The backdrop of a quaint, grey town on the west coast of Ireland, with its collection of idiosyncratic locals as a supporting cast provides its share of funny moments, often in the form of blunt one-liners.
Unfortunately it just doesn't quite work overall.
The investigation into the disappearance meanders and isn't particularly interesting. The fun part meeting a host of interesting and amusing characters along the way, and even then, their interactions with the three journalists lack subtlety and/or consistency. Characters may as well be megaphoning "I HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE", and the script can't flips between the locals of Bodkin being wary of the fresh investigation, and then all too keen to sing like canaries. There's a lot of:
"So... you were involved in X?"
"Aye, aye, and it was all going so well, until that blasted Z!"
"Hmm... Z, you say?"
"...Ye ask too many questions! Ye should go on home!"
Then we have the female lead, Dove. Even leaving aside my own personal distaste for snooty, cosmopolitan Europeans who look down on our American cousins for daring to show pride and interest in their heritage, I don't think I have ever disliked a protagonist more.
The moody, jaded, sharp-tongued veteran is hardly a new and exciting character type, and this particular incarnation borders on parody. Yes, I get it, she doesn't want to be there. There is no need for every single piece of her dialogue to be comprised of condescending snarls and swearing. The way she confronts people in a such a needlessly nasty and outright deranged manner does not mesh well with supposedly being a a highly competent and thorough investigative journalist. It's jarring.
Certainly not a show without its merits but could have done with dialling things in a bit and building on the true crime podcast theme more.
Unfortunately it just doesn't quite work overall.
The investigation into the disappearance meanders and isn't particularly interesting. The fun part meeting a host of interesting and amusing characters along the way, and even then, their interactions with the three journalists lack subtlety and/or consistency. Characters may as well be megaphoning "I HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE", and the script can't flips between the locals of Bodkin being wary of the fresh investigation, and then all too keen to sing like canaries. There's a lot of:
"So... you were involved in X?"
"Aye, aye, and it was all going so well, until that blasted Z!"
"Hmm... Z, you say?"
"...Ye ask too many questions! Ye should go on home!"
Then we have the female lead, Dove. Even leaving aside my own personal distaste for snooty, cosmopolitan Europeans who look down on our American cousins for daring to show pride and interest in their heritage, I don't think I have ever disliked a protagonist more.
The moody, jaded, sharp-tongued veteran is hardly a new and exciting character type, and this particular incarnation borders on parody. Yes, I get it, she doesn't want to be there. There is no need for every single piece of her dialogue to be comprised of condescending snarls and swearing. The way she confronts people in a such a needlessly nasty and outright deranged manner does not mesh well with supposedly being a a highly competent and thorough investigative journalist. It's jarring.
Certainly not a show without its merits but could have done with dialling things in a bit and building on the true crime podcast theme more.