A Murder at the End of the World: a series review
Well, guys, it's done. Reddit figured out the "big twist/reveal" almost right from the start. And that would have been fine, as a viewer, if the writing had been better and the show focused on showing rather than telling. Sigh. I wanted to like this show but I haven't really been invested since Episode 3.
AMATEOTW seemed more interested in constantly beating us to the floor with The Message, which is something I can't abide in a television show. The writing was incomplete, subpar, and at times so laughable. And this is ironic, considering the clout the writers seem to have in their fandom. People get VERY UPSET if you say you don't like The OA or the writing on this show, as I learned on that very subreddit while trying to discuss the things I felt were missing from A Murder.
I felt they wasted so much time in this series. The first two episodes seemed to lay out the plot and the vibe pretty well...even though there were hints that the writing was going to fail us from the very start. Still, I wanted to continue with the show, you know, just in case!
I consider Severance some of the best television in this genre due to the writing, plot points, pacing, tension between reveal and continuing mystery, acting, art design and direction, direction, blocking, music, and production value. I also like the not-so-perfect show From. Using these two examples, I can try to explain why I feel AMATEOTW ultimately failed.
Why Did A Murder at the End Fail?
The first two episodes of the series gave us a solid foundation from which to build the rest of the season. The cinematography was beautiful, appropriate to the setting and mood. The actors seemed comfortable in their characters for the most part. The director used some fun techniques (see our recaps for 1 and 2, respectively) and I was hopeful that the writing would remain consistent. There were some hints that this show would suffer from the same ham-fisted storytelling issues that marked The OA but I expected much more than what we ended up with during the second half of the series.
If your marketing team sets up your show as a mystery, you must ride that delicate balance between revealing answers to questions you've put into place and continuing the mystery until the very end. Severance, Season 1, managed this balance perfectly. You feel you are getting deeper into the world the writers have built but always have yet another layer held back. Even the finale didn't give us a complete understanding of the show's universe but we didn't feel cheated as a viewer. We felt excited about what may come next.
Contrast that balance with From, which although insanely addictive and fun, garnered negative reviews from critics as well as viewers online who complained that all we got was mystery piled on top of each other with no context from which to glean relief/answers. We don't need it all spelled out for us but we do need a place from which to begin and From doesn't give us much. Still, because the acting from the leads is so stellar and the story is ludicrous and novel enough to remain entertaining, viewers didn't drop off before the finales of each season.
I stopped caring about AMATEOTW after episode 3. I felt the writing degraded at that point. The setting was wasted. The camera tricks and direction was wasted. The side characters weren't even fully utilized, amounting to set dressing at best. Plot lines were built and not even discarded as red herrings a la Agatha Christie...just massive wastes of screen time and production value. Art design killed it but what use is that when the writing can't keep you interested?
All opinion, of course, but I will not be investing more time in the writers' subsequent work. SO MUCH content exists out there in the world and there's plenty to keep my interest.
What did you think of the show? Were you disappointed? Did you figure it out before the end? Let us know!