Safe
GRADE: A
GENRES: crime drama, elements of comedy, elements of a romance
GENERAL COMMENTS: I am a huge fan of British crime dramas (such as “Broadchurch”, “Marcella”, “Collateral” and “Luther”). Though, this one is different. Unlike the other British crime dramas, this one doesn’t follow a troubled cop trying to bring justice. There is one, mind you, but she is only one of many characters who take center stage in this drama. In fact, this crime drama has multiple crimes going on at once with their threads interweaving in one neighborhood.
This series reminds me of “Twin Peaks”. If you are not old enough to remember that strange TV show, let me summarize it. You have an FBI agent trying to solve a murder that takes place in a town called Twin Peaks that is full of unhinged characters. “Safe” is similar in that you have these wonderful characters being combined in this one event that has created two mysteries. A father is desperate to find his daughter after she goes to a party. Another family isn’t looking for their son, but we know they should be. This one family brings out the comedic element in how they bizarrely handle everything. And, yes, you do have love triangles and cops who are too involved in it all.
In short, you have something that keeps you interested! There are multiple mysteries to solve and characters to enjoy.
WHAT WORKS: I have taken enough writing and film classes to know that it is best not to switch POVs (point of views) too much. You have a main character or group of characters, and they are the one you get the story from. However, this drama breaks that. It keeps giving us a look into the many sides of this story. And I like that!
We get to watch a police officer coming to the door and also know what it is that the family is hiding in the house. In many ways, this is similar to “ER” or “Lost” in which you have these diverse and great characters that bring their backstories to the series. However, the difference is that you almost have a cat and mouse effect with the different stories. Each hiding from the other until they somehow are forced to reveal themselves.
For instance, one of the new characters to the neighborhood is Emma. And one of the mysteries that we need to solve is why the heck she is there to begin with! Why is she stalking and taking pictures of one of the other characters? And when we find out, oh, WOW! Didn’t see that coming!
WHAT DOESN’T WORK: I’m not a fan of “Dexter” or the acting of Michael Hall. I don’t know why, so this is a personal preference. But he does make the series a bit less interesting for me (but somehow redeems Michael Hall a bit).
As well, I both liked and disliked the family that added the comedic element. Their antics were both interesting and eye rolling. I guess it is a good thing that you wanna yell at the screen that their shenanigans are only going to make things worse. Though, they do make the series a little less dark and somber.
There are also parts that drag a bit. We maybe get too much information at points. We sometimes get too much back story. But that is a fine line.
Lastly, there were a few flashbacks that caught me by surprise. It wasn’t until after the scene ended that I really knew they were flashbacks. And some flashbacks ended awkwardly that I didn’t know if they truly had ended or not.
For these reasons, it doesn’t get an A+.
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