Dear Child (2023)
5/10
Unsettling, but also annoying
11 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This series is thankfully only 6 episodes long. It has some great psychological elements, but I found myself fast forwarding to get through interminably long sequences that did not add anything but time.

As others have noted, the entire story relies on the overpowering mind control that antagonist has over Jasmin, Hannah and Jonathan. In this world, people can hear the commandments in their heads from their "dad" several days, perhaps weeks after the fact.

The plot holes just seem to pile up. For example: The kidnapper apparently has access to land mines... how exactly? Abandoned NATO bases do not keep ammunition, let alone land mines laying around. He is able to spy on several people using security cameras and cameras hidden in smoke detectors -- which would be fine given his background in security -- but we also have to believe that he is a genius super hacker with the ability to hack any system and sneak into the private homes of whomever he desires.

We have police watching a home 24x7, but not the backdoor. We have the press surrounding the family home... but not at night.

And it is finally revealed that Hannah. Diminutive little Hannah was somehow able to sneak up on the car driver and knock him out with a tree branch. Really?? That was the big reveal?? This girl has been raised in complete isolation and apparently she is a super sleuth who can track down Lena, sneak up on a driver and swing a tree branch -- something she has NEVER even seen or felt before with near lethal effectiveness.

It gets frustrating. There is some very good tension but the police never talk to each other (as in, hey! I think I'm following the suspect! I need backup!) and just give long forlorn looks.

It's enjoyable, but be prepared to skip head to make it come together faster.
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