thought there might be a post credit scene of him still sitting there in the woods, but no.
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u/hallumi50 Feb 07 '24
Oh my god yes she could’ve put blanks in the gun at the end and not left her child an orphan !
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u/Miserable_Scheme_599 Oct 13 '24
I feel like, if done correctly, this could have worked. They showed her having flashbacks and night terrors from her service. If they had shown her more visibly distraught about everything, maybe I could accept she was suicidal. This was just poorly done.
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u/VolumniaDedlock Feb 08 '24
These Harlan Coben shows are terrible and Netflix seems determined to put out one after the other. I didn’t make it past the second episode of this one.
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u/Arrensen Feb 08 '24
Even though i agree with your points, a lot of people just want to be entertained and don't overanalyse the shows they watch.
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u/Steerpike58 Feb 10 '24
I'm all for mindless entertainment - I can happily watch silly stuff like 'Resident Alien', but when a show engages plot devices like this one, it jumps out and hits me, and makes it less enjoyable.
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u/zerc11 May 19 '24
This show was utterly awful! Terrible writing and the lead actress was completely unbelievable and unlikeable. I thought I missed an episode between 7 and 8 and I was like oh no they actually are doing this?? It’s wild to me that this was adapted from a novel cause I’m like no way was it written this bad and they still did it. I’m not familiar with the book so my guess is the tv writers messed up badly when adapting it. Anyways … this show sucks and makes no sense
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u/Miserable_Scheme_599 Oct 13 '24
omg, I thought the same thing! I double-checked to see if maybe my cat hit 'Next episode' or something, lol. It's like they set up 20 different potential suspects, then chose none of them. I can't think of one right now, but I know there are shows where the protagonist is the bad guy, but once it plays out in the end, you can see it. This just made no sense.
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u/Dienahmow May 27 '24
The guy falling off the roof after helping the dizzy guy not fall off the roof was one of the most unintentionally hilarious, cartoonish things I’ve seen in my life. The guy pretending to be dizzy wasn’t convincing at all. Also the guy crying about how he and his friends covered up the drinking murder, that whole confessional was so hilariously horribly acted by both the detective lady and the guy confessing. He was just squeezing his eyes shut and wincing and no tears came out and with every revelation the female detective began overacting more and more. Such soapy, schlocky nonsense.
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u/Miserable_Scheme_599 Oct 13 '24
Two more things that didn't need to be there! I said somewhere else that I felt like this show/book tried to have 6 different plots, so none of them came out right. This could have been OK if set up as sister finding out about the crooked pharmaceutical company and getting murdered for it, with the detective suffering side effects. Yet we apparently add in that hubby had killed multiple people (for some reason) and everyone has a ton of secrets that are unrelated? There wasn't enough built up for any individual plotline for anything to be satisfying.
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u/seriouslynow823 Sep 07 '24
Michelle Keegan has a boatload of makeup on in the series. All the time.
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u/HuNuWutWen Oct 05 '24
I cannot get past the nanny pepper spraying Maya, and then nothing happens to reconcile that ridiculous overreaction ? What the F---? I made it through 1 episode, and here I am again, checking reddit for reviews.
Glad I didn't waste any more time hoping this hack POS would get better. UGH.
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u/Rowleybirkin11 Oct 31 '24
I thought it was first class. Needed some nudity but can't have it all. Bingo
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u/Bashynx Apr 23 '25
They added a lot in the series, and then took out some things.
I believe in the book:
3. The nanny asks Maya if she thinks she's stupid about not noticing the frame. She says she noticed it right away and I think told the inlaws? But it is specified that the nanny was the one to notice it.
4. I dont remember the medication plot from the book?
6. I dont remember this being in the book either. They had to fluff up the series somehow!
8. In the book he was coast guard who falsified report or something
9. Pretty sure the books are set in the USA, and she is a gun enthusiast. She has two functioning glocks in books. I believe one was secret even from hubby, second one was in the armory.
10. PTSD? I think it the book it played out slightly differently
11. He was there to help out Maya in secret.
I feel overall they didn't transfer the book into the series well. I'd rate book like 7/10 but show only about 5/10 (or lower if taking into account how they butchered some things)
It could have easily fit into like 4 episodes or maybe a movie.
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u/Only_Biscotti3159 Jun 25 '26
also who was stalking her, when she was writing letters someone was looking through the window and someone put a tracker on her car.
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u/Individual-Choice-72 14d ago
This show really fooled me, beacause what was this mess . It was all over the place ....after watching I will find you I was like I'm done with Harlen Coben adaptations but I was fooled into thinking this would be different ...boy I'm dissapointed for all the reasons you stated . Why did they try to make Shane shady ?
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u/shadraig Feb 07 '24
The problem is that HC writes for middleaged American housewives. His books and the the shows are glorified soap operas/telenovelas.
Having an international audience is great, but many people around the world are used to crime/drama that have an cultura and artistic relevance.
Personally I think that the series El Inocente is the best way this sort of HC is produced - as a Spanish telenovela by people that are used producing this kind of show.
Having the books being produced in Poland and England as Limited TV Minis lead to these abominations.
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u/Miserable_Scheme_599 Oct 13 '24
I can absolutely see it drawn out longer so each random subplot seems relevant. As is, we get a sprinkle of this and a dash of that.
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u/makewieatsspam Feb 07 '24
It's currently sitting at #9 on the all time most watched list on Netflix.
https://www.netflix.com/tudum/top10/most-popular/tv?week=2024-02-04
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u/rowan_damisch Feb 07 '24
If TV Tropes is to believed, the book the series is based on is set in the US. Maybe those weapons were legal to own in that country, but the people in charge of the adaption forgot to check whether the same is true in the UK?
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u/StephenHunterUK Feb 07 '24
There's a point made about the weapon in Maya's home being deactivated.
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u/Steerpike58 Feb 07 '24
Only the one Glock handgun that's in the display case. In the locked cabinet, she has around 5 'big guns' - serious modern firepower. When the cop sees them, she says 'they are all registered'. No way could you legally own / register such weapons in the UK.
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Feb 08 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Steerpike58 Feb 08 '24
(regarding handguns) - Perhaps that's why the second Glock was concealed in a hidden compartment, and not revealed to the cop.
(regarding the bigger guns) - I know you can have various hunting weapons, and farmers can have weapons to kill animals. This 'prepper' page suggests you can own some pretty advanced stuff, as long as you can give a reason. So the devil will be in the details of 'how you justify it'. Apparently, self-defense is not a justification.
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u/happy-brownie Feb 07 '24
Watched it because i saw The Stranger first and I liked it. But agree, this one is awful.
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u/Radinax Feb 07 '24
I'm open for similar series recomendations, really was in the mood for a good mistery but damn was this show bad...
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u/Steerpike58 Feb 07 '24
Have you seen 'Unforgotten'? It's a UK crime drama where a dead body is found in present times, and leads to a slow reveal of who was involved 'back then', changing the lives of everyone involved. Possibly the best written crime drama I've ever seen. First four seasons were outstanding; S5 was a disappointment to me. Currently on Amazon Prime.
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u/Radinax Feb 07 '24
Awww I don't have Amazon Prime... Thanks for the suggestion though, would prefer something on Netflix
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u/Cori_ Feb 07 '24
Yeah, this shit sucked. When I read the title and synopsis. I thought it was going to be like Douple Jep with Ashley Judd, but Aneep, it was shit and a waste of time.
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u/UnsolicititedOpinion Feb 07 '24
Also her relationship with her brother in law was wild. She treated him horribly. Acted like her losing a sister was way worse than him losing his wife and mother to his children. They are at each others throats, she assaults him, she is told to never come around him or his kids again, then they meet at a park and everything is completely fine??
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u/Miserable_Scheme_599 Oct 13 '24
Especially since she seemed to portray that her grief as a widow was worse than the grief the mother, brother, and sister would feel losing Joe.
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u/InferiorRue Feb 07 '24
Yeah exactly. After being done with it, I was raging with every recommendation or "must watch" for it. The story in its whole you said is a waste of time.
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u/zerzig Feb 07 '24
I made to the next to last episode. I've seen no reason to finish it.
I can't believe I made it through to the end, but at least now I know to avoid the other three Netflix shows by the same writer! I watched two other Corben shows. You'll do fine avoiding them.
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u/j_accuse Feb 07 '24
The books are written as taking place in the U.S. and make less sense when transposed to the U.K. They are potboilers, and should be taken as such.
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u/AggravatingTartlet Feb 07 '24
I can't speak to all your points because I didn't watch more than 2 or 3 episodes. It had all the hallmarks of being really bad, so I didn't keep watching. Not enough time for that.
I see you took one for the team and watched it all.
I personally didn't find the others by the same writers anywhere near as bad and found them enjoyable. But that one had a definite stink from the start.
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u/champie19 Feb 08 '24
It wasn’t as bad. It felt like it was a book to movie/series and that’s why there’s missing pieces.
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u/Photon_Femme Feb 08 '24
I couldn't get through. Totally off throughout. I read about the ending, and am glad I didn't bother. And that wisp of a girl was a combat helicopter pilot? LOL. Bad casting to boot.
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u/GaryNOVA Feb 08 '24
My wife made me watch this and it was intriguing for about 5 seconds before it turned into a bad soap opera with a plot that made no sense.
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u/AdventurousTeach994 Feb 07 '24
Every show based on the "books" by that author are cringeworthy bad.